Rambling about M.O.D.O.K: Mini Overview of a Dull Overdone Komedy

Oh God, there are so many Marvel shows that are coming out. It is bringing back the slight Marvel fatigue I had until Infinity War and Spiderverse energized that sphincter and got me excited for Marvel again. Ever since 2021, there seems to be some new Marvel thing coming out every week, and I just can't keep up. This plus the deluge of other super hero shows that I haven't got around to is keeping me busy. It doesn't help that some of the shows seem to vary in quality. Some of shows look neat. Others look well... not so neat. Interestingly, there were out of the blue adaptations that were pleasant to see to say the least. One of the surprises out of these shows was MODOK; a Hulu original that seeks to take a comedic spin on the titular character. 

Now, I unironically love MODOK character. I honestly think that despite his odd design and backstory, he could still make an intimidating villain in the MCU. See the concept art below of Marvel's Ultimate Alliance or the A.I.MBRELLA in Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite. I feel in the right hands, MODOK could make for an intimidating presence. And after all, if they could properly adapt The Red Skull, they could do MODOK. 

So I wasn't looking forward to them taking essentially the easy route by taking a bizarre villain and making him into a joke where he is an underdog villain considering A.) Super Hero Squad already made MODOK into a joke and B.) Harley Quinn already did the sthick of the underdog villain. And after watching the show, I can add that not only does Harley Quinn do the sthick that MODOK is doing, it does it much better. 

The thing that separates Harley Quinn from MODOK is that Harley Quinn doesn't rely on one joke. After one episode, you get a rhythm for how a typical MODOK episode will play out. 

Here is the humor in a typical MODOK episode. It is the Family Guy variety of jokes where randomly referencing something immediately constitutes as funny. There is a joke where the punchline is that MODOK says Ray Donovan....that is it. 

It is the variety of jokes where characters say or do something meanspirited which are usually executed poorly either because they dwell on the joke for too long, it's too on the nose, or undercuts the intrigue of the plot. Now admittedly, I laughed a couple times per episode, but it was overshadowed by the pointed silence from all the other jokes that didn't land.

There is nothing to MODOK other than he is a pathetic egomaniac, and it is hard to relate to him since all of the bad things that happen to him are just clear consequences to his inept actions. His wife asks for a divorce at the end of the first episode, and there's barely any impact. It's just "hey isn't funny that MODOK is having a rough go at life?" 

Harley Quinn also has the very flawed main character, but it makes sense to sympathize with her. She was in an abusive relationship, and that relationship sets up the problems Quinn will face throughout the show. The more than just "hey isn't funny that Harley is having a rough go at life?" That rough go at life itself is interesting, and the funny parts simply complement that story. 

Harley is gradually rebuilding herself, and her arc is focused towards that premise. MODOK's arc, on the other hand, is very messy. It's to the point where I wondered if the showrunners were writing it as it went along. MODOK's goal is retaking A.I.M until it isn't. And then, it is about being a good husband and dad until it isn't. Then, it is about reclaiming his initial goal of taking over the world. It tries to juggle multiple wants. But in turn, it makes everything feel underdeveloped. The critical example of this is the season finale. A moment that should have been a shocking moment but turns more into a confused last minute decision by a character that feels underwhelming. 

The messiness is shown again in the two overarching villains. Both of whom could've filled a season's worth of content. However, the show goes the route of taking care of one villain rather quickly and anticlimactically, doing the same for the other villain, before reverting back to using the initial villain again for the finale because they probably realized they shouldn't have squandered a major villain so quickly. 

Harley Quinn also has more substance in the side characters. MODOK seems hyper focused on the main character when the side characters could add a lot in terms of story and humor. I thought the A.I.M soldiers were going to fill that role, but they only appear in handful of episodes as random side gags. It feels like wasted potential since I thought the A.I.M soldiers were quite funny. The actual side characters that get any amount of attention range from Wendi McLendon-Covey as Monica (who is the funniest character on the show) to MODOK's wife (who doesn't get enough character development for her to be interesting or likable) to MODOK's son and servant robot (who are two of the most annoying characters ever). 

MODOK is definitely the superhero show equivalent of wanting to have its cake and eat it too. There a lot of moments that theoretically could have worked. I like a lot of its ideas. I certainly wouldn't have watched past the first episode if I didn't see some promise. However, it is muddled by too many things. It lacks vision. I would have preferred if the show was focused either on MODOK trying to rebuild A.I.M or trying to rebuild his relationship with his family. Instead, we kind of get weaker versions of both. 

My suggestion is to watch the first episode. If you don't like it, then you will likely not like the rest of the show as it doesn't elevate itself beyond the first episode. However, if there is something in MODOK that speaks to you, then I can't stop you from watching it. 

Now if you excuse me, I got to catch up on my Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C and Touch by the Angel box sets as well as other obscure and forgotten shows that I slyly referenced.