Army of the Dead’s Zombie Tiger Is Zack Snyder At His Funniest

Zack Snyder has incorporated comedic moments into past projects, but Army of the Dead‘s zombie tiger is the filmmaker at his funniest. The Netflix film is Snyder’s most recent big-budget project outside of the superhero genre. Despite being drastically different than DCEU films based on the presence of flesh-eating zombies, Army of the Dead marks Snyder’s return to his zombie roots. The writer/director’s first major film was 2004’s Dawn of the Dead, a remake of George A. Romero’s movie of the same name.

Army of the Dead stemmed from Snyder’s own vision, centering on a team of mercenaries who embark on a mission inside Las Vegas or the remnants of what was once Sin City. After a bioengineered zombie breaks free from a military convoy, it makes its way to Las Vegas as the infection spreads to the city’s population. Scott Ward (Dave Bautista) and his team previously attempted to save humankind, but the government was forced to put a border around Vegas to protect the rest of the world. After learning about money kept in a vault under a casino, Scott reunites fellow mercenaries for a dangerous heist, leading the group to face some highly advanced zombies.

When creating a new apocalyptic franchise, Snyder also invented a new zombie lore. Aside from ordinary mindless, flesh-eaters, known as Shamblers, Army of the Dead features Alphas. Zeus, the zombie who broke free from the military, serves as the lead Alpha, who can make more of his kind with a direct bite. While Alphas can make more Alphas, they can actually infect animals, leaving them with a sense of intelligence. In addition to Zeus’ zombie horse, Army of the Dead features a zombie tiger named Valentine. In fact, the movie reveals the white tiger once belonged to legendary Vegas performers Siegfried & Roy. Though it takes some time, the payoff surrounding Valentine’s presence is hilariously worth the wait, showing Snyder has a handle on comedy.

Valentine, the zombie tiger, doesn’t have a major presence in Army of the Dead, but when he does appear, there’s hope he wreaks some havoc on the living. Aside from prowling around the destroyed city, the tiger doesn’t do much, which is disappointing at first. Even when Zeus and his horde of Alphas target Scott’s team at the nearby casino, Valentine sits atop a car before letting out a big yawn. Thankfully, Snyder’s vision for the zombie tiger works out brilliantly as Valentine intercepts the villainous Martin (Garret Dillahunt), who double-crosses the group for a plan orchestrated by his boss, Bly Tanaka (Hiroyuki Sanada). Valentine is still waiting outside when Martin tries to escape, which spells doom for the lone human. Not only does Valentine maul Martin to death, but the zombie tiger plays with his victim, treating the man like a ragdoll. The moment reveals how Snyder is in on the joke, giving Dillahunt’s Martin a brutal death, and one he probably deserves.

Valentine’s brilliant payoff is an excellent example of fan service, seeing as Martin is probably one of the few characters fans want to see killed by the zombie race. Rather than allow Zeus or one of the countless other zombies within the Las Vegas city limits, Valentine is hilariously chosen to take down the human villain. Though the zombie tiger is presumably killed in the nuclear strike that decimates the city, he can still be seen again in the Army of the Dead franchise. Snyder is actively expanding the fictional universe with prequels, including an anime series, Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas, which will feature Scott and his team at the beginning of the outbreak. Maybe the series can shed some light on Valentine’s early days as a zombie tiger.

About The Author

Kara Hedash
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Kara Hedash is a features editor and writer for Screen Rant. From time to time, she dives into the world’s most popular franchises but Kara primarily focuses on evergreen topics. The fact that she gets to write about The Office regularly is like a dream come true. Before joining Screen Rant, Kara served as a contributor for Movie Pilot and had work published on The Mary Sue and Reel Honey. After graduating college, writing began as a part-time hobby for Kara but it quickly turned into a career. She loves binging a new series and watching movies ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to hidden indie gems. She also has a soft spot for horror ever since she started watching it at too young of an age. Her favorite Avenger is Thor and her favorite Disney princess is Leia Organa. When Kara’s not busy writing, you can find her doing yoga or hanging out with Gritty.

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