‘M.O.D.O.K.’ Animated Series Cancelled; ‘Hit-Money’ Likely To Share Fate

The last vestiges of Marvel Television have seemingly been Blipped.

Deadline reports M.O.D.O.K. has been cancelled. The series stared Patton Oswalt as a version of the Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing trying to hold together A.I.M. and his suburban New Jersey family. Aimee Garcia, Ben Schwartz, Melissa Fumero, and Wendi McLendon-Covey also lent their voices to the program while Oswalt also served as an executive producer with Jordan Blum. Like most of the Marvel Television programs on Hulu, it failed to find an audience. In fact, the story of Marvel Television on Hulu is filled with almost-weres. Although Runaways pulled off a successful three-year run, other plans fell by the wayside and left the live-action Helstrom, M.O.D.O.K. and its fellow animated series Hit-Monkey as the only shows to come from much larger ambitions. Indeed, the latter two were supposed to join another proposed pair of animated series in a one-off special called The Offenders. Sadly, the will for such a thing evaporated in late 2019 as Marvel Studios took direct creative control of Marvel Television. We assume Helstrom, M.O.D.O.K. and Hit-Monkey only made it to air (er, stream) because they were too far along in production to nix.

And though Hit-Monkey has not been formally cancel as of press-time, Variety claims it is “not expected to return.”

If that proves to be the case, it represents the last chapter of Marvel Television, an off-shoot of Marvel Entertainment spearheaded by Jeph Loeb from 2010 to 2019. Originally meant as a broadcast and cable compliment to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the eventual programs featured far fewer crossovers than planned. Although it created its own crossover tale with The Defenders on Netflix, the proclamation that “it’s all connected” became less true when Marvel Studios escaped Marvel Entertainment’s control in 2015. Unable to rely on big name cameos, Marvel Television built its own roster of characters and stars Marvel Studios seems to be honoring now with cameos from Daredevil‘s Charlie Cox and others still within the spoiler zone. It also produced some fan favorite shows like Daredevil, Agent Carter, and S.H.I.E.L.D.

Now, with almost all of the characters free from their Marvel Television obligations, it remains to be seen someone like M.O.D.O.K. will make their way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.