Patton Oswalt Is Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. In the Trailer for Hulu’s Upcoming Comedy
The first thing you need to know about Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. is that M.O.D.O.K. is amazing. Jack Kirby, the greatest superhero artist of all time, loved to create characters with elaborate armor, ornate helmets, and oversized dimensions, and M.O.D.O.K. (originally short for Mobile Organism Designed Only for Killing) essentially combined all three, with his massive head encased in a full-body suit that makes him look a bit like a flying egg. It’s a patently ridiculous character design, and yet M.O.D.O.K. was wisely played straight in the comics for his first 40 or so years of existence; the contrast behind his inherent goofiness and the gravitas with which he was presented remains a beautiful example of what made the Silver and Bronze Ages of comic books so special. The frequent foe of Captain America and various Avengers is the leader of one of Marvel’s preeminent crime organizations, Advanced Idea Mechanics (aka AIM), which is like a science-focused offshoot of Hydra that’s outgrown the Nazi roots of that group but still wants to conquer the world. (What self-respecting superpowered terrorist organization doesn’t?) M.O.D.O.K. became a kind of proto-meme within comic circles in the early days of the internet, and has frequently popped up as a comedic figure in Marvel comics over the last 15 years; most recently he was the main villain in Square Enix’s Marvel’s Avengers videogame from 2020.