What Is The Super-Adaptoid From Hulu's MODOK?

Following "Avengers: Endgame," which brought all of the active Marvel Cinematic Universe properties at the time of its release to a unified endpoint of sorts, Marvel Studios has begun branching out in new and novel ways. "WandaVision" remains perhaps Marvel's most experimental work, centered around a story driven in part by parodies of sitcoms spanning a period of decades. "MODOK," which premiered on Hulu on May 21, is not an MCU series, despite the involvement of Marvel Studios (via Comic Book). That said, its premise is comparable to that of "WandaVision" in that it presents something not quite ever before seen in a filmed Marvel property, MCU canon or not.

"MODOK" is, first and foremost, a comedy. Its titular character is voiced by Patton Oswalt, and other featured vocal talents include fellow comedic performers Ben Schwartz, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Beck Bennett, and Sam Richardson. Though in many prior appearances, MODOK is a serious villain and a genuine threat to the Avengers, the Hulu TV series version of MODOK is firmly a comic figure. Anchoring the character to this new context is a family in New Jersey, given that a self-serious supervillain's family life is a ripe source of comedy.

Also functioning as a comedic foil of sorts to MODOK is a robot called the Super-Adaptoid, voiced by none other than prolific comedic performer Jon Daly. Just like MODOK, however, the Super-Adaptoid is a Marvel character with a long and not always comedic history that helps provide some insight into his new role in the "MODOK" TV series.

Historically, the Super-Adaptoid has been an extremely powerful adversary to Marvel's comic book superheroes. The character was artificially engineered to be able to mimic the powers of virtually any given hero (albeit while appearing in his signature green color). He's used that extreme adaptability to go up against entire superhero teams, including the X-Men and the Avengers.

The Disney XD TV series "Avengers Assemble" introduced a new, gray version of Super-Adaptoid, who is a minion of none other than MODOK. The Hulu "MODOK" series is retaining this bit of lore, with Jon Daly's Super-Adaptoid working as MODOK's servant of sorts and retaining his gray look. In-fiction, the Super-Adaptoid was created by AIM (Advanced Idea Mechanics), a company/evil organization run by MODOK that declares bankruptcy upon the series' opening.

As part of the shift of "MODOK" into a comedy series, its Super-Adaptoid no longer appears to be a powerful mimic but simply a bumbling android. That said, Super-Adaptoid may have simply not been given the proper chance to showcase his strength yet. Since the character is historically very powerful, the introduction of a strong and maybe even adversarial Super-Adaptoid could remain a plot possibility in subsequent seasons following the series' first.