'Agents of SHIELD' Showrunner Comments Suggest That Marvel Studios May Have Plans To Use MODOK In A Future Project

With the Infinity Saga having come to a close, those behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been looking for more avenues to explore, whether it be via films for Phase Four and beyond or via upcoming Disney+ shows. As far as the small screen goes, we have seen the end of an era this past week as Agents of SHIELD came to a close.

This show premiered on ABC and was the first live-action Marvel show of the 2010s. Surprisingly, it ended up being the last of those shows to either end or get canceled. Spin-off The Inhumans got canceled after one season. Another potential spin-off called Most Wanted never went beyond the pilot stage. Netflix canceled all of the Marvel shows that it had co-produced. Cloak & Dagger on Freeform got canceled. Runaways came to an end on Hulu despite a hint of a potential thread that could have been explored. Outside of the MCU, mutant-related Marvel shows came and went as well, with The Gifted on Fox getting canceled despite a cliffhanger ending, and Legion coming to a conclusion on FX. Against all odds, Agents of SHIELD stuck it out and reached an intended conclusion.

Over the years, Agents of SHIELD has had a complex relationship with the films. It started out as a film tie-in show, dealing with the aftermath of Thor: The Dark World and, more impressively, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. After that, attempts to tie into the films felt a bit more hamfisted. Then when Infinity War came around, an episode was written in such a way that the characters would completely avoid interacting with the events of that film. Season 6 did not really acknowledge the snap at the end of Infinity War, and with time travel having happened, some viewers may be able to draw connections, while others are left confused. In the end, season 7 concluded the show without having to rely on tie-ins.

Speaking with TV Club, co-showrunner Jeffrey Bell described an idea that was never realized for the series, which would have involved the villain MODOK (Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing): “We had a lot of ideas where we were—and I’ll say this, I don’t care—we were given the green light originally to use certain characters from Marvel, and started to break story based on those characters—[Coughs.] MODOK—and then they retracted it.” That being said, the showrunners acknowledged that not being able to use certain characters gave them interesting challenges where they had to reinvent the directions of the stories that they were telling.

While Bell did not specify the season or year when they were thinking of incorporating MODOK, it is possible that Marvel Studios is still trying to figure out a place for him in the future of the MCU. Last April, it was reported by Geeks Worldwide that MODOK was included in an earlier draft of Ant-Man 3, the release date of which is currently unknown. It should be noted, however, that this does not guarantee an appearance from MODOK in the final version of the script, and by extension the finished film. However, given that the character is on their radar, Marvel Studios might find a place for the villain sooner or later. Given the differences between network TV and film, perhaps it was a good idea to save any live-action depiction of MODOK for a high-budget film. If there is anything that the Marvel films have taught us, it is that they are capable of breathing life to some of the more bizarre characters and making them work well in the end.

Written by Steven Shinder

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