The Marvel Cinematic Universe is set to begin Phase Five with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and the hype is definitely not microscopic. This film will follow Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne as they and the latter’s parents, Hank and Janet, explore the mysteries of the Quantum Realm.
Marvel Studios has yet to release a trailer for the film online, but they did give people a glimpse of one at the recent Disney D23 Expo. The footage reveals quite a lot about what the film is about, as well as the place audiences will find the characters in. For those who didn’t get to see the trailer at D23, here’s a breakdown of what everyone has learned about Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania so far.
Scott’s a celebrity
Though Avengers: Endgame showed that Scott wasn’t as popular as the Hulk, it looks like Ant-Man has grown into a fully-fledged celebrity since he helped save the universe. His character has appeared in Rogers the Musical, he’s been named Baskin Robbins’ Employee of the Century, and he even has his own audiobook, which is aptly titled, Look Out for the Little Guy.
After spending a lot of time being branded a criminal, it’s nice to see Scott have his image changed and receive the recognition he deserves as a hero. But, hopefully, Scott won’t let all this fame go to his head, as he’ll have plenty more on his plate to deal with.
Cassie’s a criminal
According to Collider, Scott’s daughter Cassie has followed in his footsteps by getting arrested, forcing the former to bail her out. However, she also reveals that she has been working with Hank and Janet, as she developed quite an interest in the Quantum Realm since Thanos’s Snap. So much so that she will even don her own Ant-Man suit, allowing her to fight alongside her father in his next thrilling adventure.
Cassie was revealed to have grown into a teenager in Endgame, as Scott returned from the Quantum Realm five years after the Snap. Though she was last portrayed by Emma Fuhrmann, Cassie will now be played by Kathryn Newton, who is known for starring in Freaky, Big Little Lies, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Into the Quantum Realm
In the film’s trailer, Cassie reveals that she invented a device that can transmit signals into the Quantum Realm. But everything changes once the machine picks up a signal from inside the other dimension. Before anyone can turn it off, something causes the device to suck Scott, Hope, Cassie, Hank, and Janet into the Quantum Realm.
As a result, Scott’s goal in this film will likely be to get him and his loved ones out of the Quantum Realm. Their journey might not end the way they hope it will, as Scott once found himself on Earth five years in the future after being stuck in this strange world for just five hours. Unless he and his team find themselves in a more stable environment, they could all end up back on Earth in another terrible future, especially when acknowledging this guy:
Kang the Conqueror
This time-traveling tyrant is set up to be the next big bad of the MCU. A variant of Kang known as He Who Remains first appeared in Loki, revealing himself as the tyrannical leader of the Time Variance Authority. The latter created the TVA to keep the “Sacred Timeline” from branching into new realities, thereby preventing evil variants of himself from appearing and causing another Multiversal War. But once Sylvie murdered He Who Remains, the timeline unraveled into an infinite number of universes, leading to Kang’s return.
According to Screen Rant, Scott encounters Kang in the new trailer for Quantumania. But though he learns Scott is an Avenger, Kang remains unfazed and asks, “Have I killed you before?” Based on this line, it’s likely that Kang has faced a variant of Scott or the Avengers in at least one other universe, cementing him as a formidable adversary of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Despite this, Kang actually demands that Scott use his skills as a thief to retrieve something that was stolen from him, setting up an interesting relationship between them both.
MODOK will appear
Known as “Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing,” MODOK has long been one of Marvel’s strangest but strongest supervillains. Due to his giant, mutated head, MODOK is forced to use his Doomsday Chair to get around. However, it also gives him a frighteningly high intellect that has allowed him to create many advanced weapons, making him a force to be reckoned with.
Though he is usually associated with the evil organization A.I.M. (which appeared in Iron Man 3), MODOK’s presence in the film implies that Marvel has taken creative liberties to make him more connected to Kang in the MCU. Perhaps he will be the stolen possession that Kang wants Scott to retrieve.
Bill Murray will play a villain
Don’t expect too many laughs coming from him in this film. Legendary actor/comedian Bill Murray will join Quantumania as a villain whose identity is currently unknown. What is known, at least according to GamesRadar+, is that Murray’s character appears in the Quantum Realm during the film’s trailer as the ruler of a strange city who knows Janet, most likely from her decades-long stay in that dimension.
Jimmy Woo will return
This FBI agent was a welcome addition to the MCU, particularly due to Randall Park’s hilarious interpretation of him. Since Woo was Scott’s parole officer in his last film, it’s not surprising that he’ll return in Ant-Man’s next big blockbuster.
However, Woo is seen in the film’s trailer having coffee with Scott, indicating that the two of them are now friends. Though he may not have as big a role in this movie as he did in the previous one, it’s still a treat to see Woo and Scott on good terms.
Who helms this heist?
Peyton Reed, who directed the first two Ant-Man films, will return to helm Scott Lang’s third solo outing. This makes Reed one of three directors to have an entire trilogy of films in the MCU, the other two being Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Homecoming and its two sequels) and James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy).
The script to Quantumania will be written by Jeff Loveness, who previously wrote for Rick and Morty and is currently set to write Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Based on the former show, Loveness has enough experience writing about the multiverse to pen Scott’s latest dimension-hopping adventure.
The film is linked to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
Ever since Avengers: The Kang Dynasty was announced, fans have been dying to see the titular conqueror wreak havoc on the multiverse. Fortunately for them, Marvel CEO Kevin Feige stated at the Disney D23 Expo that this film is “a direct line into Phase 5 and Kang Dynasty.”
Chances are that Ant-Man’s experience with Kang will affect the latter’s ongoing war with the multiverse, which could make the former essential to defeating him just like how he helped the Avengers undo Thanos’s Snap in Endgame. But only time will tell.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will premiere in theaters on February 17, 2023.
