The next installment in the Ant-Man series will mark the
beginning of Phase 5 of the MCU. As a result, it has some very big
shoes to fill. Here's what we know so far about this epic of miniature proportions.
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" closed out Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe,
and now, "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" will kick off Phase 5. However, it wasn't
always supposed to be this way. Originally, "The Marvels," the further adventures of Carol Danvers,
Kamala Khan, and Monica Rambeau, was set to take off on February 17, 2023,
while "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" would arrive on July 28 of that same year. However,
the third Ant-Man movie was further along in production, so it was decided to swap the two
films. Now, the threequel will hit theaters on February 17, 2023, where it will compete against
other 2023 movies such as "Cocaine Bear," "Knock at the Cabin," and "Magic Mike's Last Dance."
Everything's going pretty great for Scott Lang. In the aftermath of "Endgame" and his five years
stuck in the Quantum Realm, he's back with his daughter, Cassie, his partner, Hope,
and his mentor, Hank Pym. He's pretty famous now, showing up to red carpet
events and getting recognized on the streets. Everything seems golden until Cassie invents
a device that results in Scott and company getting sucked back into the Quantum Realm.
Now our heroes are stuck in this bizarre, microscopic world,
one populated by all sorts of strange characters and scruffy-looking riffraff. In addition to the
various creatures lurking about, there's also Kang the Conqueror, the dimension-hopping,
time-traveling dominator of worlds. Kang is reportedly stuck in the Quantum Realm,
and according to footage shown at D23, he needs Ant-Man to fetch something that was
stolen from him. Of course, if Scott helps, he'll unleash Kang's destruction upon the multiverse.
In addition to the conflict between Ant-Man and Kang, we also know the relationship between
Scott and Cassie will be an important part of the story. The director, Peyton Reed said,
However, that won't be the only interesting parent-child relationship at play,
as things will be strained between Hope and Janet van Dyne. Having
recently escaped the Quantum Realm, the elder Wasp is keeping a few secrets,
something Hope will find out the hard way. Speaking at CCXP, Evangeline Lilly explained,
Outside of the first real appearance of Kang the Conqueror, who first appeared as He Who Remains
in "Loki," the most important development in "Quantumania" is the appearance of Stature,
Cassie Lang's superhero alter ego. She's another piece in the Young Avengers puzzle that's been
developing since the start of Phase 4, with the inclusion of characters like Kid Loki,
Kate Bishop, America Chavez, and Billy and Tommy Maximoff.
We can also expect to see one of the strangest characters in all of Marvel. Footage at the 2022
San Diego Comic-Con confirmed that MODOK will be making his grand MCU appearance.
"And do you know what M.O.D.O.K. stands for?"
"Mental organism designed only…"
"...for killing."
In the comics, the character is a floating giant head with tiny limbs, which means that
he is packing around quite an impressive brain. We're not sure who's playing MODOK or what his
role in the story will be, some fans suspect it's Corey Stoll's Darren Cross after years of being
trapped in the Quantum Realm, but we can't wait to see what madness MODOK has in store.
We're also interested in digging deeper into the Quantum Realm. Talking to Entertainment Weekly,
director Peyton Reed said we've only scratched
the surface of the Quantum Realm thus far. He explained,
As you might expect, Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly are coming back to their respective
super-roles, Ant-Man and the Wasp. They'll be joined by Hollywood legends Michael Douglas as
Hank Pym and Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne. And while Cassie Lang will play an integral part
in the film, she'll be portrayed by a new actress. Emma Fuhrmann played an older Cassie in "Avengers:
Endgame," but here, she'll be portrayed by Kathryn Newton of "Freaky" and "Big Little Lies."
We can also expect to see several other "Ant-Man" stalwarts show up
on the big screen. Randall Park will work his magic as Agent Jimmy Woo,
and Gregg Turkington is coming back as Dale, the guy who fired Scott from Baskin Robbins.
Jonathan Majors of "Creed III" and "Lovecraft Country" will be playing the villainous Kang
the Conqueror, a bad guy with major implications for the rest of the MCU.
Perhaps the most interesting bit of casting is comedy legend,
Bill Murray. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, director Peyton Reed revealed,
Rounding out the cast, we know that William Jackson Harper of "The Good Place" will
show up in an undisclosed role, and if you're a fan of Tim Robinson's "I Think
You Should Leave," we've got some good news. Ruben Rabasa, the scene-stealing
character actor from Season 1's focus group sketch, will also appear in "Quantumania."
