While the film has its defenders, it’s probably fair to say that 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Qauntumania is generally considered a misfire for Marvel Studios, and MODOK ended up being one of the most criticized aspects of the film.
Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and his allies encounter the “mental organism designed only to kill” (“it’s really MODOFK”) when they arrive in the Quantum Realm and land on Kang’s (Jonathn Majors) radar. It doesn’t take long for him to unmask and reveal himself to be Ant-Man’s first villain, Darren Cross (complete with actor Corey Stoll’s massive face), who has somehow survived as a… giant head with baby arms and legs.
Kang discovered Cross after he was banished to the Quantum Realm, equipped him with technology, and made him his henchman. Towards the end of the film, Cassie (Kathryn Newton) tells Darren to stop being an asshole, which he does (if only she had said that to Kang, huh?), and sacrifices herself to defeat his master and save the day.
It was always going to be difficult adapting a character like MODOK to the screen (the fact that he looks silly is kind of the problem), but for many fans, the version introduced in Quantum I just looked a little Also ridiculous. Now, concept artist Constantine Sekeris has shared some of his early designs for the villain, and we think you’ll agree that something like that probably would have worked much better.
Ant-Man 3 was released during a bad patch for the MCU, with the next installment in the franchise, The wondersbecoming the lowest-grossing Marvel Studios film of all time. The studio will later announce a new “quality over quantity” initiative, with fewer Disney+ movies and shows released each year.
Superhero partners 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 and Stephen Broussard, 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.
The MCU trio is now available to stream on Disney+.
