Zack Snyder’s filmography has repeatedly come under criticism for many of the same things, whether it’s excessive running times, a preference for favoring style over substance or a lack of character development, but whatever you think of his output, it can’t be denied that he’s an expert when it comes to worldbuilding.
In fact, he’s got such a knack for it that one of Snyder’s best signatures is to use either the first scene or opening credits of his movies to set the stage, relying on visual exposition to give audiences a sense of time and place rather than having it come out of the character’s mouths. It’s something he’s very good at, so it’s no wonder Army of the Dead is receiving widespread praise for its first batch of titles.
The Netflix blockbuster puts another fresh spin on the zombie mythology, with Snyder separating them into different classes to give the undead a social structure and hierarchy, while his two Alphas are established as Las Vegas’ ultimate power couple. That being said, it’s never explicitly revealed exactly where Zeus came from, or how he ended up being trapped in a shipping container heading out of Area 51.
That’s the only mention of the mysterious facility we hear in Army of the Dead, as one of the military officers in the prologue wonders if it’s a UFO they’re ferrying across the desert, but we’ve now learned from our sources – the same ones who told us Captain America 4 was in active development at Marvel Studios long before it was confirmed – that the planned sequel will indeed involve extraterrestrials in some fashion.
It isn’t clear how they’d factor into the story or in what capacity, but Snyder has already teased that he’s got an insane idea for Army of the Dead 2, and a causal mention of Area 51 certainly opens the door to an exploration of the mysterious facility, perhaps as a means to try and find a cure.
