Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania's MODOK Was Inspired By The Simpsons And A Fish Called Wanda
When it comes to the big bad in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," it's been all "Kang this" and "The Conqueror that." True Believers are constantly asking how the upcoming Phase Five kickoff will connect to the events of "Loki" and He Who Remains. And then beyond that, there's all the speculation about "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" down the road and whether or not the titular heroes in this movie will even make it that far. However, while all of that is well and good, we're overlooking a huge threat for the size-shifting superheroes: MODOK.
As seen in the latest trailer for filmmaker Peyton Reed's latest adventure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the fan-favorite Marvel Comics villain will come face to face with Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne as they and their family venture deep into the Quantum Realm. But so little is known about this iteration of the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing, other than sporting an appearance that very closely resembles his comic book counterpart. It's safe to say that it's a departure from Patton Oswalt's version of the character as seen on the short-lived Hulu series. There's also some speculation that Corey Stoll's Darren Cross is tied to the giant armored floating head. Though that last bit is unconfirmed at this time, screenwriter Jeff Loveness (who penned both "Quantumania" and "The Kang Dynasty") recently weighed in on the nefarious villain's involvement in the third film in the Ant-Man franchise.
Extremely high voltage
In the latest issue of SFX Magazine (via GamesRadar), Jeff Loveness discusses his fondness for MODOK. He shares that the character is "maybe my single favorite thing that I got in the movie." The writer continues by saying that "some of my favorite moments come from MODOK and the dynamics there." But possibly most interestingly, rather than confirming the conjecture surrounding their version of the character and his connection to former Ant-Man foe Yellowjacket, Loveness reveals some rather unexpected sources that they drew from to create their version of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's hyper-intelligent wielder of the Doomsday Chair. Here's what he has to say:
"I'll just say he was inspired by Kevin Kline in 'A Fish Called Wanda' and Frank Grimes in an old 'Simpsons' episode — This really put-upon, selfish, entitled but then also deeply sad, insecure man who knows that he got a s*** deal in life and is trying to make the best of it. [...] His ego will crumble the second he's challenged but then also like Kevin Kline in 'A Fish Called Wanda,' he's pretty good at killing people! He's a real loose cannon character and I had a great amount of fun with him. That was almost day one in the room — we cracked MODOK as a character and the movie just became so fun."
Despite featuring a more serious tone similar to an Avengers movie, it's comforting to know that the movie will still be fun since that's a pillar of the MCU's Ant-Man and his movies. But after hearing these descriptions, a case could certainly be made for a Cross connection. Or maybe that's just me projecting my desire to see Stoll recreate Grimey's final moments, featuring Paul Rudd as Homer Simpson.
"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" premieres in theaters on February 17, 2023.