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How Marvel's Avengers decided on MODOK as the game's main villain

Some Marvel fans may be wondering why Crystal Dynamics decided on MODOK to be the main villain for Marvel's Avengers. The answer has a lot to do with Kamala Khan.

Ozzie Mejia

June 25, 2020 4:50 PM

There was a lot of news and information that stemmed from Wednesday's Marvel's Avengers War Table segment. Players got to take a first look at one of the game's early missions after the A-Day catastrophe, while also getting a first look at co-op War Zones and the growing Helicarrier hub. They also got a first look at the game's main villain, George Tarleton, better known as MODOK (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing). It's a choice that some fans might not have expected, so in a special press roundtable, we had our chance to ask the Crystal Dynamics team... why MODOK?

Scot Amos, the Crystal Dynamics Head of Studio, was more than happy to discuss what made George Tarleton the ideal choice to oppose Earth's Mightiest Heroes. And the answer, coincidentally enough, comes from the inclusion of Kamala Khan.

It actually starts, interesting enough, with choosing our point-of-view hero, Kamala. Choosing that first and saying, "2014 is when Kamala really got her own series." And we said we wanted someone as a character who could synchronize with us as players. Somebody who's a fan of superheroes, particularly a fan of the Avengers. She writes her own fan fictions for Avengers. So we started thinking that this is a great way to synchronize players with a new hero and a fresh face, somebody that actually has to struggle with being a Pakistani-American, being a Muslim, and how to fit in. All of us can all relate to that. Having a relatable core hero that is new was the nexus for us. As soon as we did that, the idea of Terrigen and making her an Inhuman and the idea that that's the opening scene quickly led to, "What would be the opposite of somebody who loves superheroes? It would be somebody who wants to use science against superheroes."

That led us to Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM). AIM has a deep-rooted history in the comics. And if you go back far enough, you go back to when MODOK was introduced in Tales of Suspense and looking at what AIM and MODOK were about, they always started with this goal of scientists wanting to make the world a better place. You can think of many... how should we call them... "tech cult" companies around the Bay right now. We carry them in our pockets and we have them all over our house. So that was a cool idea that AIM at the beginning of our story was actually George Tarleton, as the head of AIM, in partnership with Tony Stark working on this Terrigen reactor saying, "Clean energy for the world! Make the world a better place!" So it starts with a noble goal, but that same event at the beginning, that A-Day event, that infects Kamala with Terrigen Mists that make her into an Inhuman also corrupts George Tarleton.

Kamala and MODOK look to be tied by more than their origins coming from A-Day. Amos adds that they'll operate with opposing philosophies, with Kamala looking to rally the heroes and show how much the world needs them, while Tarleton will operate on the idea that superheroes cannot be trusted. While Kamala wants to make the world better with superpowers, Tarleton wants to eradicate them and rely on science, seeing the two as incompatible.

But if we're looking at a more grounded story, one that looks to emphasize a more realistic-looking modern Avengers story, how does Crystal Dynamics rectify that with the very idea of MODOK? Anyone who has followed the comics knows that he's... a bit of a cartoon. So how does someone with such an outlandish appearance work in a more grounded reality? Marvel's Avengers Creative Director Shaun Escayg explains to Shacknews:

We'll learn more about MODOK, AIM, and their sinister plans in the months ahead. The Crystal Dynamics team noted that there will be more War Table streams coming soon. Shacknews will be sure to watch out for those and we'll be sure to report on any news that comes out of them. Marvel's Avengers will release on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia on September 4. It will also come to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X as soon as those consoles release.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?

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June 25, 2020 4:50 PM

Ozzie Mejia posted a new article, How Marvel's Avengers decided on MODOK as the game's main villain