ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA's Corey Stoll On MODOK's Shakespearean Influence & Potential MCU Return

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA's Corey Stoll On MODOK's Shakespearean Influence & Potential MCU Return

Corey Stoll has weighed in on bringing M.O.D.O.K. to life in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and the possibility of the villain returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe down the line...

By MarkCassidy - Feb 28, 2023 09:02 AM EST

If you haven't seen Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania yet, spoilers follow.

Marvel Studios' first Phase 5 film featured the MCU debut of M.O.D.O.K., and - for better or worse - he definitely emerged as one of the more memorable elements of Peyton Reed's threequel.

Some felt the "Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing" was simply a little too ridiculous, while others thought he was the best thing about the movie.

Whichever way you happen to feel about the bizarre-looking villain, most would agree that his death scene was pretty funny, as "Darren" claims to have gone out as an Avenger while a bemused Scott Lang and his allies play along.

During an interview with THR, actor Corey Stoll - who reprised the role of Darren Cross from the first Ant-Man - was jokingly asked if his background playing iconic Shakespearean characters prepared him for M.O.D.O.K.

"Exactly. They’re all building blocks. You couldn’t play one without the other. That death scene, in MODOK’s mind, he’s lying there with Horatio. It’s Hamlet’s death right there. So it’s funny from the outside, but from the inside, it’s all real."

M.O.D.O.K. does appear to perish, but that doesn't mean he couldn't return down the line, and Stoll would be more than happy to revisit the character.

"I don’t see why not. With the introduction of the multiverse, anything is possible, but it’s out of my hands."

Would you be interested in more M.O.D.O.K.? Drop us a comment down below, and check out the most recent clip from Ant-Man 3.

Super-Hero partners Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Scott’s daughter Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought possible.

Directed by Peyton Reed and produced by Kevin Feige and Stephen Broussard, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania also stars Jonathan Majors as Kang, David Dastmalchian as Veb, Katy O'Brian as Jentorra, William Jackson Harper as Quaz and Bill Murray as Lord Krylar.

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TheWalkingCuban
TheWalkingCuban - 2/28/2023, 9:10 AM
MODOK always fit best on Superhero Squad but dang man, don’t give the guy Superhero Squad dialogue in a live action film! You guys are the experts, did they represent him well at all? I’m not complaining about the giant head, that’s what it supposed to be, or the mask, just one thing. Dialogue.
SATW42
SATW42 - 2/28/2023, 9:14 AM
@TheWalkingCuban - In my experience, MODOK has always been a more ridiculous villain. A threat at times, which they allude to hear because he is feared by the locals before he becomes comic relief, but usually a ridiculous villain. Just my opinion though.

I mean, Marvel always has a new president appear in a comic in some way and they decided to have MODOK look like Trump for his post election appearance soooo that shows you how they feel about the character.
SATW42
SATW42 - 2/28/2023, 9:16 AM
@TheWalkingCuban - I mean, there's a reason why Marvel was ok making that HULU show a joke, they would never allow a Dr. Doom show to be done the same way. So when the publishing house doesn't even take the character that seriously, I think it's ok the movies don't.
TheWalkingCuban
TheWalkingCuban - 2/28/2023, 9:17 AM
@SATW42 - but dang superhero squad? Well I guess Hulu didn’t do much better
TheWalkingCuban
TheWalkingCuban - 2/28/2023, 10:18 AM
@SATW42 - I suppose I didn’t see trump. I’m thinking Harrison Ford will be a big ol trump, someone here said Orange Hulk 😂😂
SATW42
SATW42 - 2/28/2023, 11:12 AM
@TheWalkingCuban - I guess in fairness he wasn't actually MODOK, it was the ACTUAL Donald Trump and he got turned into M.O.D.A.A.K. (Mental Organism Designed as America's King)

Captain America punched him in the face.



