In 2007, an inter-company crossover between Marvel and Dynamite Entertainment hinted that Evil Dead's Ashley J. Williams would have a crossover with the Marvel Comics universe. However, this crossover, titled Marvel Zombies vs Army of Darkness, had the Chosen One cheat death by landing in the Marvel Zombies world on the first day of the outbreak. The surprises kept coming as Ash not only watched the downfall of Earth's heroes to the virus, but audiences were also introduced to a different version of Ash, hailing from this particular Marvel universe.
In the series by John Layman, Fabiano Neves, June Chung and VC's Rus Wooton, this incarnation of Ash dreamed of being a hero while working a dead-end job in Housewares at the local S-Mart. Living in New York, which was full of superheroes and their daily battles, this Ash didn't have a particularly high opinion of super-humans and that cynical outlook was confirmed the day the zombie outbreak began.
As reports of super-powered individuals attacking and consuming people began pouring in, Ash rose to the occasion and clocked out of his retail job permanently and grabbed his signature shotgun and chainsaw. Dressed like his Evil Dead counterpart, Ash witnessed firsthand the horrors of the feasting frenzy as he came across zombified versions of Hawkeye, She-Hulk, Multiple Man, and Hulkling. Finding that signature confidence and bravado, Ash survived long enough to see the strangest thing of all that day, his Evil Dead doppelganger who'd also been struggling to survive this Marvel zombie apocalypse.
Seeing another Ash alongside mutant heroine Dazzler, Ashley G. Williams followed the unlikely duo as they searched for Dr. Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum in Greenwich Village. Unable to shake off the feelings of deja vu and the sensation of seeing the living embodiment of a destiny unfulfilled, this Ash was caught unaware and devoured by the undead version of Howard the Duck. Thinking Howard had eaten the true Ash, Dazzler defended herself until Ashley J. Williams showed up and disemboweled the creature, arrogantly thinking it was over. Saved last minute by the Scarlet Witch, Ash continued to make jokes as the two Marvel heroes examined the remains of the other Ash who bit the bullet just when he was starting to live.
Upon seeing the other Ash's identity confirmed, Wanda realized that Ash had been telling the truth earlier and both female heroes apologized to the displaced hero for dismissing his story. As Ash and the surviving heroes' search for the Necronomicon took them to Latveria, Ash's future conference with the Necronomicon ex Mortis would reveal this invasion was not its doing, but something else entirely. With Ash continuing to bumble and blind luck through his survival of the Marvel Zombies world in hopes of getting home, it's a shame that the only known Marvel version of Ash didn't last too long. Ash Williams has fought and worked alongside other versions of himself, even those in different dimensions, timelines or even other genders, and it would have been interesting seeing how both versions of Ash would have functioned alongside each other in future Marvel Zombies vs Army of Darkness stories. But in the end, there's only one Chosen One and he's here to stay, dead or alive. Hail to the king, baby.
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September 07, 2020 at 05:39AM
