Hello and welcome back again (again) to Multiversity’s coverage of Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. on Hulu! Twice a week, we I.N.S.P.E.C.T. (Intricately Note Substantial Plots, Events, and Comedic Triumphs) the head villain of the Marvel Universe as he embarks on his mission for global conquest! With the end drawing near, M.O.D.O.K. has set his sights on cleaning up A.I.M. and turning over a new leaf. As fate would have it, the new leaf looks a lot like the old leaf! So without further ado, let’s take a look at the second-to-last episode of M.O.D.O.K., “What Menace Doth the Mailman Deliver!”
1. C.O.R.P.O.R.A.T.I.O.N.
Never forget that the true villain is always capitalism. Way back in “Beware What From Portal Comes,” the evil aliens known as Hexus were set up as the true villains behind the cold, corporate A.I.M. takeover. After building up their evil scheme throughout the series, the alien hive-mind began to make their final moves – only to have their plan foiled by M.O.D.O.K. Their ultimate comeuppance for trying to use A.I.M. to take over the world was that they got outsmarted by M.O.D.O.K. and usurped by Iron Man. If M.O.D.O.K. is able to secure a second season, I imagine that this will be a key storyline to follow-up on, since the Hexus are shown to be rebuilding with a new stooge at the center of their scheme. As it stands, this was a fine end to the Hexus story, though some viewers may find it underwhelming after all that build-up.
2. F.U.S.I.O.N.
What was definitely NOT underwhelming was the final fate of Austin Van Der Sleet, the stooge that managed to perfectly embody every annoying corporate yes man. In a scene ripped straight out of The Fly, Austin was fused with his beloved dog Sherlock. If that wasn’t a cruel enough fate, he was turned back into a normal man just in time for him to run into an oncoming car (maybe he still had some dog DNA after all) and got himself killed. I always enjoyed Austin and I’m happy that he got the horrible, gruesome fate that he deserved. His transformation was genuinely terrifying and it left me feeling really uncomfortable.
3. N.E.E.D.Y.
When M.O.D.O.K. first started, I never could have expected the surreal character arc that Gary would go on. In the beginning of the show, he was just a background minion who got his arm randomly blasted off. Now, after all this time, he has become an incredibly obsessive scientist with no ambition of his own other than following M.O.D.O.K. and loving Big Mike. I never could have expected that Gary would become a focal point of this series. My heart feels warm knowing that Gary was given time to shine, as we got to see just how depraved he is. I guess you’d have to be pretty unhinged to work for M.O.D.O.K. and A.I.M. I just hope that wherever they are, Gary and Big Mike are happy.
4. H.E.R.O.
In order to get his life back on track and stop Hexus from ruining A.I.M., M.O.D.O.K. does something unexpected and sells his shares of A.I.M. to Iron Man. This was a logical endpoint for his relationship with Iron Man, since it showed that M.O.D.O.K. had grown enough to know that his dreaded foe was the only person for the job. M.O.D.O.K. has been light on heroes, with only Iron Man and Wonder Man having any substantial contribution. That isn’t necessarily bad, but using two of the most egotistical members of the Avengers does create a sense that there’re no true heroes in this show. While that makes sense as a way to compliment M.O.D.O.K.’s arc, I can’t help but hope that this show includes more heroic characters if it ever continues.
5. S.U.P.R.E.M.E.R.
A.I.M. is dead. Long live A-I-M 2. Yes, after selling his shares of A.I.M. to Iron Man and convincing Monica Rappaccini to do the same, M.O.D.O.K. builds A-I-M 2 and assigns himself the title of Scientist Supremer. This was a great way to end the love/hate relationship between M.O.D.O.K. and Monica. Their dynamic was one of my favorite parts of this show and it’s nice to see that they were able to work things out. Plus, the idea of M.O.D.O.K. and Monica creating a start-up tech company sounds doomed to fail, which is perfect for them. Alongside Gary and Big Mike, the new A-I-M 2 is sure to be filled with great ideas and slim profit margins. I wish them all the best in their future endeavors.
