Patton Oswalt Reveals What It's Really Like Playing Marvel's MODOK - Exclusive

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By Xandra Harbet/Sept. 13, 2021 8:30 am EST

Patton Oswalt is a busy guy. Between playing Principal Durbin in "A.P. Bio" and diving into his villainous side in Marvel's "M.O.D.O.K," it's honestly a wonder how the actor has any free time for himself.

While these two shows couldn't be more different, though, Oswalt has noticed a similarity between the main characters of both series. "A.P. Bio" centers around a disgraced philosophy professor named Jack Griffin (Glen Howerton). Meanwhile, "M.O.D.O.K." features Oswalt's MODOK (aka, Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing), a brilliant yet narcissistic supervillain intent on world domination and revenge ... and, well, that certainly sounds familiar to anyone caught up on their "A.P. Bio" binge sessions.

During an exclusive interview with Looper for the new season 4 of "A.P. Bio," Oswalt dished on what it was like playing MODOK in the self-titled series. He also compared the dastardly villain to a certain beloved antihero from "A.P. Bio." Who knew the shows had so much in common?

Jack Griffin meets MODOK

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Patton Oswalt often plays fun, lovable, goofy characters like Durbin, but he took on a more villainous role in Marvel's "M.O.D.O.K." When asked what it was like voicing a Marvel villain — as opposed to playing a goofball like Durbin — Oswalt said, "Well, with MODOK, he's such a damaged character. Yes, he's villainous, but you can see his vulnerability in his private moments. He just won't admit to it."

Noting the similarities between his character and Howerton's, he added, "In a way, MODOK is a mutant hyped-up version of Jack, in that he's someone who is trying to hide the actual empathy and optimism that he has to for life under this shell. In MODOK's case, it's a literal shell of cynicism and aggression. It was just a mutant version of what we do with Jack Griffin on the show."

Just don't tell Jack, because he might not be so chill with being compared to an animated supervillain. Fans can check out the fourth season of "A.P. Bio" streaming on Peacock now.