Ella Purnell's 94% RT Post-Apocalyptic Series Beats Her Canceled Franchise From 5 Years Ago

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Published Jul 25, 2026, 2:30 PM EDT

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Over the past few years, Ella Purnell has become a household name thanks to her various beloved characters, with the actress mastering the post-apocalyptic genre. Her first taste came in 2021 when she played a vital role in Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead — a zombie movie that looked like it would turn into a major franchise.

As one of the few surviving characters, Purnell's character Kate Ward seemed destined to lead future projects, yet after the Army of Thieves prequel was released just five months later, this exciting universe was canceled. While that may have seemed like the end for Purnell's post-apocalyptic journey, she found an even better alternative just three years later through Fallout.

Although video game adaptations have been hit-and-miss, Prime Video's Fallout is one of the greatest sci-fi shows around, and it is easily one of the best games turned TV series of all time. It captures the spirit of the source material perfectly while telling its own unique story, hence why it has broken viewership records for the streaming platform and become so popular.

Critically, Fallout has performed extremely well, and fans love it too, making it one of the biggest projects of Purnell's career. She stars as Lucy, one of the three lead characters, and given how connected she is to the overall plot, there's no debate that the Prime Video show has been far kinder to Purnell than Army of the Dead ever was.

With Fallout confirmed for a third season, it looks like the series will continue to grow and make Purnell even more of a star. Therefore, while Army of the Dead undoubtedly had potential to propel her career and expand her profile, Fallout was the perfect replacement and beat the zombie franchise by some distance.

Fallout Is A Much Better Post-Apocalyptic Franchise Than Army Of The Dead

Although Army of the Dead looked promising before its cancelation, especially with a sequel setup, it was always going to be hard to top Fallout, which is the much better post-apocalyptic franchise. Firstly, Fallout had a pre-existing fanbase, with the video game series accumulating millions of sales and earning a stellar reputation well before Prime Video opted to adapt it.

The universe itself is super in-depth, with numerous factions, mutated creatures, and interesting rules helping Fallout stand out from anything else on the market. As a result, the TV series always had the advantage of viewers getting excited by things like Deathclaws or locations such as New Vegas, ensuring there was always something to look forward to.

In addition, Fallout's Vaults have so much lore and unexplored history that meant Purnell's character was always going to be a main focus. Seeing Lucy go from an innocent Vault-dweller to a capable survivor exploring the wasteland was a treat to watch, helping her journey feel different from anything that has come before.

All these distinct traits and years of history made it practically impossible for Prime Video's Fallout to fail, giving Army of the Dead almost no chance at competing. The Netflix film did have an interesting premise with the undead only occupying Las Vegas while the rest of the world continues as normal, and there was plenty of scope to branch out.

Likewise, the Alphas added some layers that made Army of the Dead feel like more than just another zombie movie, but without getting to see more from this universe, it falls well short of Fallout. In the end, Purnell thrived in both projects and could've made Snyder's franchise a hit had the planned sequel gone ahead, but Fallout was always the stronger choice.

Ella Purnell Has Quietly Become The Queen Of Streaming

Ella Purnell's Lucy looking tearfully towards Aaron Moten's Maximus outside the Lucky 38 in Fallout season 2

Considering how big streaming has become over the past decade or so, it's no surprise several actors have made a real name for themselves through various platforms, and Ella Purnell is one of the most successful. Obviously, Fallout is one of her most notable roles, with Prime Video investing a lot to make the project so mainstream.

The fact that she is a leading figure of such a massive series says a lot, but it's not her only hit. Back in 2021, Purnell voiced Arcane's Jinx before reprising the role in 2024. Very few would've expected a League of Legends adaptation to become such a juggernaut, yet it is easily one of Netflix's best original shows, having been flawless throughout.

Lucy and Jinx have widely different personalities, yet Purnell made audiences fall in love with both, and the subsequent shows they're part of. Although both Yellowjackets and Sweetpea are available on cable in certain countries, they also found a home on streaming platforms, with the actress playing major characters in each of them.

Ella Purnell has won several awards for her roles in Fallout, Arcane, and Yellowjackets.

She plays the lead role in Sweetpea and was a key part of Yellowjackets before being killed off, adding to her impressive resume. In addition, she also had a minor guest role in Invincible — one of Prime Video's other flagship shows, cementing Ella Purnell as the queen of streaming.

Her Army of the Dead involvement only furthers this argument given that it was a Netflix exclusive, and many of her other projects are also available on streaming. Therefore, her recent success in Fallout isn't anything new and instead confirms how much of a star Purnell is when it comes to the modern age of entertainment.