Zack Snyder is back to the zombie genre after 2004’s Dawn of the Dead. And no! Army of the Dead is not a sequel to it. Well, one thing is for sure, Snyder is not afraid to show gore in his movies. Moreover, the movie has many elements that will take you by surprise. As you will see, the movie takes no time to set the narrative. Also, the leader of zombies is also established in a dramatic way, implementing that Olympus has fallen. But we are all wondering how Zeus was created.
WARNING: POTENTIAL SPOILERS FOR ARMY OF THE DEAD
How Was Zeus Created
Let’s start with the introduction. The film opens with a military convoy transporting the Alpha zombie Zeus, played by Richard Cetrone. An accident on the road allows Zeus to escape. However, he ends up biting some of the soldiers who then transform into Alphas themselves. Here begins the journey after Zeus sets his sights on the nearby Las Vegas.
Right off the bat, we have to mention the moment we first saw Zeus. We know that Area 51 was being referred to as the point of origin for the zombie plague. Meanwhile, Zeus was being carried in armored military transport. Moreover, Las Vegas was a walking distance from his escape, this heavily hints to this being the location he’s being transported from. Yes, Area 51. Also, Snyder has indicated aliens being connected to Zeus’ origins in some way.
Why is Zeus Important In Zombie Hierarchy
Snyder’s Army of the Dead offers a simple bifurcation of the Zombie family. Well, the lowest on the list are Shamblers. The simple breakdown is that a bite from Zeus turns humans into Alphas, whereas a bite from another Alpha turns them into Shamblers. This makes Zeus the most important step of the zombie hierarchy. He’s a key figure for the zombie virus because of the unique way it affects him and is transmitted by him.
Even the zombie tiger that we come across is extremely powerful and enhanced. It could be that he was bitten by Zeus himself. Within such a sci-fi context, aliens tend to be the first thing that springs to mind at the mention of Area 51. Maybe Zeus was a victim of such an alien-related activity? However, the exact details of how Zeus became the progenitor of the Alpha zombies remains unknown.
Even though it was teased that Zeus could be an alien, we know for a fact that he was not completely alien. He was wearing dog tags right from the beginning. So, it’s clear that a soldier became part of a laboratory experiment and the US military was trying to create a superhuman Zombie. Or perhaps it is a Captain America experiment gone wrong.
A possible reason for why it went wrong is that the experiment involved the fusion of the soldier with some Alien Life that was being guarded at Area 51. So, he was transformed into an alien-human hybrid. That would explain why his baby was blue before it died. The government probably wanted to come up with an army of Zombies that they could control.
How The Prequel & Sequel Dive Into Zeus’ Origins
It has already been announced in 2020 that a prequel film, Army of Thieves, and a prequel anime series, Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas, are both in the works. Army of Thieves could explore the world before the rise of zombies in Army of the Dead. Whereas the latter could seemingly take a deeper and more direct dive into what led to it. Based on what’s known about his origins, government experimentation is one of the most acceptable answers. Moreover, Snyder has confirmed this as well.
Talking with The Film Junkee about the character’s origins, he explained:
“Richards is his name. The soldier that is Zeus, but he had a name, he was a guy before. Something happened to him… He did volunteer for something, but it wasn’t what he thought… He also went on a mission. It wasn’t just like, come to this facility and train. He went on a quest on his own and came back as this thing.”
This easily goes on to prove that Richards, or Zeus, is here to stay and will be explored further. It’s probably a good bet that Lost Vegas will show Zeus when he was still human and the circumstances that led to his zombie transformation. It is good news there’s more to learn about Zeus and how the zombie outbreak first originated. Zeus has a name, a backstory, and a transformation story. What else is needed for a fan to feel excited for!
Army of the Dead is currently streaming on Netflix and stars Dave Bautista, Garret Dillahunt, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Raul Castillo, Tig Notaro, Theo Rossi, and Ana de la Reguera.
So this is probably how Zeus was created. Did you like the film? Let us know in the comments.
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