The final trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania unveils MODOK’s first look before its February 17 release, but the MODOK design has left Marvel Cinematic Universe fans divided. In the comics, MODOK begins as an employee, George Tarleton, at a weapons-dealing organization, Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.), and then undergoes a successful intelligence-enhancing experiment. But the experiment results in his head overdevelopment and body underdevelopment, requiring the use of a hoverchair. While the Ant-Man sequel is the character’s official debut in the MCU, MODOK also appeared in an animated miniseries of the same name and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – which has dubious ties to the main MCU continuity.
With MODOK’s first MCU appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the trailer shows an unmasked version that seemingly appears to be played by Corey Stoll – he featured in the first Ant-Man as Yellowjacket, last seeing him shrink down, assumed to be dead. Given MODOK’s features in the comics with his iconic hoverchair and oversized head, the trailer shows that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hasn’t strayed far from the source material. However, MCU fans debated MODOK’s final design, with some appreciating the comic accuracy. Others address the character’s similar looks to another android from The Adventures of SharkBoy and LavaGirl. Here are just a few MCU fan tweets below:
How MODOK’s Ant-Man 3 Design Compares To The Comics
The consensus is that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s MODOK design is comic-accurate, but whether this is a good or bad thing has been far more of a talking point. The Ant-Man series until now has a very comedic tone, and the upcoming third installment will likely retain its identity in that way. MODOK’s comic design is inherently humorous, fitting right into Peyton Reed-directed series. However, as the MCU movie kickstarts Phase Five and sets Kang the Conqueror’s introduction to the MCU, Quantumania will likely be the most dramatic and serious installment in the Ant-Man series, which causes viewers’ objections to MODOK’s “goofy” design.
Perhaps an inevitability of MODOK’s design, many MCU fans have compared the movie design to Mr. Electric from the film Sharkboy and Lavagirl. This character has a similar image of a floating giant head on a comparatively small body. Some viewers welcomed this comparison, given that Mr. Electric is supposed to be a ridiculous-looking character, and believe MODOK should be the same to be comic-accurate. Other MCU fans feel differently, claiming that the comparison is more evidence of the MCU’s oft-criticized CGI shortcomings. One Twitter user noted that “there is no possible way to make a live action MODOK without him looking like Mr. Electric,” making this a real point of contention.
Comic accuracy has always been the subject of heated debate between MCU fans, with some defending that the movies should stay true to the source material. Others claim that in order to stand independently, the movies shouldn’t always adapt directly from the comics. MCU movies often deviate from the comics with their storylines and sometimes with character designs. For instance, Thor: Love and Thunder’s Gorr the God Butcher received backlash for hardly resembling his comic counterpart. Nevertheless, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania seems to be mostly winning over fans with MODOK’s design, though it isn’t without its critics.
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