Modok, also known as the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing, is a new character set to appear in Quantumania. You can see him in the new trailer that was released during the NCAA College Football Playoff National Championship game.
He appears to be a member of the “big head gang” and is dressed in some pretty badass battle armor.
Origin of Modok
In the comics, Modok starts off as George Tarleton, a lowly American technician working for AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics). He joins the team to help develop the Cosmic Cube, but is transformed into a human computer by the Scientist Supreme.
The process increases his brain size to give him superhuman intellect, but also gives him a massive cranium and a frail body that requires him to be placed in a life support unit known as the “doomsday chair.” The process also gives him a plethora of psychic powers, along with an ego and ambition to match.
Modok goes on to use his newfound powers to take control of AIM, the organization that had experimented on him. In the MCU, AIM was the organization run by Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3, and it’s likely that we’ll be seeing AIM make a comeback in the MCU soon.
In MCU however, Modok is none other than Darren Cross or Yellow Jacket who is the villain of the first Antman movie. He gets sent to the Quantum Realm by Scott when Cross is trying to kill Cassie.
Modok’s Powers and Abilities
In terms of abilities, Modok possesses super-genius intelligence, enhanced intuition, and the ability to predict probable outcomes of tactical and strategic scenarios. He’s also been known to have psychic powers and is often portrayed as a formidable opponent in the comics, going up against heavy hitters like Dr. Doom and the Hulk.
Modok in Antman 3 might have helped Kang’s army by giving them his Yellow Jacket’s technology. This might help Kang’s army to shrink in size and fight with enhanced strength.
Quantumania writer Jeff Loveness says that some of his favorite moments of this movie are while writing Modok. According to Loveness Modok’s a loose cannon, his ego crumbles the second he’s challenged and he’s good at killing people.
Motives of Modok
In the trailer you can see Cassie’s beacon is connected to a keyboard which means that she’s been communicating with someone. There’s a possibility that Modok was talking to Cassie all this time.
Modok might be looking for his revenge which he didn’t get in the first installment. You might remember how Darren Cross came across the Yellow Particles instead of Pym Particles that not only reduce the size of a being but also grant with enhanced strength.
Cross wanted to weaponize Yellow Jacket but was stopped by Scott. Hope Van Dyne straightaway told Darren Cross that his mind was affected by the Yellow Particles. This trait might still continue in Antman and The Wasp: Quantumania.
Modok might want to kill Scott Lang, Cassie Lang, Janet Van Dyne, Hope Van Dyne and Hank Pym in the beginning of the movie. But towards the end, he might realize that Kang: The Conqueror is pure evil and might join Scott to defeat him.
Overall, Modok seems like a pretty badass character and it will be interesting to see how he fits into the larger narrative of the MCU. With his advanced intellect and psychic powers, he’s sure to be a formidable foe for our heroes to contend with.
Modok will also play an important role in Avengers 5 and you will surely get to see more of him in the future.