Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has finally given us our first proper look at MODOK, and it’s very good news for fans of comic-accurate suits and silliness.
The trailer for the Ant-Man threequel has given the world what it’s been after since the first rumors of MODOK arose, with an unmasked peek at the character and it’s a very familiar face between the mask. After his presumed death at the very end of Ant-Man, Darren Cross is back as we get the glimpse of the fan favorite character MODOK.
Thankfully, it is just as hilarious as we all hoped. There had been outcry during leaks over the design shown for MODOK on merchandising for the film, but those have been swiftly put to bed. Whether or not those original designs had to be changed into this due to fan backlash is unclear, but doesn’t feel out of the realm of possibility.
Corey Stoll reprises his role as Cross, with it unmistakably his head on the floating throne. MODOK’s design is one of the silliest in the Marvel canon, so beautifully grotesque and over-the-top, it screams comic book. The confidence to bring such a design to screen like this is one of the benefits of mainstream audiences learning to accept comic book silliness. Fans are enjoying it, and also harkening back to the outrage over the initially leaked design.
The MCU has leaned so much more into color, often abandoning the faux reality and military-like combat equipment seen in the early days. No more muted Kevlar suits, instead a more rich use of color and tapping into more of the Steve Ditko 70s art which made Marvel special.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania comes to theatres on Feb. 17.
