Besides Kang, another Marvel villain will be introduced in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Before Jonathan Majors was even cast as Kang, the word around the internet was that MODOK will be the villain of the film. This was another Iron Man villain said to be used in a different franchise after Shang-Chi explored the real Mandarin. But with the coming of Kang, the talks about MODOK being in Quantumania died down. But now, MODOK is back in business and here’s how Marvel will bring MODOK in Ant-Man 3 along with Kang.
For those who are uninitiated, George Tarleton is the one who becomes a Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing, aka MODOK. In the comics, he was the head of AIM. But this organization was run by Aldrich Killian in the MCU. So maybe if MODOK arrives in the MCU, he could be the new leader of AIM. Anyway, he looks this way because Tarelton signed up for an experiment to substantially increase his intelligence. As a result of that, he emerged with a skull that was large enough to encase his newly enlarged brain. But no one knew how Marvel would manage to bring this big-headed villain into the MCU.
MODOK In Ant-Man 3
Since a comic-like origin also played out in Square Enix’s recent Avengers game, most of us thought that Marvel would alter his origin as they always do with several villains. And now, I’ve found a couple of ways through which MODOK might be brought to the big screen. The first one comes from an exclusive report by GWW. It was widely rumoured that Jim Carrey could play George Tarleton aka MODOK in the MCU. But GWW is reporting that it’s actually the former Yellowjacket actor, Cory Stoll who will turn into MODOK.
The way Yellowjacket shrunk down in Ant-Man, it was just a matter of time before the MCU brought him back. It has been a common belief that he could have been stuck in the Quantum Realm just like Janet Van Dyne. And in recent times, several reports had already talked about his return to Quantumania. But, GWW states that Marvel is going to latch a big twist onto him. If GWW’s report is true, then Darren Cross will become MODOK.
So far, we don’t have the specifics for how this is going to happen. But it’s obvious that the Quantum Realm will bring this change to his body. Quantum energy does a lot of things. It changed Janet’s physiology as she also got additional abilities from this life-giving dimension. Kang is going to use the Quantum Realm to his benefit. So, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Darren Cross becomes MODOK because of his time in the Quantum Realm. But if you don’t believe the source of this report, then I have another cool way to introduce MODOK in Ant-Man 3.
Zola Returns
It has been theorized that the Captain America villain, Arnim Zola could actually turn into MODOK in the MCU. He was the one who forwarded Hydra’s agendas after World War II ended. He was hired by S.H.I.E.L.D., and he continued with Hydra’s business, allowing the evil organization to infiltrate and take over S.H.I.E.L.D. in the modern-day. Even though his body perished, Zola was able to preserve his consciousness, as he turned into an AI. Just because the secret lab of Zola was destroyed in The Winter Soldier doesn’t mean he was fully destroyed. After all, he was supposed to return in the unused storey of Captain America 3 with his comic accurate robotic body.
Remember how Brock Rumlow aka Crossbones had some shady boss ordering him around and running his operations? Some bigger villain needed the Bioweapon that Rumlow was ordered to steal in the Civil War. Marvel hasn’t revealed who this villain is, and we have reason to believe that it is Arnim Zola’s AI. He was already the brains behind HYDRA’s operations in The Winter Soldier, so it would be safe to assume that Rumlow was taking orders from him.
But what if Zola had also taken over AIM in the MCU? He could be the one running the organization instead of someone like George Tarleton. And just like he ordered Rumlow, he could be the one who ordered Sonny Burch to get Hank Pym’s lab. The fact that Zola was sneaked into Endgame also suggests that Marvel doesn’t want us to forget about him. And so, the theory further suggests that Zola will go on to become MODOK in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Twist in the Tale
But there will be a twist. Since Marvel has done a very comic-bookish take on MODOK in the Hulu animated series with Patton Oswald, the twist in the MCU will be that the Zola-MODOK combo will have a robotic body like Zola does in the comics. The MCU always prefers to take a rather realistic approach when it comes to their characters to make them feel more relatable. So, a giant floating head might not feel as believable, but a robotic body could.
Marvel is known to mix up villains & change their backstories. They mixed the elements of Whiplash and Crimson Dynamo and turned him into a single villain in Iron Man 2. They could do the same with MODOK and Zola because both these individuals are supposed to be highly intellectual villains who have many similar traits. And on top of that, Toby Jones’ voice would be extremely fitting for MODOK. In the animated series Avengers Assemble, MODOK takes control of the Adaptoid’s body.
This could be something that the MCU could adopt as well. But turning Zola into MODOK and then giving him a robotic body just seems even more fascinating. This way, the Zola-MODOK bot could also return in Captain America 4. Since Red Skull is free of his Soul Stone curse now, Zola MODOK could reunite with him in the movie.
What do you guys think about this theory about the return of MODOK In Ant-Man 3? Do you like the Zola MODOK plot point or would you rather have Darren Cross be turned into MODOK? Let us know your thoughts and preferences in the comments.
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