Ant-Man and the Wasp gave fans another look at the size-changing shenanigans of Paul Rudd's
Ant-Man and added in more characters, more action, and equal billing for Evangeline Lilly's
Wasp.
As you might expect for a movie about characters that shrink down to micro-size, there were
some very small details that you might have missed.
From a reference to an obscure comic character to a classic sci-fi movie shout out, here
are even smaller details you may have missed in Ant-Man and the Wasp.
"Here's the deal.
Just give me the facts."
"Just the facts.
Only the facts."
"Breathe.
Focus.
Keep it simple."
"No doubt, no doubt."
X-Con Security solutions
The plot of Ant-Man and the Wasp is focused on saving Janet Van Dyne from the Quantum
Realm, but we also see what Scott's been doing since the last film.
He's started a small business with Luis and company: X-Con, a security consulting service.
It's a reference straight from 2015's Ant-Man comic series, in which Scott Lang starts a
security consulting service: "Ant-Man Security Solutions."
The biggest difference besides the names is that the comics version features the Grizzly,
a giant bear-man ex-supervillain, as his business partner-slash-employee.
Here's hoping that this particular detail somehow makes it into the next Ant-Man movie
as well.
"I wish I had a suit.
Even with like minimal powers."
"Or maybe even just a suit with no powers."
Who wouldn't want to see Michael Peña suit up in a giant bear costume on the big screen?
Eye see what you did there
Early in the film, Scott builds an obstacle course for his daughter out of cardboard.
That bit of father-daughter bonding might be adorable, but it also hides a reference
to one of Marvel's strangest villains: the Orb.
In order to crack the "retinal scanner" that Scott has assembled, Cassie has to put on
a giant eyeball mask, which looks suspiciously similar to the Orb, a Marvel supervillain
whose head is a giant eyeball.
While it seems like a bit of a stretch, the Orb actually became a pretty major player
in the last decade of Marvel Comics.
In 2014's Original Sin storyline, he successfully steals an eye from the cosmic deity, the Watcher,
forces dozens of heroes to confront long-buried secrets, and even becomes a pseudo-Watcher
himself.
Is Cassie's mask a hint that there's another enemy for the Avengers to fight after Thanos
is taken care of?
We'll have to keep our eyes peeled.
Magic man
Scott's struggle to keep Cassie entertained while he's under house arrest involves more
than just building giant cardboard obstacle courses: he also becomes an expert at sleight
of hand thanks to an online magic course.
It's no wonder that Scott becomes pretty good at magic, since his online teacher is actually
played by an expert magician: Blake Vogt.
"Watch, ready?"
Vogt has made a name for himself as a magic consultant on movies like Now You See Me,
and he contributes his expertise to Ant-Man and the Wasp as well.
He even cameos as Scott's online teacher, briefly visible while Scott, and later FBI
agent Jimmy Woo, are learning close-up magic.
You know what this means, don't you?
Now Dr. Strange isn't the only magic user in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"So, Earth has, uh, wizards now?"
Really small details
While size-changing was a big part of the original Ant-Man, the sequel makes the Pym
Particles an even bigger part of the story.
Hank Pym has a laboratory that shrinks down into a piece of luggage, complete with a handle
and wheels for maximum convenience.
The Quantum Tunnel that they construct to save Janet from the Quantum Realm is a fun
mix of low and high-tech, combining intricate computer parts with small items enlarged to
match.
"I like the idea that Hank Pym is not Tony Stark.
It's not super sleek high tech.
It's sort of glued together, and he uses a lot of found objects."
Keep your eyes peeled in the movie for giant volume knobs that help calibrate Janet's location,
giant bread clips holding wires together, and plenty of other enlarged household objects
used for the Quantum Tunnel.
It might be true that one man's trash is another man's treasure, but it's probably a bit more
convenient when that trash is expanded to giant size.
The Matrix
Laurence Fishburne is an accomplished actor who's appeared in dozens of movies, and, well,
this…
"Ooooweeee!"
...but he's arguably best-known for playing Morpheus, the mysterious leader of the freedom
fighters in The Matrix.
Fishburne's Bill Foster doesn't share too many qualities with the martial arts master
Morpheus, but Ant-Man and the Wasp still has a small reference to Fishburne's most famous
role.
When Scott, Hank, and Hope go to convince Bill to help them track down Pym's stolen
technology, Bill is teaching a class on quantum entanglement, and the blackboard behind him
is covered with mathematical equations.
One equation right next to Bill's head in the shot even includes the word "Matrix."
As Keanu Reeves' Neo would say:
"Woah."
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