Actress Aimee Garcia (TV’s Lucifer) has always been a big fan of Marvel movies, especially those led by everyday heroes. “I love their unique sensibility of not having all their heroes be these larger-than-life gods,” Garcia told Remezcla during a recent interview.
In her new Hulu animated series M.O.D.O.K., Garcia makes her debut in the Marvel Universe, not as a superhero, per se, but as a character whose job is just as important to the storyline as saving (or destroying) the galaxy. Garcia lends her voice to Jodie, a successful Latina mommy blogger and the wife of the series’ titular megalomaniacal supervillain who realizes she wants more out of life than spending it married to someone with such a negative outlook on the world. So, she asks for a divorce.
“[Jodie] is a relatable, everyday woman,” Garcia said. “She goes toe-to-toe with her supervillain husband. I love that she’s not your typical animated wife. She’s not like, ‘Yes, honey.’ She’s like, ‘No, I’m gonna go date Wonder Man who has amazing abs.’”
While M.O.D.O.K. is a weirdly funny stop-motion animated series in the same vein as something as silly as Robot Chicken, Garcia feels the show has some deeper themes, too, like identity and biculturalism.
“To have the opportunity to originate a Latina character in the Marvel Universe is like winning the golden ticket in Willy Wonka,” Garcia said. “I can’t believe I’m part of the cannon now.”
Being Latina, Garcia said, has always been an “asset” for her throughout her entire 25-year career. Now, she’s taking aim and creating her own content in the industry. This includes co-writing films like the sequel to 47 Ronin, which includes a Latina co-lead, and developing a new Latina DC Comics character who will debut in comic-book form in August.
“I don’t want to wait around,” Garcia said. “I want to create heroes and protagonists for the generation after me because I didn’t have those characters as a kid. I just need to roll up my sleeves and do it myself. It’s like, ‘We wanna save the world, too!’”
M.O.D.O.K. premieres on Hulu May 21.