There is no shortage of odd Marvel characters who make good fits for the myriad of comic book video games. However, MODOK is a unique individual who’s made for a popular video game addition over the years. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby all the way back in 1967, MODOK — an acronym for Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing — was created by a team of A.I.M. scientists to become the ultimate intelligent bio-weapon.
MODOK has lived up to expectations as a larger than life comic book character, but he’s also found mainstream popularity through Hulu’s MODOK animated series and the character’s live-action appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. MODOK’s recent Marvel Cinematic Universe debut makes it the perfect time to revisit some of the character’s best and biggest video game appearances.
10 Marvel: Avengers Alliance
Release Date: March 1, 2012
Marvel: Avengers Alliance is a turn-based RPG title that was released in tandem with the first Avengers film. The social-network game ran for two seasons and spawned a sequel, which effectively tells original stories as well as remixes popular comic events.
MODOK shows up early in Marvel: Avengers Alliance‘s first chapter, but he doesn’t become a frustrating boss battle until closer to the title’s endgame. MODOK and his powerful A.I.M. minions are worthy challenges for whatever team of heroes the player has assembled.
9 Marvel Heroes 2016
Release Date: June 4, 2013
Marvel Heroes 2016 is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online action-RPG that was first released in 2013 and received steady updates and expansions until the game was taken offline in 2017. Marvel Heroes 2016 assembled more than 63 playable characters in an epic storyline that pit Doctor Doom and the Cosmic Cube against the Watcher.
All of Marvel’s heavy-hitters joined this war, including the malevolent MODOK. In the game, MODOK functions in tandem with the Mandarin, who wields the collective powers of A.I.M. and H.Y.D.R.A. against Nick Fury and company. Marvel Heroes 2016 sandwiches MODOK in with other villains, but the game emphasizes his intelligence and insatiable killer instinct.
8 Marvel Super Hero Squad Online
Release Date: October 20, 2009
Based upon the Marvel Super Hero Squad animated series that uses a super-deformed cute design aesthetic, this multi-platform release has had several sequels. Most of these games include MODOK as some intermediary obstacle.
The Marvel Super Hero Squad games streamline their superhero experiences and feature a select cast of heroes rather than a roster that’s in the hundreds. MODOK is at his most terrifying when he gets a piece of the Infinity Fractal stuck in his forehead, helping him create an army of Modokbots that nearly eliminate the Avengers.
7 LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
Release Date: October 22, 2013
There’s a growing trend where LEGO versions of popular cinematic franchises fuel video games, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is no exception. Starting with 2013’s LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, but eventually expanding into a sequel and LEGO Marvel Avengers, these titles feature an oddly adorable Lego version of MODOK.
MODOK’s representation is consistent across these three games, but the original LEGO Marvel Super Heroes presents the villain as both a boss and an unlockable character who Iron Man, Thor, and Spider-Man face on an A.I.M. sub. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes has 180 characters and MODOK still stands out among the lot.
Release Date: November 15, 2011
There was more than a decade between the releases of the second and third releases in the prolific comic book crossover fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom. Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is a robust expansion of the original game that adds 12 new fighters to the already-impressive roster of 36 characters.
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 makes prominent use of MODOK, who proves one of the game’s more unpredictable and versatile characters. MODOK doesn’t make the cut in the first two Marvel vs. Capcom games, but his utility here makes him a franchise mainstay moving forward.
5 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Release Date: October 24, 2006
The earliest of MODOK’s video game appearances on this list, 2006’s Marvel: Ultimate Alliance is a gripping action-RPG experience that features over 140 characters from Marvel’s lengthy history. The Marvel Ultimate Alliance series found multi-platform success long before these characters were fueling crossover cinematic events.
The original Marvel: Ultimate Alliance employs MODOK as an intimidating boss battle who serves Doctor Doom as one of the members of his Masters of Evil. Delivering a strong video game debut for the villain, MODOK stands out in a game that’s overcrowded with villains.
Release Date: September 19, 2017
Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite came out more than six years after Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and many view it as a step below its predecessor with its switch to two-on-two combat and the flashy new Infinity Stone mechanic. Marvel Vs. Capcom: Infinite features slightly fewer characters than past entries, but MODOK still makes the cut.
In fact, MODOK’s representation in Infinite is outright chilling. MODOK turns the population into deadly bio-organic weapons that are infused with Symbiotes. He even puts Resident Evil’s Nemesis through this process and the monster becomes his faithful enforcer. MODOK houses the Mind Stone, and he’s responsible for a huge Symbiote and bio-organic weapon outbreak.
3 Marvel Future Revolution
Release Date: August 25, 2021
Marvel Future Revolution features one of MODOK’s most recent video game appearances, but the character is likely to experience a major boost after his role in Quantumania. The game is an action RPG that leans into the multiversal convergence theory, where disparate worlds are destroying one another.
Marvel Future Revolution specifically pulls from the Secret Wars storyline, but it has fun with the diverse realities it indulges in. The game features many alternate versions of popular characters. MODOK, for instance, is accompanied by both KMOOD and KDOOM, which are some deep Marvel cuts.
2 Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order
Release Date: June 19, 2019
Superheroes have become a popular inspiration for the complex mechanics in action-RPG beat-’em-up games where players take on hordes of enemies. 2019’s Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is the first entry that’s heavily influenced by the characters and events of the MCU.
That being said, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 still makes use of certain comic book fringe characters, like MODOK, who were absent from the franchise’s second installment. MODOK is a boss battle, but he commands the power of the Soul Stone, which he uses to wage war against Wakanda. MODOK’s quest for greater knowledge is perfectly fitting for the terrifying tyrant.
1 Marvel’s Avengers
Release Date: September 4, 2020
Marvel’s Avengers is a 2020 action-adventure title from Square Enix that turned out to be an unfortunate misfire. Marvel’s Avengers may disappoint in terms of gameplay, but one element that was praised was its chilling quasi-realistic interpretation of MODOK. The game presents MODOK as the final villain, and he’s appropriately intimidating.
MODOK strives to rid the world of superheroes and instead uses science as the planet’s greatest resource. MODOK’s scheme turns into a larger crusade against the Inhumans, and this video game counterpart proves as vicious and vindictive as the villain should be. Many audiences lamented that MODOK’s appearance in Quantumania didn’t lean closer to the character’s look in Marvel’s Avengers.
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