Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is about to introduce fans to the biggest post-Infinity Saga villain that the MCU has to offer in Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror. While he'll pose a huge threat to Scott Lang, Hope Van Dyne, and the rest of this threequel's heroes, Kang isn't even the only antagonist that will be featured in Phase 5's first movie.
The other character taking on that role will be the fan-favorite AI known as MODOK, as was teased exclusively by The Direct more than a year ago. Then fans who saw the Ant-Man 3 trailer exclusively at San Diego Comic-Con got the first look at this wild supervillain, which shows him looking much different than he has over his appearances in Marvel Comics.
While MODOK is sure to play a huge role in Ant-Man 3, he's flown completely under the radar when discussing the movie with cast and crew members outside of that one appearance in the Comic-Con-exclusive trailer. Now, that all changes thanks to an interview with one of the MCU's key concept artists, who officially confirmed the supervillain's inclusion in the movie for the first time.
MODOK Coming to the MCU in Ant-Man 3
Marvel Studios concept artist Anthony Francisco spoke with Looper about the design of MODOK in the MCU, confirming the character's appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Francisco called it "one of the best experiences" to design MODOK for this movie, dubbing him one of his favorite characters during his childhood, noting how he used to draw MODOK often:
“I could probably say this: I designed M.O.D.O.K. for this ... It’s a huge, and I know they said this during Comic Con, right? I designed him and oh, my God, that’s one of the best experiences. It was so fun because he’s one of my favorite characters that I would draw when I was younger, with him fighting Incredible Hulk. That’s what I used to draw ... They knew I was going to do justice with the [way the character was presented in the] comic book. Kevin Feige really liked the takes I had on him, and I can’t wait to show it.”
Francisco has been a part of the MCU since the beginning, teasing that his work on Quantumania was “definitely something really big.”
He also looked back to the work he did on Kang the Conqueror, which wasn't the final design, but he noted how epic this one was going to be:
“They had the actor [Jonathan Majors] come to the presentation. I got to work on him, design some of him. I didn’t get the final design, but it was so much fun working on him and his other looks, and it is going to be more epic than a normal ‘Ant-Man’ movie is going to be.”
When Will Marvel Reveal MODOK Design?
MODOK is a character that fans have wanted to see in the MCU for a long time, particularly after seeing something similar to Arnim Zola's computerized design in 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier. And if Francisco is to be believed, the character's MCU introduction is going to be one that will make an impact even in a movie that features Kang the Conqueror.
Now, the big question is if and when MODOK will actually be revealed during the marketing campaign for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which just started with the release of the movie's first trailer.
There's also the mystery of how big MODOK's role in the movie will be, especially with nearly the entire story taking place in the Quantum Realm under Kang's watchful eye. But no matter when those mysteries are solved, the new AI robot will be a key player to watch out for as Team Ant-Man tries to figure out their new surroundings.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will debut in theaters on February 23, 2023.
