MODOK's Aimee Garcia on Upcoming Hulu Series, Collecting Lunchboxes, and More

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Marvel's MODOK has yet to hit Hulu, and it's already earning rave reviews from critics. The animated series features Patton Oswalt as the titular supervillain, and he's supported by the likes of Melissa Fumero and Ben Schwartz, the voices behind his children Melissa and Lou. Then there's Aimee Garcia, who voices MODOK's wife Jodie. As you can tell from the teaser trailers released for the show, Jodie wants more than what MODOK's giving, and the two start the series off by going their separate ways.

Garcia tells us that's one of the aspects of the show that attracted her to the property in the first place, the fact a big-time Marvel supervillain has been reduced down to something incredibly human.

"Yes, he wants to destroy the world and he can't because his torture chambers are now yoga studios. But I just think it's so funny that he is just so determined. I mean, you can kick him down, and he will float back up. He is persistent. He is unapologetic and he is committed," the actor says.

She adds, "And I feel like those qualities to me are so funny and endearing and I have never seen a superhero treated like a washed-up celebrity or seen a superhero take out the garbage, or pay taxes or you know, deal with rats in his apartment. So I think only Patton Oswald can make an antihero super villain likable with just his voice. I'm just so glad to be a part of it."

Keep scrolling to see our full chat!

Lunchbox Collection

ComicBook.com: Aimee, thanks for joining me. How are you?

Aimee Garcia: I'm great. Thank you. How are you?

Keeping busy, you know. Hopefully all is well out that way. The world seems to be equaling itself out, kind of.

I know, right? I know. I'm so bummed, because I usually have my like, lunchboxes and dolls and stuff behind me, but I'm not at home. So I'm jealous of your background. I'm like, "Oh man."

You're a lunchbox collector, are you?

Yeah. Rando.

I think Dave Bautista collects lunch boxes too. Doesn't he?

Oh, does he? Oh yes, you're right. He does. He totally does. Yes. It's hard to find them in mint condition especially with the thermos inside.

This totally off-topic, what's your favorite lunchbox?

Oh, I'd have to go Snoopy.

Yeah?

Or like an old 19...like...58, like Snoopy Lunchbox. Pretty good mint condition, but anywho. Yeah, I'm good.

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MODOK

Let's talk M.O.D.O.K. Let's start at the beginning. Everyone knows Marvel's this massive machine of secrecy and stuff. You get the call. How's your first call go? Do you know one, you're in talks for M.O.D.O.K.?

Okay, so I tried out for M.O.D.O.K. when I was at the airport. I did not think I was gonna get it. It was so loud. I was literally about to fly home Chicago and I was like, "Okay, well. Hi, I'm Aimee Garcia. I'm here for Jodie," and just did it. Then I got the call from Jordan and I was so excited because it felt so cool to originate a Latina character in the Marvel universe. It just felt like the golden ticket.

I mean, it's like working for the CIA. You need to give, I think, three different forms of verified identification to even get your script. And you know, everything is... I feel like I'm a secret agent. I definitely do not print out my scripts because I had someone actually break into my car because I had a Dexter script, so I learned my lesson. I don't even print out scripts and you know? I don't want to get like beamed down by Iron Man or anything, so I try to just walk the line and you know, only look at my scripts on my computer before they combust.

You mentioned Iron Man. M.O.D.O.K.'s certainly not Iron Man, and he's not Captain America. He's this big ol' floating head. What's your initial reaction to a character like that?

Underdog. I think he's great because he is so earnest and so committed and so delusional that it's endearing. I mean, he is such an egomaniac even though he's floating around in a hoverchair and has the tiniest arms and legs and the biggest head. Like, if he can be confident, why can't we? Right? So I feel like he's a very inspirational character to me.

Yes, he wants to destroy the world and he can't because his torture chambers are now yoga studios. But I just think it's so funny that he is just so determined. I mean, you can kick him down, and he will float back up. He is persistent. He is unapologetic and he is committed. And I feel like those qualities to me are so funny and endearing and I have never seen a superhero treated like a washed-up celebrity or seen a superhero take out the garbage, or pay taxes or you know, deal with rats in his apartment. So I think only Patton Oswald can make an antihero super villain likable with just his voice. I'm just so glad to be a part of it.

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Original Characters

Jodie's original to the show. You know, like we just said, Iron Man, Captain America, and all of those characters have decades of source material to pull from. Is that something you find more freeing or challenging? Because on one hand, you have the freedom to do whatever the heck you want with the character, but then you don't have the references and stuff. How did you approach that?

Freedom. It's great. Because as you know, comic book fans are fervent and luckily I've been you know, between the comics I wrote with AJ and the genre shows I've played, the fans have been very supportive and embracive. But I love it cause I'm like, "Well, I'm originating the character, so there's no one that can be like, 'That's not right.'"

Right.

Which I know happens, so I loved it. I'm so grateful that Jordan has officially, you know, Jordan and Patton have officially put her in there, and how fun. I mean, you have a bionic dysfunctional family that has a Latina character and a Jewish character and this unlikely couple of, you know, a feisty Latina and then an evil destroyer of the world together but it kind of works, and they're sweet.

You know, he might kill people so that she can get to the front of the line but it's like kind of romantic, I guess? 'Cause he's building a time portal so that she can go back to their first date. I mean, the whole thing is just so absurd and bizarre but somehow I feel like, it's just a show about a grounded dysfunctional family in this world of chaotic galactic warfare.

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The Boys

And that's the perfect description. That's exactly it. You mentioned Dexter earlier, then there's M.O.D.O.K. Of course there's Lucifer and I think you had a stint on Supernatural at one point.

Mm-hmm.

So you've had your fair share of genre franchises. Come Hell or high water, what's that one thing you gotta be in before you leave the world? What's your bucket list franchise?

The Boys.

The Boys. I think that's my bucket list franchise and I'm not even an actor.

Well, you and me both. Let's try to make it happen, Adam.

*****

All 10 episodes of MODOK hit Hulu on May 21st. If you haven't signed up for Hulu yet you can try it out here.

What other Marvel characters would you like to see get an animated series? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter to chat all things MCU!

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Cover photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

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