The release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has sparked a lot of controversy among Marvel fans. Some viewers are praising the inclusion of the character, while others find it ridiculous and are skeptical about the decision to have him in the film. The debate over the character has been heated and continues to divide the opinions of the audience.
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania is the third installment in the Ant-Man franchise and it has been recently released this year. The film stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror.
M.O.D.O.K., which stands for Mental (or Mobile or Mechanized) Organism Designed Only for Killing, was one of Marvel’s first characters and was developed by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1967. It goes without saying that M.O.D.O.K. has long been a favorite of Marvel fans, but because of how unconventional everything about him is, he has never fully fit in with the MCU, until now.
In the film, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and his family, which also includes Cassie (Kathryn Newton), Hope (Evangeline Lilly), and Hope’s parents, Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank (Michael Douglas), are pulled into the subatomic Quantum Realm, which is ruled by the psychotic Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). The most dangerous subordinate of Kang, M.O.D.O.K., catches Scott and Cassie. Scott and Cassie are surprised to learn that Darren Cross, formerly known as M.O.D.O.K., is actually Scott’s former rival (Corey Stoll). In the 2015 film “Ant-Man,” Darren took over Hank’s business and attempted to reverse-engineer Hank’s technology for shrinking, making his own Yellowjacket suit. Darren’s outfit eventually broke down as a result of Scott’s victory, and he appeared to have vanished altogether. It seems that Darren’s suit really distorted his body, resulting in an asymmetrical shrinking with a huge head and smaller arms and legs. Hence, he is transported to the Quantum Realm, where Kang reconstructs him as M.O.D.O.K. in the movie.
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Despite the fact that actor Stoll knew very little about M.O.D.O.K. when director Peyton Reed originally approached him about the part, that knowing was sufficient to persuade him to accept it. In an interview, Stoll shared: “I knew that he had the craziest name. When Peyton first told me about it, he said, ‘Do you know a character named M.O.D.O.K.?’ And I said, ‘Yes, the guy with the big head.’ I don’t know if I’d actually ever read a comic book with him in it, but I had seen that image before. And I think once you see that image, you don’t forget it. He is one of a kind. It’s just so over the top, both frightening and hilarious. So Peyton didn’t have to sell me on the role at all. It was a done deal.”
In the comics, M.O.D.O.K. is a very different character, and “Iron Man 3” introduced the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the armaments firm A.I.M. But, as has been the case with several Marvel characters, the MCU distorted M.O.D.O.K. to fit his bigger plot.
Fans of the marvel series took to social media to express their opinions on M.O.D.O.K.’s inclusion in the film. Some people didn’t like M.O.D.O.K. because they think Marvel essentially CGI’d a “dude’s face and head on Modok’s body and called it a day.” https://twitter.com/Spiders_Might/status/1625666538979176449?s=20
Similarly, another fan expressed his disappointment that “#MODOK”, which he was quite eager to see in the MCU, seemed too ridiculous. He shared that even though he’s always had a comical appearance, he was nevertheless frighteningly bizarre. The movie’s rendition just has the appearance of a “JibJab video.”
I was really excited to see #MODOK appear in the MCU, but this honestly looks too silly.
Sure, he’s always looked silly, but he still looked grotesque enough to be intimidating.
The movie’s version just looks like something out of a JibJab video.#AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania pic.twitter.com/86JrSSZY7V— Pherf the Clown (@TheyCallMePherf) February 16, 2023
To further add, a fan even claimed that Robert Rodriguez simply copied the appearance of M.O.D.O.K. rather than creating a different look for the character.
Marvel: “Can I copy your homework?”
Robert Rodriguez: “Sure, just change it up a bit so it isn’t obvious.”
Marvel: “Ok.” pic.twitter.com/DAPZHHnZmo
— Zoë Rose Bryant (@ZoeRoseBryant) February 17, 2023
While there’s a lot that expressed its discontentment, there have been fans who shared positive reviews regarding M.O.D.O.K. A fan used a GIF to express his love for the character’s look.
Me every time MODOK showed his face. #AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania pic.twitter.com/eMKTEXbed4
— Richard Newby (@RICHARDLNEWBY) February 17, 2023
Another tweet was seen appreciating the artwork by Jeff.
As someone who has probably written the most MODOK next to, I dunno, Stan Lee or Mark Gruenwald, I gotta say @JeffLoveness absolutely nailed the big headed one in all his petulant glory. Dug the hell out of Quantumania. pic.twitter.com/G4LT6L5mxm
— Jordan Blum (@BlumJordan) February 17, 2023
While another interesting tweet added a humor element as they viewed MODOK’s “bare little butt” on the IMAX screen.
I can’t lie the highlight of Quantumania had to be MODOK’s bare little butt on my IMAX screen pic.twitter.com/1ZtvcMhpeC
— Block A ⏳ (@VillainousComix) February 17, 2023
For fans who want to see more of M.O.D.O.K., the character has his own Hulu series. In the show, M.O.D.O.K. deals with his crumbling marriage and his struggle to maintain control of his evil organization. Here’s how marvel fans residing outside the US can watch Hulu’s M.O.D.O.K.
