Warning: this article contains massive spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Marvel Studios has opened up to using comic books as reference for their characters — it is based on Marvel Comics, after all. However, it seems like someone in the writers’ room may have watched too much Star Wars when working on the script for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Is M.O.D.O.K. the MCU’s one-off Darth Vader?
Reddit user u/TrpTrp26 noticed similarities when it came to the backstory on how Darren Cross became M.O.D.O.K. in Ant-Man 3. The OP believes the scene in question has some similarities to Anakin Skywalker’s transformation to Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Both Anakin and Darren were left to die after somewhat surviving brutal fights. They were each recovered by sinister villains Emperor Palpatine and Kang. Their bodies underwent mechanical transformations to bring the person back to life as a soldier for the greater evil. On top of that, they both wear menacing masks as well as metal robotic costumes, and speak in lower-toned voices.
loved the parallelism
by u/TrpTrp26 in marvelstudios
Marvel Studios has opened up to changing the backstories of some of its characters in the newer MCU titles. However, it was somewhat unexpected to completely alter M.O.D.O.K’s original story and identity and give it the Star Wars treatment. Even M.O.D.O.K’s demise was similar to Star Wars, according to fans, since he sacrificed himself by doing good at the last minute.
All jokes aside, it’s probably just a coincidence that M.O.D.O.K’s MCU backstory is similar to Anakin’s, but what can LucasFilm do — sue Marvel? The two studios are owned by The Walt Disney Company, so in the end, no harm no foul. It’s just another reference for fans to discover.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is now showing in theaters.