At a time when seemingly every television network and streaming service has several superhero shows airing, it takes something special to stand out from the pack. Hulu did just that with M.O.D.O.K. thanks to the stop-motion animation and comedic elements of the plot.
The show takes a major Marvel villain but uses the fact that he looks kind of goofy to turn this into a comedy. While the title character is funny on his own, almost everyone seen in the series brings the laughs in one way or another. There are funny characters who are weird, annoying, inept, and almost everything else you can think of.
Wonder Man
There's a wide array of supporting characters in this series who only show up in a handful of episodes. Wonder Man (Nathan Fillion) is one of them but he's more prominent to the story because of what his relationship with Jodie means. At first, he just seems like the guy in the way of M.O.D.O.K. and Jodie getting back together.
However, he becomes sympathetic when it's seen that Jodie is using him to further her celebrity. Wonder Man doesn't get a ton of chances to be funny but his back and forth with M.O.D.O.K. is great. They both say vicious things to each other while faking a friendship for the cameras.
Jodie Ramirez-Tarleton
The whole concept of Jodie Ramirez-Tarleton (Aimee Garcia) as a character is that she's not really there to be hilarious. As the matriarch of the show's core family, Jodie is the one to play straight and kind of reel in her husband and children when they're being ridiculous.
She does get a few moments to shine as you can see how she enjoys the antics of her family even if she has to calm them down. Her stint as a celebrity led her to do some mean things but a few were pretty funny. Another highlight of her comedy came when she was trapped with her kids and they bickered.
Monica Rappaccini
Monica Rappaccini (Wendi McLendon-Covey) is the main antagonist of M.O.D.O.K. at work. She believes she's smarter than him and better as a scientist, so they're constantly going at it for supremacy. At first glance, she's not an inherently hilarious character.
However, Monica is pretty funny through her sadistic mindset. She is shown to be an overbearing and poor mother but her frantic attitude of paranoia regarding M.O.D.O.K. made those moments comical. Monica also gets funny moments when she questions everything around her at A.I.M.
Melissa Tarleton
One of the funniest things about the show is how M.O.D.O.K. and his daughter are giant heads in floating chairs and nobody acts like that's out of the ordinary. Melissa Tarleton (Melissa Fumero) takes after her dad in more than appearance, also proving to be cunning at every turn.
Her typical teenage complaints are expected in a TV show but Melissa's delivery of it all feels like it's meant to play on how absurd these characters can be. Though funny in how they argue, Melissa's best moments are emotional as she attempts to bond with her father.
Iron Man
Jon Hamm has a habit of randomly showing up in TV shows when viewers least expect it. Think back to his hilarious cameo on Parks and Recreation or the throwaway security guard he voiced in Invincible. So, hearing that he voiced Tony Stark/Iron Man in this series wasn't a total surprise.
It was a great bit of casting though. Hamm perfectly nails the smug nature of the character and the way that he feels M.O.D.O.K. is beneath him. M.O.D.O.K. considers Iron Man his greatest foe but he's barely on Stark's radar, making for a fun dynamic.
Super-Adaptoid
Poor Super-Adaptoid (Jon Daly). He's seemingly the show's most tragic character as he devotes himself to the family but is constantly dissed and talked down to by M.O.D.O.K. His plucky attitude through it all leads to plenty of hilarious scenes and lines.
Super-Adaptoid can change his body into any shape, leading to his funniest moment as a car who uses his own sounds for the radio. There's also a classic moment where, after turning on M.O.D.O.K. and his family, he is reset and immediately is given a reason to want to betray them again.
Austin Van Der Sleet
Similar to Melissa, Austin Van Der Sleet (Beck Bennett) is a character who is meant to exaggerate on a stereotype. He's the young rich guy who ends up as the boss at A.I.M. and wants to implement all sorts of new ideas to improve the business that the old workers don't grasp.
What really makes Austin so funny is how over the top he is as Bennett does excellent work in bringing that to life. He's also a joy in how he seems to truly want to be M.O.D.O.K.'s friend even if he's working for the villain. That earnestness makes fans laugh at most of what he says.
M.O.D.O.K.
The titular character is immediately enjoyable due to how delusional he is. M.O.D.O.K. (Patton Oswalt) believes that he's on the verge of world domination except everyone around him doesn't feel nearly the same way. They see him as something of a joke, setting up the premise of the show.
It's funny to watch M.O.D.O.K. fail at almost everything he attempts. He's prone to not listen to people, ignoring advice and doing his own thing, even when it leads to disastrous results. The time traveling version of M.O.D.O.K. from the past is also someone who brings the laughs.
Gary Garoldson
Sometimes, a character doesn't need to be a main part of the show to steal every scene they're in. That's the case with Garfield "Gary" Garoldson (Sam Richardson). He starts the show as a random henchman working at A.I.M. but becomes a bigger player once he loses his arm.
From that point on, Gary works closely with M.O.D.O.K. and is loyal to him but like Super-Adaptoid, doesn't always get rewarded for his efforts. He's also someone who remains optimistic despite this and while it's a somewhat repetitive trope in this show, Gary does it best.
Lou Tarleton
Unlike his sister Melissa, Louis "Lou" Tarleton (Ben Schwartz) takes after his mother in terms of appearance. He is easily the funniest character on the show thanks to how little he cares about what others think. Lou is unabashedly himself, no matter how weird he is.
From trying to put on a standup special at his Bar Mitzvah to his constant use of magic, Lou does things that most people would consider odd but he's endearing with it. Lou doesn't even become too much when there are two of him around and he never stops making the audience smile.