Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s Kathryn Newton Reveals MODOK Was a Piece of Tape on Set

One of the weirder elements that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe was MODOK, the Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing, which was largely crafted using visual effects, while star Kathryn Newton revealed that the bizarre character’s on-set surrogate was often just a piece of tape. Newton confirmed that there was also a large-scale prop of MODOK’s head that was also utilized for certain sequences, but this prop was often too big to be utilized in scenes where she needed a clearer sightline at the camera. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is in theaters now.

When asked by BBC Radio 1 about MODOK’s stand-in, Newton expressed that the villain was “a piece of tape. A really small one.” She continued, “There was a green-screen MODOK face, about the same size, but it looks a lot bigger in the movie than what we had on set. He was awesome, but the truth is, is that when I have to look at the camera, I can’t have the big MODOK head because he’s just too large. So I would usually act with a piece of tape. Like, all those lines, all of that running. Honestly, some days I had no idea what the scene even was, they were like, ‘All right, you’re running.’ I didn’t know that I was being chased by MODOK, I had no idea what I was doing.”

On the topic of the ways in which she learned how the film was officially brought to life versus what the experience was while filming, Newton also revealed that, in the film’s trailer, a line of dialogue was inserted into a scene where she was merely breathing heavily.

“There’s one part in the trailer that I got mad at [director] Peyton Reed for, because I was [breathing] and they ADR’ed a ‘dad.’ I do not say ‘dad.’ In the movie, I don’t say ‘dad,’” the actor joked. “Watch the movie, compare it to the trailer, that moment is not the same as what’s presented in the trailer. They are lying, I don’t say ‘dad’ there, I just take a weird breath. I can’t help it, my mouth makes weird shapes.”

Super heroes Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and The Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Scott’s daughter Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought possible. Directed by Peyton Reed and produced by Kevin Feige, p.g.a. and Stephen Broussard, p.g.a., Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania also stars Jonathan Majors as Kang, David Dastmalchian as Veb, Katy O’Brian as Jentorra, William Jackson Harper as Quaz, and Bill Murray as Lord Krylar.  

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is in theaters now.

What did you think of MODOK in the film? Let us know in the comments!