While Marvel Studios is known for having arguably perfected the formula for storytelling within an interconnected universe, the MCU is far from the only piece of Marvel media that fans enjoy diving into.
This includes the ABC and Netflix-based shows from Marvel Entertainment such as Agents of SHIELD, which concluded its seventh and final season last year, along with six shows interwoven into the Defenders storyline.
Hulu is bringing another example of these Marvel properties this summer with MODOK, whose first ten episodes will stream on May 21. The animated series stars Hollywood standouts like comedian Patton Oswalt in the leading role along with Brooklyn 99's Melissa Fumero and Sonic the Hedgehog's Ben Schwartz.
This series will center on the iconic robotic supervillain as he struggles with his work and home life in one of the last shows created by Marvel Television before Marvel Studios fully absorbed this division.
In that light, the show isn't regarded as MCU canon, which the series showrunner recently touched on...
JORDAN BLUM TALKS MODOK AND THE MCU
MODOK showrunner Jordan Blum recently spoke with Comicbook.com about his series and its place in the larger Marvel multiverse.
Confirming that the series isn't set within the MCU, Blum compared it to DC property Harley Quinn as something that's "not the movies, but it's really cool actually:"
"Yeah, we're our own universe. I think like, you know, Harley Quinn is a good example of like, that's not the movies, but it's really cool actually."
Even with this non-MCU status, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and his team reportedly "dug" the show and encouraged the team to keep going with production.
Blum described how Feige and co. "really just let [them] do [their] own thing" and never really held the MODOK team back from anything they wanted to do:
"They really dug it and were really happy with the creative, and I think they saw that we were very respectful of, you know, everything that'd come before it. They really just let us do our own thing, you know and I don't think we ever really got any notes or anything from them. They were just kinda like, 'This is working, keep going.'"
MODOK ON ITS OWN PATH
While Marvel Studios has now officially gone into developing TV shows like WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, MODOK will likely be the last project released by the old Marvel TV department. However, even with this distinction, it's clear that Blum and his team had no setbacks in creating their own story that can exist outside the most expansive movie universe currently running.
The comparison to Harley Quinn is an appropriate one, with Kaley Cuoco's solo series taking place in a different portion of DC's story than Margot Robbie's anti-hero within the DCEU. Harley Quinn earned quite the successful run before moving to HBO Max as an edgy and more adult take on the character, earning impressive ratings on Rotten Tomatoes for its first two seasons.
As for MODOK, fans are already curious to see how this series will succeed, especially taking into account the visually stunning animation style it's putting to use. Patton Oswalt has spoken many times about wanting to play the floating robotic head after his run on Agents of SHIELD, and his comedic mastery surrounded by numerous industry standouts should make for an entertaining series.
MODOK will premiere on Hulu on May 21.
