Agents of SHIELD Showrunner Reveals Evidence that Marvel Studios Wants to Use MODOK

The future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is wide open after the massive Infinity Saga. Several new heroes will be introduced in the form of Shang-Chi , She-Hulk , and Ms. Marvel . Meanwhile, side characters from the movies like Wanda Maximoff, Clint Barton, Sam Wilson, and Bucky Barnes will get their chance to shine through various live-action series on Disney+.

On the flip side, new adventures and storylines should also mean that more iconic villains from the Marvel universe will be introduced, especially now that the Disney-Fox merger has been finalized. One of the intriguing villains that has yet to debut in the MCU is MODOK (Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing).

Not much is known about the introduction of the megalomaniac supervillain to the MCU, but a previous rumor suggests that he will arrive sooner rather than later . Not only that, a previous draft of an Ant-Man 3 script written by the film's lead star Paul Rudd indicated that the supervillain was included in some form.

Now, a new interview may shed some more light on Marvel Studios' plans for the menacing villain.

NEWS

While speaking with TV club to break down the series finale of Marvel TV's Agents of SHIELD , executive producer Jeffrey Bell shared that the creative crew was "given the green light originally to use certain characters from Marvel," with him hinting that MODOK was one of those characters. Unfortunately, Bell revealed that "they retracted it:"

"We had a lot of ideas where we were—and I’ll say this, I don’t care—we were given the green light originally to use certain characters from Marvel, and started to break story based on those characters—[Coughs.] MODOK—and then they retracted it. So there were a bunch of things that were going to get a little batshit crazy that were above our pay grade, in terms of the toys we were allowed to play with."

WHAT THIS MEANS

It's no secret that Marvel TV had limitations when it comes to using certain characters not just from the MCU, but from the comics as well. It is unknown if the addition of MODOK would've improved Agents of SHIELD , but it's clear that the ABC show remained successful even without the supervillain. The fact that Marvel Studios swooped in and prevented the show from using MODOK provides substantial evidence that the character has a future in place in the realm of the MCU.

The next chapter of the MCU's storytelling presents a lot of intriguing possibilities moving forward, and the addition of MODOK has the potential to elevate the narrative. In many ways, a villain like MODOK could present an interesting challenge for the MCU heroes, may it be through a solo film or a future Avengers film .

Hopefully, the eventual arrival of MODOK in Marvel's Phase 4 and beyond should please fans of both the films and the comics.