abd00bie
abd00bie - 2/28/2023, 4:14 PM
@TheWalkingCuban - imo he would have been decently cool if they gave him a more menacing face. The mask was better than his actual face. I thought his entrance was pretty cool but then he was just too jokish after that.
TheWalkingCuban
TheWalkingCuban - 2/28/2023, 4:56 PM
@abd00bie - 100 thow wow, I really liked how the mask looked, ironically, since that’s the thing we did not want in the first pictures. When we got what we wanted, we hated it. When it’s spring, we long for the hot sun and the beach. When it’s summer, we long for the red leaves and the costumes. When it’s fall, we long for the snow and the cold. And when it’s winter, we long for the flowers and the butterflies. But in Louisiana, when it’s crawfish, we don’t long for nothing but more crawfish.
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 2/28/2023, 9:12 AM
Seems like a character they could bring back anytime. I think MODOK should be brought back to work for aim in something else… keep him a bad guy with no morals.
ScarletJack
ScarletJack - 2/28/2023, 9:24 AM
So what I hear is "Isn't it great now that there are no stakes now." The multiverse was fun at first, but now it's like nothing matters. They can just all come back at anytime.
Toonstrack
Toonstrack - 2/28/2023, 12:59 PM
@ScarletJack - yall wanted smaller scale more intimate stories instead of "save the world"

Now you say "there's no stakes"

Fickle fickle crowd
JonC
JonC - 2/28/2023, 4:19 PM
@ScarletJack - they can, doesn't mean they will. and when someone loses someone it may seem the same to the audience but it is certainly not the same to the friends and family of those lost to have them replaced with a variant.
Razorface1
Razorface1 - 2/28/2023, 5:30 PM
@Toonstrack - are you missing the point that the "no stakes" thing is not due to the scale but to the fact that character death may be rendered meaningless?
Toonstrack
Toonstrack - 2/28/2023, 7:36 PM
@Razorface1 - when has that happened?

Everyone who's died has stayed dead, snap notwithstanding.
Razorface1
Razorface1 - 3/1/2023, 8:26 AM
@Toonstrack - It hasn't, there is just a lot of worry that it will since it has been mentioned more than once in invterviews.
Origame
Origame - 2/28/2023, 9:31 AM
Yes, I remember the famous Shakespeare line, "stop being such a dick".

I remember that's what convinced the capulets and the montagues to stop fighting.
SATW42
SATW42 - 2/28/2023, 9:43 AM
@Origame - so, are these actors not allowed to make clear jokes and have fun?
GodParker
GodParker - 2/28/2023, 9:56 AM
@SATW42 - and tbh was it really a “joke” like it was shown MODOK was a dick, I mean he was a dick even as Yellowjacket, I thought the line was perfect for his character
Origame
Origame - 2/28/2023, 10:00 AM
@SATW42 - well that depends, am I not allowed to make clear jokes and have fun?
SATW42
SATW42 - 2/28/2023, 10:12 AM
@Origame - well if you were just joking my apologies, but your usual MO is to shit on this stuff and it came off like "This asshole is comparing himself to shakespeare"
PeterDarker121
PeterDarker121 - 2/28/2023, 10:23 AM
@Origame - There are dick jokes and puns in Shakespeare.
Origame
Origame - 2/28/2023, 10:24 AM
@SATW42 - dude, I'm legit making the same joke he is. That this material clearly isn't Shakespeare.
JuanRGuijarro
JuanRGuijarro - 2/28/2023, 10:27 AM
@SATW42 - good jokes, of course. Not this kind of stupidity
Origame
Origame - 2/28/2023, 10:28 AM
@PeterDarker121 - yes, but a villain isn't redeemed in Shakespeare because of said dick jokes.

