Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania's MODOK Looks Unsettlingly Strange, And It Totally Works
This post contains spoilers for "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." Please proceed with caution.
Since the dawn of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we've seen a number of unique and unusual characters. Though any Nazi's face is punchable, especially for Captain America, the crimson visage of the Red Skull makes his outsides look as nasty as what's on the inside. Thor's adventures through the Nine Realms have introduced us to Frost Giants, Dark Elves, and Kronans. (That last one is Korg's race of people.) And then the Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Strange took us even further beyond the stars and our own universe to introduce us to even more fantastical beings ripped straight from the pages of Marvel Comics. But "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" brings us probably the weirdest one yet.
In director Peyton Reed's Phase 5 kickoff, the size-shifting Avengers come face-to-huge-face with M.O.D.O.K., a fan favorite villain who finally makes his long-awaited live-action debut. Although, despite the disfigured scientist sharing a very close resemblance to his comic book counterpart, seeing the Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing in real life is quite disturbing. The director has previously used the word "grotesque" to describe the vibe for Kang's top hunter in the Quantum Realm, and they totally nailed it. Part of that can be attributed to how unsettling it is to see Darren Cross' face stretched out and enlarged as part of the futuristic killing machine. In fact, with Reed and screenwriter Jeff Lovenes making him as weird as possible, they were staying true to the essence of the character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, as well as the truly mysterious effects of the Quantum Realm.
A head of the curve
When MODOK debuted in comics' Silver Age, he was initially introduced as the polar opposite of Steve Rogers, who is often viewed as the ideal of physical perfection thanks to the Super Soldier Serum. The former AIM scientist known as George Tarleton became deformed with a big head and little arms (much like the t-rex from "Meet The Robinsons") due to his experiments to enhance his intelligence. But he flew too close to the sun with his efforts to gain the ultimate intellect and ended up wearing the scars of his hubris for the rest of his days.
Similarly, Corey Stoll's Darren Cross did the same thing in the MCU, when he created the Yellowjacket in order to replicate Dr. Hank Pym's research. His desire to become the ultimate weapon and surpass his mentor drove him mad and left him in stranded in another universe (the Quantum Realm) with permanent alterations to his body. So when Kang the Conqueror came along to give him everything he wanted, the newly christened MODOK was all too happy to comply. At that point, Cross showed that not all success is glamorous and beautiful. It can actually leave you a husk of your former self that is so distorted that it's hard to even recognize yourself anymore, which raises the question of whether it's really worth it or not in the end.
The team behind "Quantumania" maybe didn't intend for anyone to get this deep about MODOK and were just trying to depict the character as accurately as they could in bringing him from the page to the screen. But even with the added faceplate to his armor, by taking this grotesque approach to MODOK, it adds a layer to Cross' character arc and the commentary that evil can change you for the worse.