MODOK : Who is the Head of A.I.M.?

MODOK is Ahead of the Game

MODOK “They once called me M.O.D.O.C. — but I’d much rather be “killing” than “computing!”

Marvel vs. Capcom 3

A squad of soldiers creep down a hallway. They have fought their way into a terrorist base and located the main control room. They plant a breaching charge outside the door. With the door out of the way, the squad rushes into the room directly into an exploding missile.

The squad leader struggles to his feet and sees their target. It looks like an enormous head with atrophied limbs in a flying chair. The target smiles. A purple gem on his forehead glows. The leader feels like his brain is on fire. He struggles to resist as he turns to his squad and raises a gun. Three bursts cut his team down. He puts the gun to his head. MODOK’s laughter drowns out the bang.

MODOK is one of Marvel’s most dangerous villains. He looks goofy as hell, but he is a sadistic scientist and leader of the deadliest terrorist organizations this side of HYDRA. So who is he? How did he gain his powers? Why are there two of him flying around? Let’s find out.

Taking A.I.M.: MODOK’s Backstory

MODOK: “Once, I was a guinea pig for the scientists of A.I.M.! But they did their work too well. Now I am their master!”

Tales of Suspense Vol. 1 #94

MODOK debuted in Tales of Suspense #94 in 1967. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

George Tarleton was a technician who worked for the HYDRA offshoot Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.). Tarleton was part of a group that created the Cosmic Cube, a reality warping gadget that MCU fans know as The Tesseract. A.I.M. wanted to study the Cube in depth and decided to transform Tarleton into a living computer to speed that up.

The process amped up Tarleton’s intelligence to the point where his brain outgrew his body, and he was given a hoverchair to move. George Tarleton was gone. In his place was M.O.D.O.C., the Mental Organism Designed Only for Computing.

Unfortunately for A.I.M., M.O.D.O.C.’s newfound intelligence made him much more ambitious. He weaponized his hoverchair and slaughtered the scientists who had transformed him. He took control of A.I.M. and replaced the “C” in his name with a “K” for killing. MODOK planned to conquer the world with the Cosmic Cube, but was stopped by Captain America.

MODOK 2.0.: M.O.D.O.K.’s History

MODOK. Superior: “Two new tasks added to to-do list.”
1. “Invent explosive-resistant polymer to reinforce A.I.M. Mountain walls.”
2. “Violently murder all hostile co-workers and restore self to controlling power at A.I.M”

M.O.D.O.K.: Head Games

MODOK made several attempts to conquer the world, but was always stopped by a superhero. His constant failures led to him being ousted from A.I.M. by Monica Rappaccini, his second-in-command and ex-girlfriend. MODOK attempted world domination as a solo act, but was eventually assassinated by the Serpent Society.

A.I.M. later reclaimed MODOK’s body and resurrected him to create a new Cosmic Cube. He agreed, but double-crossed A.I.M., assassinated Monica, and retook control of A.I.M.

MODOK’s reign came to an end during the event Fall of The Hulks. He joined a coalition of mad scientists called the Intelligencia, who planned to conquer the world with an army of Hulk monsters. MODOK was defeated and transformed back into George Tarleton. He gladly accepted imprisonment as punishment.

This was not the end of MODOK. Readers learned that he suffered from organ failure and frequently cloned himself to harvest replacements. A final clone of MODOK was created with several upgrades to minimize or remove his weaknesses. George Tarleton is retired, but the Marvel Universe now faces a greater threat: MODOK Superior.

Scientist Supreme: MODOK’s Powers and Personality

MODOK: “Incredible! I have created a being of ionic energy. I am science! I AM GENIUS!”

Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes “Everything is Wonderful” (Season 1, Episode 10)

MODOK is one of the smartest beings in the Marvel universe. He is borderline precognitive in a fight because he constantly analyzes his opponent’s actions and runs simulations of what they will do. He has an eidetic memory and is smart enough to create reality warping artifacts.

He also wears an advanced headband that amplifies his brain and lets him read minds, control foes, create force fields, and fire blasts of psionic energy. The downside is that his brain is constantly drawing energy from the rest of his body, causing it to atrophy.

The heavily-armed Doomsday Chair is MODOK’s signature weapon. The Doomsday Chair is armed with missiles, lasers, and whatever high-tech weapons he can devise. It can even pilot a giant headless robot if MODOK wants to fight hand-to-hand.

George Tarleton was an unassuming technician who became a psychotic would-be conqueror as MODOK. He believes that he is smarter than everyone else and that he should rule the world. MODOK Superior is similar, but even crazier than his predecessor. He also tends to get into wacky situations, unlike the original.

The Actors Who Play MODOK

Jim Cummings – Iron Man: the Animated Series
Lee Tocker – Iron Man: Armored Adventures
Tom Kenny – The Super Hero Squad Show
Wally Wingert – The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes
Charlie Alder – Ultimate Spider-Man, Avengers Assemble
Patton Oswalt – Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K.

Didya Get All That?

He’s smart, but he shouldn’t get a big head about it.

Jared Bounacos

Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.