Returning behind the camera after directing the two previous installments, Peyton Reed takes us back to one of the plot twists in 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' - SPOILER ALERT!!!
"WARNING - The article below contains spoilers as it discusses one of the plot twists in 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania'. Please refrain from reading if you haven't seen the movie yet and do not wish to know the details."
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which was released in theaters on Wednesday, February 15, marks the beginning of Phase V of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movie introduces the new main villain, Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors, who was previously seen in the first season finale of Loki.
Although he is expected to be the future adversary of the Avengers, Kang the Conqueror is not the only antagonist in the movie. As revealed in the trailers, M.O.D.O.K. is also in the game. M.O.D.O.K. is an acronym for Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing, and is a character with a disproportionately large head compared to his small arms and legs.
In the comic books, his real name is George Tarleton, a technician employed by the criminal organization A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) who volunteers to be transformed into a powerful being capable of analyzing the Cosmic Cube, which was seen in the first Captain America movie. This transformation results in him becoming the unique being known as M.O.D.O.K. who possesses telepathic abilities and can generate a psychic ray.
This is what is shown in the comic books or the stop-motion animated series, which is available on Disney+. Unfortunately, the series only had one season, most likely because it was independent from the plans of the MCU. Nevertheless, it was a small gem due to its handmade look, dark humor, violence, and the unlikable nature of its anti-hero.
In the movie, M.O.D.O.K. has a different identity. As some viewers had guessed from the brief shots in the trailers, the character is actually Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) in costume. Cross was the main villain in the first Ant-Man movie and was thought to have shrunk to death. In reality, he was propelled into the quantum world where he now seeks revenge against Scott Lang.
When we started developing the story, we liked the idea of M.O.D.O.K. lurking in the shadows of the MCU, and we wondered how it would make its appearance in live action," explained Peyton Reed when we asked him about the reason for this twist. "During our discussions about Kang and how he might be connected to Scott Lang, we thought he might need a henchman."
"I came up with the idea that at the end of the first Ant-Man film, we saw Darren Cross being defeated, but mostly shrinking into a trickle as he twisted. We had assumed he was dead...but what if he actually landed in the Quantum Realm, where he was found by Kang's forces and transformed into something entirely different?
Corey Stoll liked the idea of returning to the Ant-Man saga but in a different way and context.
I remember the day I called Corey Stoll to pitch the idea to him. He was laughing on the other end of the line. Corey was a fan of comic books when he was younger, so he knew exactly who I was talking about. He liked the idea of returning to the Ant-Man saga, but in a different way and context, so we went in that direction."
"If you're unfamiliar with the character and his presence in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania intrigues you (which is understandable), you can turn to the comic books or the animated series dedicated to M.O.D.O.K. to learn more about him.
