Marvel and Hulu's MODOK was released for streaming in the middle of last year. It was a comedic take on a classic Marvel Comics villain voiced by famous comedian and comic geek Patton Oswalt. In addition to being an attempt at a supervillain comedy, it also took a more human look at this murderous head of A.I.M. and what his life is like outside of his villainy.
References to deeper Marvel Comics lore are spread throughout the first season of MODOK. While some are more overt, like Iron Man's appearance, others are more subtle and are only really noticeable on a rewatch of the series.
10 Kirby University Flag Pays Homage To The King Of Comics Himself
The second episode of MODOK has a nice homage to one of the greatest comic book creators who ever lived, creator Jack "the King" Kirby. As the episode shows, MODOK and his wife, Jodie, met back when they were students at Kirby University. Audiences are treated to a look at the Kirby University flag and the campus.
Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created MODOK with Tales of Suspense #94 where MODOK threw down with Captain America and Agent Sharon Carter.
9 Gruenwald High School Is A Nod To A Legendary Marvel Creator
Speaking of Captain America, the fourth episode involves a visit to Poundcakes' high school, aptly called Gruenwald High School. Mark Gruenwald was a legendary Marvel writer who had a much-beloved run on Captain America and Marvel Two-in-One as well as other titles such as Quasar and the celebrated Squadron Supreme maxiseries.
Mark Gruenwald is particularly relevant to Poundcakes, as she first appeared in Marvel Two-in-One #54 by Mark Gruenwald, John Byrne, Ralph Macchio, and Joe Sinnott. She was a part of an all-women supervillain team called the Grapplers alongside Letha, Titania, and Screaming Mimi (later Songbird of the Thunderbolts). The Grapplers were hired to break into Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S, which was guarded by the Thing of the Fantastic Four (the Thing being the star of the Marvel Two-in-One series).
8 Lila Cheney Is A Mutant With The Ability To Teleport Vast Distances
In the first episode, MODOK and Austin Van Der Sleet attend a Lila Cheney concert. Lila Cheney is actually a mutant musician with the ability to teleport across vast gulfs of space. In fact, she can't quite control her teleportation powers well enough, so she has to plan what planets to teleport to before she can ever return home to Earth without overshooting the planet.
Lila first appeared in New Mutants Annual #1 as an antagonist, though she later became an ally to the mutant community on Earth. She was created by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod.
7 The Weapons Found In The Abandoned S.H.I.E.L.D. Base
In the second episode, MODOK and A.I.M. break into a S.H.I.E.L.D. base to try and retrieve A.I.M.'s time machine from the law enforcement organization. MODOK and his minions search through several impressive artifacts on their way to finding the time machine.
Two, in particular, stand out. The first is Professor Xavier's Cerebro helmet, through which Professor X has telepathic access to the minds and locations of every mutant on Earth. The second is the Ultimate Nullifier, a weapon of immeasurable power that was first given to Mister Fantastic of the Fantastic Four by Uatu the Watcher to use against Galactus when the devourer threatened Earth.
6 Carmilla Rappaccini Becomes A Young Superhero Called The Scorpion
In the comics, Carmilla Rappaccini goes by Carmilla Black and is the adopted daughter of Monica Rappaccini. She goes on to become a superhero and mercenary by the name of the Scorpion. In fairness, Mac Gargan, the original Scorpion, was possessed by the Venom symbiote at that point, so the name was up for grabs.
Unfortunately, Carmilla's later adventures find her on the wrong side of the law, and she even fights Spider-Man at one point. Carmilla's Scorpion persona is referenced in the show by the scorpion logo on her shirt.
5 Arcade's Arcade And His Murderworld Trial For MODOK
Arcade is a famously deranged Marvel Comics villain who has taken on just about every hero out there, but he seems to have a particular fixation on the X-Men. He was created by the legendary team of Chris Claremont and John Byrne, first appearing in Marvel Team-Up #65 in 1978 to fight Spider-Man and Captain Britain.
Arcade is actually referenced a couple of times in MODOK. The first is a shot of an establishment called "Arcade's Arcade." The next is in a later episode where MODOK and his family have to escape from a Murderworld trap created by Arcade.
4 Fin Fang Foom Serving Lockheed As A Meal To MODOK
Fin Fang Foom is a vast green dragon who actually predates the Marvel Age of comics by a few months. He first appeared in Strange Tales #89 by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby. He later became a frequent enemy of Iron Man.
Fin Fang Foom makes his MODOK appearance as the owner of a restaurant called "Fin Fang Farm to Table." There, he serves a dish to Austin and MODOK that turns out to be Lockheed, another dragon. Lockheed is the friendly dragon partner to Kitty Pryde of the X-Men and is significantly smaller than Fin Fang Foom.
3 Lucky Jim Howlett's Canadian Lager Commercial
A fairly quick reference is a commercial that is seen on television for "Lucky Jim Howlett's Canadian Lager." James Howlett is the birthname of Wolverine of the X-Men. He is Canadian and well-known for his enjoyment of a bottle of beer here and there.
Audiences get to see Wolverine's gloved hand toasting glasses with the hand of the Thing of the Fantastic Four. The Thing is also known for enjoying beer, though not as much as Wolverine.
2 All The Characters In The MODOK's Six Lineup
In the fourth episode, MODOK recruits a team of villains from the Bar With No Name (another reference to Marvel Comics lore) for a job to steal Captain America's shield. The villains he chooses are more obscure and not quite of the same caliber as Doctor Doom or the Red Skull.
The villains are the aforementioned Poundcakes, the Melter, Tenpin, Armadillo, and Angar the Screamer. The name "MODOK's Six" is also a reference to a comic series called MODOK's 11 by Fred Van Lente and Francis Portela. This team included the Armadillo too.
1 All The Villains That Pop Up In The Soho Lair
The Soho Lair is shown as a more upscale villain establishment with rogues too prominent to spend their time at the Bar With No Name. A handful of major Marvel Comics baddies can be seen attending the Soho Lair establishment. Unfortunately, the bar does not accept MODOK.
The villains that can be seen include Mister Sinister, the Leader, Madame Masque, and even Kang the Conqueror. This motley assortment covers villains from the X-Men, Iron Man, Hulk, and Avengers rogues' galleries.