Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania really did go THERE with it Marvel Cinematic Universe depiction of MODOK, Kang the Conqueror’s “Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing.” The MCU MODOK turned out to be Darren Cross, the former industrialist, and developer of the Yellowjacket armor, who Scott Lang/Ant-Man battled at the end of the first film.
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The Darren Cross version of MODOK will go down in history as one of the most debated character adaptations in the entire MCU. For every fan that liked seeing MODOK’s baby buns, and cartoonishly oversized head and facial features, there’s another fan who is facepalming over how over-the-top ridiculous the whole thing was. There’s also going to be endless debate about Marvel Studios’ choice for MODOK’s character design, as fans thought more recent versions of the character (namely Marvel’s Avengers video game) had design ideas for a truly menacing MODOK.
Well, as it turns out, Ant-Man 3 also had some ideas for a more frightening version of MODOK – the filmmakers just decided not to go with it:
As you can see above, concept artist Aleksi Briclot did this sketch of MODOK that was truly much more frightening than the version we ultimately got. As Briclot describes below, the intention for this version of “Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing” was to go down more of a sci-fi/horror pathway. The artist also makes it clear that we would’ve seen this anime-style mechanized flying suit in the movie, and only gotten the reveal of what was inside the suit as a final surprise:
“Another early concept for the #mentalorganismdesignedonlyforkilling for the movie AntMan and the Wasp: QUANTUMANIA.” Briclot wrote. “For this MODOK, the intent was to make him first look more frightening than his look from the comics, with different weapons and the huge face being some totem/ornament/mask. Then for the reveal you have to wait for what’s inside!”
You should check out more of Aleksi Briclot’s artwork gallery on IG, as it features even more alternate concept art sketches for MODOK, including one that is more sci-fi heavy, with Cross’s face appearing more like a gelatinous liquid held in a jar. Another version actually took the same swollen head concept, but somehow makes it look more menacing than cartoonish. But that’s concept art, CGI animation is a different story.
Will MODOK Return to the MCU?
MODOK died in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but some fans have really wanted to see him back. Corey Stoll has also expressed a love of MODOK and wanting to do more with the character – like a prequel story:
“I think having gone so comedic with this, it would be fun to maybe go back before the events of this movie and see him as this really scary, mechanized organism designed only for killing,” Stoll told ComicBook.com. “But I don’t know if the audience could take him seriously after the events of this movie. So it could be fun to see him actually try to be an Avenger.”
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is headed to Disney+.
