Animated comedy Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. is about a supervillain, voiced by Patton Oswalt, with plans to conquer the world. Those plans are throttled by M.O.D.O.K.’s mismanagement of his evil corporation, A.I.M. Short for Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing, M.O.D.O.K. also has a problematic domestic life, as his wife and kids are fed up with Dad’s self-centered ways.
Aiming to acquire ailing A.I.M. is a tech behemoth called GRUMBL that is run by a goofily woke tech maven, Austin. Beck Bennett of Saturday Night Live voices Austin.
M.O.D.O.K. has the shape of a soup can and rides around in a hoverchair. Inspired by a comic book franchise, the jokes on Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. come fast and furious. The second episode, entitled “The M.O.D.O.K. That Time Forgot!,” sees M.O.D.O.K. and his wife Jodie (voiced by Aimee Garcia) travel back in time to see Third Eye Blind in college, M.O.D.O.K. hoping it will bring the couple back to more carefree days.
Alas, the pair goes too far back. “We overshot Third Eye Blind and we’re in the year of Chumbawumba!” grouses M.O.D.O.K.
Melissa Fumero of Brooklyn Nine-Nine voices daughter Melissa, Ben Schwartz from Parks and Recreation voices son Lou and Wendy McLendon-Covey of The Goldbergs portrays A.I.M. scientist extraordinaire Monica.
Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. offers some fun, futuristic tech toys to behold, and Oswalt brings the portly supervillain to life with acerbic wit. The suburban ennui in Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. at times calls to mind WandaVision on Disney Plus, though they’re entirely different series. Some of the many M.O.D.O.K. quips hit their mark, but most, at least for this viewer, did not.
Oswalt created the show with Jordan Blum, and both are executive producers along with Jeph Loeb and several others.
