Credit: Marvel StudiosMarvel has taken zero inspiration from the comics here!
Fans have come to expect that certain things are going to be a little bit different from comic to film when it comes to the superhero genre. Filmmakers have to be very strategic about what things will translate well and what things ultimately have to stay on the page. Many of these are for the better! How would Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) have looked saving the world in pirate boots, tiny wings on his hat, and a scaley jumpsuit? The question is, will fans think the same about this next change?
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For those very familiar with the comics, Marvel Studios has put little nods to comic-accurate costumes and characters peppered throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Eagle-eyed viewers have spotted the original suit for Arnim Zola (Toby Jones) in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), a comic-accurate Ant-Man helmet in Avengers: Endgame (2019), and who could forget the comic-accurate costumes that Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) rocked in Wandavision?
Generally speaking, the Marvel Cinematic Universe still takes its cue from Marvel Comics. Characters’ costumes generally follow a similar design and, if nothing else, hold the same color scheme as their comic book counterparts. It presents a unique design challenge for the people at Marvel Studios: How do you take something from the comics that are generally designed only for looks and make it have function and purpose? Also, what’s the story behind it? For this new villain in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), they went a little further off the beaten path!
Since the full trailer was released for Quantumania, fans have been going crazy over the first live-action appearance of MODOK in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since the very first glimpse of the character, fans all over the internet have been speculating that the actor Corey Stoll, who played Darren Cross/Yellowjacket, would be returning to the role, and now, director Peyton Reed has just confirmed as much! In an interview with Screenrant, covered by The Direct, Reed shared the details of Stoll’s return.
According to Reed, bringing MODOK into the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a challenge for years, and it’s never quite fit until now. Peyton mentioned that there needed to be a way for Kang (Jonathan Majors) to know about the Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) family and remembered how Cross (Stoll) was defeated in Ant-Man (2015). Reed recalled his initial phone call to Stoll about the idea:
“And I remember calling Corey Stoll and sort of talking to him about what if this happened, and him giggling on the other line. It’s like, ‘If you guys do that, I’m in.’ He loved it, cause he’s a comics nerd too. But yeah, we were able to do it, and I’m thrilled. It’s such a crazy, crazy thing to have in this movie.”
So, it’s official! The Marvel Cinematic Universe origin story for MODOK will involve Darren Cross (Stoll), who had been shrunk uncontrollably at the end of Ant-Man, who somehow survived, and was made into the floating head known as the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing. However, that acronym could very well change too. This is a significant departure from the other Marvel Comics MODOKs, who, from George Tarleton and others, usually involve an A.I.M. backstory.
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Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will hit theaters in less than a week, on February 17, 2023. The sequel stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne/The Wasp, Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang, Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror, Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne, and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, and Corey Stoll as MODOK. Quantumania promises humor, action, and drama as Scott (Rudd) goes head to head against Kang (Majors), setting up the “Kang Dynasty.”
What do you think about Marvel changing MODOK’s Origin Story? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!