Ant-Man 3: Paul Rudd Reportedly Wrote Script That Introduced MODOK

Friday afternoon, news surfaced that Marvel Studios hired Jeff Loveness to pen the script for Ant-Man 3. As it turns out, the Rick & Morty alumnus might not have been the first one to take a stab at the script. According to the team at The GWW, Ant-Man himself Paul Rudd had previously wrote a script for the anticipated threequel. Perhaps the bigger news out of it all is the fact Rudd’s script reportedly introduced MODOK to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing off the idea that AIM — or Advanced Idea Mechanics — could be making a return in Black Widow.

Though it’s always wise to take such reports with a grain of salt, it wouldn’t be out of the question to see Rudd on the writing team for the flick. The funnyman earned a screenplay credit on Ant-Man and an additional writer credit on Ant-Man and the Wasp. Both features had a sprawling writing team that included Adam McKay and Spider-Man writers Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna.

Then on the MODOK front, Ant-Man helmer Peyton Reed had previously expressed in the character, saying comedian John Hodgman has asked him about the character several times before. Hodgman most recently appeared in Amazon’s The Tick revival.

“Not only have you mentioned MODOK but I will occasionally get texts from John Hodgman,” Reed told Heroic Hollywood in 2018. “He has long wanted to play MODOK. It’s his mission in life. He’s a huge Marvel Comics fan. John has been sort of lobbying for years ‘MODOK! MODOK!’. We always talk about MODOK because he’s maybe the most bizzarro character in the Marvel Universe.”

Better yet, MODOK is also one of the only characters still receiving an adult-oriented animated series from Hulu. At one point, MODOK was supposed to crossover with Howard the Duck, Hit-Monkey, and Tigra & Dazzler in a series called The Offenders. Since the initial announcement, all series have been canceled besides MODOK and Hit-Money.

“I have seen quite a few episodes of MODOK, which I’m really excited about,” Hulu content chief Craig Erwich said earlier this year. “Patton Oswalt is a lifelong Marvel fan and was obsessed with the character of MODOK. So, for him to finally get his hands on that character and for he and Jordan Blum to do what they always wanted to do with it, which is a whole new take and a very funny one, on what it means to be a comic book villain is really special. I’m excited to see that.”

Ant-Man 3 has yet to set a release date.

Do you think MODOK will end up popping up in the final script? If not he, who else? Think it over and let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting me up on Twitter at @AdamBarnhardt to chat all things MCU!