MODOK is a peculiar villain in the Marvel comics, but the MCU has now brought the character to the big screen with his appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Some viewers might not be familiar with MODOK outside of his overgrown head, but the character should be recognized for his intense intellect and eager attitude. Although the details of MODOK might be best known to comic fans MODOK makes surprising sense to be introduced to the MCU at this point.
However, while best known from comics and the appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, MODOK had already appeared on screen. While his presence wasn’t as well noted as he might have deserved, avid Marvel fans will already have come across this strange character. Yet, the MCU did not stick with the original casting for MODOK in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
How The MCU Changed MODOK’s Casting
Before MODOK made his MCU debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Marvel attempted to give the character attention with a Hulu series (simply titled M.O.D.O.K.) that focused on the villain’s family and the awkwardness that often followed. M.O.D.O.K. failed to get a season 2 and with the lack of marketing and the difficulty that animated shows face from the start, it’s not entirely surprising. When MODOK was set to make its way onto Hulu as a Mature-Rated series rather than appearing on Disney+, it was noted that the character would be a new approach focused on MODOK’s family, despite them never having been referenced or explored in the comics before the series. The Hulu series had MODOK voiced by none other than the comedian Patton Oswalt and it felt like a natural fit for the actor based on his strange and sometimes cynical past work.
Being on Hulu, the MODOK was also separate from the MCU, similar to the Deadpool and X-Men films, except M.O.D.O.K. existed entirely independently. So when the MCU came to cast MODOK, they were under no constraint to keep Patton Oswalt in the role. While this was a shame, it clearly fit a larger plan that brought back Corey Stoll for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. The actor was introduced as Darren Cross earlier in the Ant-Man series as Yellowjacket.
Who Patton Oswalt Plays In The MCU Instead
While Patton Oswalt won’t share his trademark version of the character from the Hulu M.O.D.O.K. series, the recast of MODOK for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania for the MCU with Corey Stoll’s portrayal of the character fits the live-action transformation. Meanwhile, this leaves Patton Oswalt open to play a different role in the MCU, and he already debuted the character long before Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Patton Oswalt’s MCU character, Pip the Troll can be seen in the post-credits scene for The Eternals.
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