While some Marvel series see different creators come and go, there are also quite
a few heroes who've teamed up with a particular filmmaker and never looked back. For example,
there's James Gunn and the Guardians of the Galaxy, Jon Watts and Spider-Man,
Ryan Coogler and the Wakandans, and of course, Peyton Reed and Ant-Man.
Reed has directed both previous installments of the "Ant-Man" franchise, and now,
he's coming back to the Quantum Realm for Ant-Man's biggest adventure yet. Speaking
about the Scott Lang franchise, Reed told Entertainment Weekly,
Every so often, Kevin Feige and the folks at Marvel Studios will find a creative talent
and latch on hard. That's what they did with Jac Schaeffer and Michael Waldron. The same
seems to be true for Jeff Loveness, who's been handed not one but two massive jobs for Marvel.
Previously, Loveness was a scribe for "Rick and Morty," a show known for its dark humor,
multiverses, and time travel. With that background in sci-fi silliness, it's no wonder he was brought
on to pen "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." However, he's also been tapped to write "Avengers:
The Kang Dynasty," which is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and will hit theaters on May 2,
2025. Interestingly, there's a pretty obvious connection between the two projects:
the villainous warlord Kang, who will appear in both movies. It seems to imply
that "Quantumania" will be setting up some pretty big stakes for the rest of the MCU.
From She-Hulk smashing her way through court to Namor declaring war on Wakanda
to a werewolf running around causing chaos, there's a lot happening in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe. So where exactly does "Quantumania" fit in?
Well, the third installment of the "Ant-Man" series picks up after the end of the Infinity
Saga, but it's still grappling with everything that went down in Phase 3. In the previous
Ant-installment, "Ant-Man and the Wasp," Scott, Hope, and Hank learned that Janet van Dyne was
alive and trapped in the Quantum Realm, prompting the Ant-Family to visit the world between worlds
to pull her out. After a successful mission, it was Scott Lang's turn to get trapped inside,
thanks to Thanos getting his hands on the Infinity Stones in "Infinity War"
and snapping the rest of Scott's crew out of existence, leaving him stuck in limbo.
"Hello? Ha ha, very funny. Hank, quit screwing around. You told me yourself not to screw around."
After years trapped inside, Scott used his knowledge of the Quantum Realm in "Avengers:
Endgame" to help Earth's Mightiest Heroes harness the power of time travel,
allowing them to visit the past, retrieve the Infinity Stones,
and undo Thanos' murderous snap. Of course, during his time away, Cassie Lang grew up quite a bit,
meaning Scott found himself with a teenage daughter upon returning to the world.
However, the events of the "Ant-Man" series aren't the only ones critical to understanding
"Quantumania." As it turns out, the events of "Loki" are pretty important as well. In Season
1 of the Disney+ series, the god of mischief and Loki variant Sylvie plan on bringing down the Time
Variance Authority, the organization in charge of maintaining the Sacred Timeline. Their quest
eventually brings them to He Who Remains, a god-like figure who ended a multiversal
war waged by his variants by coalescing all the disparate timelines and worlds into one.
Unfortunately for the MCU, when an enraged Sylvie kills He Who Remains,
she disrupts the Sacred Timeline and allows for the arrival of his most dangerous variant:
Kang the Conqueror. With the villain set to appear in "Quantumania," "Loki" Season 2,
and "Avengers: Kang Dynasty," it seems like we have the next Thanos on our hands,
one who will make his first official appearance in "Ant-Man and the Wasp in Quantumania."
Set to a heightened, haunting version of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," the trailer for "Ant-Man and
the Wasp: Quantumania" finds Scott Lang living the good life. The ex-con is now a beloved celebrity
for defeating Thanos and restoring half the universe. But when his daughter, Cassie Lang,
invents a device that's like a satellite for the Quantum Realm, everything falls apart fast,
as Scott and his family are sucked into a bizarro world full of alien-like creatures,
strange plants, a micro-sized society, and brand new threats.
Janet van Dyne makes it clear that there is more to this place than one has suspected, complete
with dangerous secrets and foes. Those new dangers show up in the form of a sunglasses-wearing
Bill Murray and cold, calculating Kang the Conqueror, who wants something from Scott.
"I can get you home and give you more time if you help me."
The trailer is also filled with the standard "Ant-Man" series humor, such as someone
mistakenly identifying Scott Lang as Spider-Man and our boy being named Baskin Robbins' "employee
of the century." We also see a "Star Wars"-like collection of rogues and rascals patrolling the
Quantum Realm and hanging out at an otherworldly bar. Most importantly, we also get a glimpse of
Cassie Lang in her new super suit, implying she'll be taking on her comic book mantle of Stature.