WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for MODOK: Head Games #4 by Jordan Blum, Patton Oswalt, Scott Hepburn, Carlos Lopez, and VC's Travis Lanham, on sale now.
As one of the strangest villains in the entire Marvel Universe, MODOK has lived through his fair share of even stranger events. Most recently, the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing has been experiencing vivid hallucinations and heartfelt memories of a life and a family that he has never known. These fugue states have given his detractors the perfect chance to oust him from his former position at A.I.M. and forced him to seek out help from heroes he would normally kill on sight, but it has all ultimately driven him to the truth. Unfortunately, what MODOK uncovers is nothing he could have anticipated, and nothing he would have ever asked for.
MODOK has crossed continents and back in his search for the truth about his memories, and it has all led him to a quaint little suburb where he finds the home he remembers but has never actually seen. There he discovers his father, Alvin Tarleton, the first A.I.M. agent and the man responsible for everything that has happened to him. Alvin explains that MODOK is in need of repair, and with a few words he unlocks MODOK's mind, unleashing every memory buried deep down inside. Not only was MODOK the victim of his father's cruel experiments, but the family he recalls so vividly is revealed to have been nothing more than a computer program created by Alvin to keep his son satisfied and sedated.
Somehow, MODOK's mind manifested the J-O-D-1-E program as his wife, Jodie, with whom he had a loving home and family. Now that all of that has been taken away from him, MODOK can refocus on his true passion - revenge. Alvin and his army of Super Adaptoids are able to bring MODOK in for "repairs," but even they aren't able to keep him down for long.
After ending his father's life in brutal fashion, MODOK takes control of the Super-Adaptoids that Alvin created. With the incredibly powerful shape-shifting robots at his disposal, MODOK returns to A.I.M. headquarters to reclaim his rightful place as the head of the organization, bringing his new "family" along with for the ride.
MODOK has never been one for compromise, and that hasn't changed with the latest revelations surrounding his origin. Dedicated not only to global domination but to having a life that never really existed, MODOK has reprogrammed the Super Adaptoids to become the family from his memories. They're right by his side as he launches his assault on those that had ousted him from his former position, and presumably they'll continue to be there for whatever comes next.
Whether or not this newly created family is anything like the family expected to appear in MODOK's upcoming Hulu series, this still marks a big change for the Marvel's oddest villain brought about in the wake of one of his biggest tragedies.
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