History Main / ElementalZombie

* ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' is an EpisodeOfTheDead of ''ComicBook/GreenLantern'' and in general to Franchise/TheDCU, wherein [[HandOfDeath Black Hand]] becomes the [[TheGrimReaper Avatar of Nekron]] and creates the Black Lanterns, whose rings can bring people from normal humans to metahumans BackFromTheDead, turning everything into a universe-scale ZombieApocalypse. That includes superheroes or villains who got ElementalPowers, having among them a Fire Zombie (ComicBook/{{Firestorm|DCComics}} I/Ronnie Raymond, renamed as "Deathstorm"), an Earth Zombie ([[ComicBook/TeenTitans Terra]]/Tara Markov) and an Ice Zombie ([[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational Ice]]/Tora Olafsdotter).

ChillOfUndeath, especially when the ties to ice and cold are played up, is a sub-trope. Compare DeceasedAndDiseased for when the Undead are associated with poison and plague instead of (or in some cases in addition to) this trope. See also ElementalDragon.

Note that while the word "zombie" is used here, [[DemBones skeletons,]] [[OurLichesAreDifferent liches,]] and death knights, [[RevenantZombie revenant zombies]], mummies, and other "corpse-y" undead that are partly elemental can count too.

ChillOfUndeath, especially when the ties to ice and cold are played up, is a sub-trope. Compare DeceasedAndDiseased for when the Undead are associated with poison and plague instead of (or in some cases in addition to) this trope.

* ''VideoGame/{{Roblox}}'' game ''VideoGame/ZombieAttack'' upgrades the normal zombie in one of two ways. Make them bigger, or throw on an elemental power like lava or ice. They are soon discarded though in favor of non-zombie enemies, despite the name.

->'''Jo-Beth Casey:''' Electric Zombies!? That is '''so''' unfair!\\
'''Anya:''' That's ''shocking''. Sorry.

-->'''Jo-Beth Casey:''' Electric Zombies!? That is '''so''' unfair!\\
'''Anya:''' That's [[{{Pun}} shocking]]. Sorry.

* In ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn'', Ivy's attempt to make a serum to aid plant life has the unintentional consequence of creating plant zombies. These zombies also puke a slime that causes people to become plants.

* VideoGame/{{Skyrim}} has the ash spawn, zombies created from the ashes of cremated dunmer. Unlike the undead in the rest of the game, they're immune or resistant to fire spells and damage but are instead weak to cold damage. They also inflict fire damage and cast fire spells, in contrast to standard undead's ice spells.

** The first game applies the ChillOfUndeath trope to its crypt towers since they can only be built on snowy terrain and with enough skill points invested in the undead SkillTree, can be upgraded to inflict HarmlessFreezing when they attack heroes.
** The sequel has all of the same ice tropes as the first game, with the addition of crypts being upgradable into chilling crypts and icy crypts for a better chance of HarmlessFreezing. It also throws in a few lightning elements as well; one of the 5th-tier upgrades is the lightning crypt, which hits harder and reloads quicker than other towers at the expense of a reduced chance of triggering special effects, and one upgrade in the undead SkillTree allows any crypt to turn the souls of the heroes it kills into [[FleshAndBombs lightning traps]].

* ''ComicBook/BlackestNight'' was the EpisodeOfTheDead of ''Franchise/GreenLantern'' and in general to Franchise/TheDCU, when [[HandOfDeath Black Hand]] became the [[TheGrimReaper Avatar of Nekron]] and creating the [[Characters/GreenLanternBlackAndWhiteCorps Black Lanterns]] whose rings can make BackFromTheDead to normal humans to metahumans, turning everything into a universe-scale ZombieApocalypse. And that includes superheroes or villains who got ElementalPowers, having among them a Fire Zombie (ComicBook/{{Firestorm}} I/Ronnie Raymond, renamed as "Deathstorm"), an Earth Zombie ([[ComicBook/TeenTitans Terra]]/Tara Markov) and an Ice Zombie ([[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueInternational Ice]]/Tora Olafsdotter).

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fkstwp_xkaep_8n.jpg]]]]
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Sometimes you want to use hordes of the undead in your story, but you want a different take on them to make them stand out or be [[RuleOfCool cooler]] than your standard issue zombie. And you want to do something other than your usual [[MadeOfExplodium methane-filled exploding zombies]] or [[ZombiePukeAttack bile spitting zombie]]. That's where this trope comes into play.

* Blights in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' are classified as plant monsters, but are essentially zombies, as they are spawned from a Gulthias tree -- an undead husk of a large tree infected by vampirism.
** Blazing Skeleton are a variant of the standard skeleton but engulfed in flames. Unlike many other corporeal undead, they are resistant or immune to fire and are also capable of hurling fire bolts as an attack. As to be expected, they are often pyromaniacs.
* In ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'', the Black element is the [[TheGrimReaper Death Embodiment]], with special emphasis on Black magic that [[BackFromTheDead can revive the dead]], no matter from which side the living thing was on or the race of them. But also, they can play with other elements, having zombie versions of all races as well some "Elemental" ones as [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=25927 Lava Zombie]], [[https://www.mtgmate.com.au/cards/Chill_of_the_Grave/VOW/51:foil Ice Zombie]] and even a [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/details.aspx?multiverseid=262662 Tree Zombie]].
* In ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'', the majority of the Zombie-type monsters belong to the DARK attribute. However, there are a few exceptions that appear in the WATER, EARTH, WIND and FIRE attributes, and less so in the LIGHT attribute. To wit:

** The first game applies the ChillOfUndeath trope to its crypt towers since they can only be built on snowy terrain and with enough skill points invested in th undead SkillTree, can be upgraded to inflict HarmlessFreezing when they attack heroes.
** The sequel has all of the same ice tropes as the first game, but throws in a few lightning elements as well; one of the 5th-tier upgrades is the lightning crypt, which hits harder and reloads quicker than other towers at the expense of a reduced chance of triggering special effects, and one upgrade in the undead SkillTree allows any crypt to turn the souls of the heroes it kills into [[FleshAndBombs lightning traps]].

* Michael Moorcock’s second series of ''Literature/{{Corum}}'' novels sends his depressed Vadhagh Champion forward in time to an ur-Celtic era where humans are being wiped out by other-dimensional monstrosities called Fhoi Mhoire (the Fomor of Celtic myth). One of the armies at the command of these monsters consists of humans infected with a plant-based hive intelligence that gives them green skin and sap for blood. These ‘Brothers of the Pines’ are basically tree-zombies.

* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'': At least two of the Dark Judges possess elemental powers. Judge Fire, one of the main four, is always wreathed in flames and can shoot fire with his DevilsPitchFork (ironically, the other Dark Judges are [[BurnTheUndead vulnerable to fire]]). Judge Whisper started out as a more regular type of zombie (albeit with PsychicPowers) until a mutation caused him to become a PlantPerson on top of that.

* Fire: Despite being a common zombie weakness, zombies with some kind of fiery heart are not unheard of, especially if it's a zombie comprised of funerary ashes, or if it's from a FireAndBrimstoneHell.

* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'': At least two of the Dark Judge possess elemental powers. Judge Fire, one of the main four, is always wreathed in flames and can shoot fire with his DevilsPitchFork (ironically, the other Dark Judges are [[BurnTheUndead vulnerable to fire]]). Judge Whisper started out as a more regular type of zombie (albeit with PsychicPowers) until a mutation caused him to become a PlantPerson on top of that.