Marvel’s MODOK is one of the most bizarre, unique-looking villains in all of comics, but he didn’t always have his horrifying appearance. MODOK originally had a much more human look before transforming into a giant head that became the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing. However, in a Marvel Comics story, MODOK, whose original name was George Tarleton, once reverted back to his real original form, which is a far cry from his monstrous appearance as the villain.
Despite his grotesque appearance as a being that is effectively a giant head far too big for his body, MODOK didn’t always look like a monster. Initially, George Tarelteon was a technician working for the villainous organization A.I.M. Tarleton was transformed into MODOC, a super-computer/human hybrid designed to help with advancements with the Cosmic Cube. However, as his brain continued to grow, MODOC became MODOK, changing his computing focus to killing, taking a key role in A.I.M. while becoming one of the more destructive forces in the Marvel Universe. In his Doomsday Chair, MODOK is effectively a giant floating head with tiny legs and arms, illustrating how his usual human appearance drastically changed.
Readers have rarely been shown MODOK’s true form before he transformed. However, in Incredible Hulk #610 by Greg Pak, Paul Pelletier, and Danny Miki from Marvel Comics, MODOK is captured by Amadeus Cho and transformed (via reality manipulation) into his human form. As George Tarleton, MODOK looks like an average human, as he’s left sitting inside his Doomsday Chair, as his head dwarfs the size of its former self.
Despite his usual appearance as the killer machine, MODOK is just a human transformed into something much more sinister. Devolving back into his regular form revealed that behind the giant head is just an ordinary man. He wasn’t always a freak of nature. With MODOK soon set to appear in the MCU in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantimania, it will be fascinating to see if the villain’s story features his previous human form and whether the film will explore that side of the character before he’s transformed into the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing.
MODOK didn’t always have his frightening appearance, as he was just as much of a real human as anyone else in the Marvel Universe. However, after an experiment that grew his brain to massive proportions, he evolved into the iconic Marvel Comics villain, becoming a giant head determined to kill those who stood in his way. MODOK’s transformation shows that anyone, even a regular technician for A.I.M., can be turned into a supervillain with the right amount of experimenting.
