Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania trailer reveals an unmasked MODOK – and fans are divided

The Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania trailer has dropped, giving us our first glimpse at how Marvel Phase 5 will kick off. Among the new look at Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror and some major hints about the direction of the movie, some eagle-eyed MCU fans were distracted by one particular introduction: MODOK.

The Marvel supervillain is most recognizable as a giant floating head, who can be seen both masked (at 1:46) and unmasked (at 57 seconds) in brief moments of the trailer. Very little is known so far about what this version of the character will be like in the MCU, aside from that he’s played by House of Cards star Corey Stoll and is based on one of the most unusual and fun supervillains in the comics.

The original MODOK is a former A.I.M. employee who is the subject of an experiment to turn him into a genius. This works but comes with the side effect of making his cranium expand to an absurd size. Dubbed the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing, he became a frequent villain in the Marvel comics.

MODOK in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania — (Image credit: Marvel Studios)

While it's not yet clear how he’ll play into Ant-Man 3's story, fans already have some strong opinions based on the first look at the character. Posting on Reddit, one viewer wrote: "This looks so Goddamn hilarious, I can't wait to see it on the big screen. I hope he's still as angry and unhinged, more so even."

Another praised the comic-accurate design of the character, writing: "I love that they went full comic book stupidity and gave us an accurate MODOK. What a time to be alive." While a third agreed: "He looks just as stupid as I'd hoped he would. Absolutely no measures have been taken to try and make him look cool for the big screen."

However, not everyone was so sold on the first look, with some viewers hoping they would have gone even further with the design. "Y'know what, I think they should've gone even stupider and it would've worked even better," commented one. A second complained: "I'm sorry but that looks fucking stupid as hell."

For a better look at the character, we’ll have to wait until Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania arrives in theaters on February 17. In the meantime, check out all of the upcoming Marvel movies and shows on the way – and if you need a refresher, here’s how to watch the Marvel movies in order.

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.