This week’s Spider-Gwen Annual #1 features an unexpected twist on a familiar Marvel supervillain: M.O.D.O.K. as Donald Trump.
In a short story about an alternate universe Captain America, Samantha Wilson, the huge-headed M.O.D.O.K. is reimagined as M.O.D.A.A.K., standing for Mental Organism Designed As America’s King.
Just in case you don’t recognize him from the whisps of blond hair under his helmet, the comic includes a scene where he says he “Must make America—” before being cut off by Cap’s shield. (We all know that sentence ends with “… great again.”)
Spider-Gwen Annual #1
He even threatens to crush Cap with his “powerful hands,” an obvious dig at Trump’s real-life obsession with hand size.
The comic doesn’t mention Trump by name, but the allusion is blindingly obvious—and it’s not the first time Marvel has tied into this year’s presidential election. The limited series Vote Loki began this month, touting Loki as a presidential candidate, and both of the current Captain America comics are tackling political storylines at the moment—to mixed results.
Of course, the most explicit political Marvel art is still coming from fanartists, for the obvious reason that they’re less likely to get sued than high-profile comics publishers. Who could forget that vintage-style poster of Ms. Marvel punching Trump on the nose? A perfect companion piece to this comic.