Besides, in the movie that wasn't a dick joke or pun. She used dick as a derogatory term for him sincerely, then he reflected his behavior from that. Closest thing to a joke is that such a thing genuinely made him change. But again, that's not how Shakespeare did his jokes.
SATW42
SATW42 - 2/28/2023, 11:14 AM
@JuanRGuijarro - I meant him joking in this interview, clearly poking fun of himself saying this wasn't shakespeare. Not his jokes in the movie.
PeterDarker121
PeterDarker121 - 2/28/2023, 12:15 PM
@Origame - He first laments to Cassie "I don't know what to be...tell me what to be," so actually he was expressing his little (no pun intended) existential "Who am I" crisis BEFORE she offered her blunt advice. THEN she used a common slang "derogatory" term to describe how he SHOULDN'T be.

Stoll's not talking about that scene anyway, he's referring to the "Shakespearean" stakes in MODOK's head (pun intended) during his death scene, which are ironically, completely self-serving, arrogant and delusional. He's STILL a dick, just not a murderous one. Cassie didn't specify what KIND of dick he should stop being lol
JonC
JonC - 2/28/2023, 4:22 PM
@GodParker - agreed, go back to ant man 1 and you will see he was brought in like a son to Hank, and then when Hank saw too much of the bad side in him (like Hank) he started to cut him off from being a son, and Darren couldn't deal with that... it broke his character even more and he became a vengeful dick to Hank and Janet and then Scott and his family.
Reginator
Reginator - 2/28/2023, 9:40 AM
I have not seen it yet. The more I hear about the movie the less I desire to see it. Comic relief MODOK doesnt sound like something I really want to pay to see. I feel like I got ripped off paying to see Thor 4 and am a little MCU wary now.
GodParker
GodParker - 2/28/2023, 9:59 AM
@Reginator - well i can’t change your mind, but this is my personal opinion, it’s way better then Thor 4, that was an embarrassment, like antman 3 may have some flaws mostly I think editing and the ending I felt was rushed but MODOK is best as a comedy, he’s a joke in the comics too
SuperBatCap1
SuperBatCap1 - 2/28/2023, 9:42 AM
He shouldn’t have died.
abd00bie
abd00bie - 2/28/2023, 4:17 PM
@SuperBatCap1 - Marvel wastes their villains a lot: Hela, Gorr, Ultron, Klaw, Red Skull banished lol and now MODOK.
JonC
JonC - 2/28/2023, 4:23 PM
@SuperBatCap1 - no guarantee he is dead, he is in the quantum realm and is half robotic.
Fogs
Fogs - 2/28/2023, 9:43 AM
I can't believe you're taking MODOK in an ANT-MAN film seriously. Even worse, expected him to be taken seriously here.

I mean, look at CB MODOK, it's ridiculous to the core. Never cared for him and I'm not starting now.
ShimmyShimmyYA
ShimmyShimmyYA - 2/28/2023, 10:57 AM
@Fogs - it’s a little odd people doing these gymnastics to pretend MODOK was some super serious thing he looks stupid in the comics and in movies and in animation and every version treats it as such
Fogs
Fogs - 2/28/2023, 12:41 PM
@ShimmyShimmyYA - Gotta say whenever he appeared in the comics I thought he was really dumb, even as a kid.

I remember thinking something like "ok, comicbooky stuff... I'll give it a pass."
AnthonyVonGeek
AnthonyVonGeek - 2/28/2023, 10:04 AM
Just when I thought Hulus Modok was the worst version Quantumania comes along and takes the prize for the worst Modok
🤷‍♂️
hazapez
hazapez - 2/28/2023, 10:25 AM
i'm going to watch this tonight...
Spike101
Spike101 - 2/28/2023, 10:30 AM
No I wouldn’t be interested in more if they take on MODOK. There was potential there but the desperate desire to play him for laughs and the terrible CGI effort of putting Darren’s face into the suit was awful. For me sadly this was the only part of the movie that really failed.
Fogs
Fogs - 2/28/2023, 10:43 AM
@Spike101 - I agree the CGI was very off-putting but "potential"?

Dumb character. I expect MODOK to be a laughing stock, not frickin' THOR.
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