(Excuse me if i have grammar mistakes, english is not my main language)
I think there is a possibility that Arnim Zola could turn into MODOK at some point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and maybe even in Captain America the Winter Soldier.
Back in August 2011 Captain America: The First Avenger Co-Writer Christofer Markus said he wanted Modok to be the next villain for Captain America and he even decided the actor he wanted to play Modok: Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage.
(Not necesary to read)
"I love MODOK and I think you could make a terrifying movie with MODOK but nobody seems to be on my side at the moment. I will win you over to Peter Dinklage as MODOK. If he came around the corner and you saw him floating there you would be terrified. It would be amazing. In this movie, the great thing is [the visual effects and makeup team] really pulled off the Red Skull. It doesn’t look like a mask. it looks like it’s fully integrated into his flesh. And I want to see what they can do with MODOK."
As you alredy may know, Tobey Jones is going to reprise his role of Arnim Zola in Captain America The Winter Soldier and this May he said something quite interesting: "All I can say about it is that I was pleased to be brought back," says Jones. "I thought I might be - because you'd know better than I do - but Zola finds a way to defeat time, and you won't be disappointed with the way that's been treated in the film."
So apparently Arnim will be on the present day. How did he defeat time in the comics? He built an armour and he uploaded his conscience inside like a software. And every time his armour got destroyed, his conscience imediatly moved to another armour. So something similar happening in the movie is a possibility.
There was even an easter egg of the armour in the first Captain America movie:
So as you can see MODOK and Arnim Zola are two very similar characters because both have a big face (although they have completely different histories).
Marvel uses their videogames and (specially) their animated series to introduce new characters like they are doing with the guardians of the galaxy or what they did with the winter soldier. In the Avengers Assemble show MODOK is one of the villains and he works for the red skull, later on, he built an armour similar to Arnim Zola's. So apparently they are trying to somehow connect these two characters.
So there is a chance that Arnim Zola turns into MODOK in the next aptain america movie. I'd love to see MODOK, specially this soon, when i thought i was never going to see him. Some might not like this idea because the mix of these two character but i personally don't care. I am not saying that they are very secondary characters in the comics because they aren't, i just can't feel bad about it. There are some options that can happen:
- Zola defeats time with his armour.
- Zola defeats time turning into MODOK.
- Zola defeats time with his armour but calls himself MODOK.
- Zola defeats time varying with his normal armour and the MODOK armour still calling himself Arnim Zola.
Although this April Markus said that there was a right issue with MODOK: "There’s a rights issue there, somehow." But i think that is a mistake. Lots of people wondered how could there be a rights issue with him and aswell as me, everybody thinks that's a mistake. But anyways i have another option:
- Zola defeats time with the MODOK armour but not calling himself MODOK.
I guess he will be a very secondary character but if in the final battle Alexander Pierce turns out to be the Red Skull and Arnim Zola is revealed to be the creator of the winter Soldier and is now MODOK i will sh*t in my pants. It would be a complete surprise and twist and the film would completely change.
And now here you have some pictures of how i could see MODOK or Arnim Zola's original costume in the movies:
And my personal favourite MODOK incarnation from the Captain America storyline:
Thank you for reading.