It’s been two years since fans have seen Scott Lang, better known as Ant-Man, in Avengers: Endgame and three years since a solo Ant-Man film was released. The thief turned superhero has been a wonderful comedic addition to the MCU and is set to have an even bigger role in the next saga of films and shows, making an appearance in a zombie-filled episode of What If…? and continuing in Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania.
Production began at the end of July 2021 in Buckinghamshire, England, and will continue in Atlanta and San Francisco, set to wrap sometime in 2022. While the third Ant-Man outing is two years away, there’s still some information for fans to hold onto while they wait. Here’s all we know about Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania so far.
The Minds Behind the Mayhem
Peyton Reed is back for the third time in the MCU to direct Quantumania. Before directing the two previous Ant-Man films, Reed directed cheerleading classic Bring It On and Jim Carrey-led Yes Man. Unlike its director, Quantumania’s writer is newer to Marvel. The film is screenwriter Jeff Loveness’ first dip into film after working in television for over a decade. Loveness recently won an Emmy for his work on Rick and Morty and has worked on the series for the past two years. A writer with some serious comedy chops means that fans won’t have to worry about Quantumania lacking the comedy from other Ant-Man films.
A Star-Studded Reunion
Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania will be bringing back almost the entirety of the cast from Ant-Man and the Wasp, including the more obvious return of Paul Rudd as Scott Lang and Evangeline Lily as Hope Pym. Both Pym parents will be coming back, Michael Douglas as Hank Pym and Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne, who will hopefully have a larger role this time around. The role of Cassie Lang will be played by Kathryn Newton instead of Abby Ryder Fortson or Emma Fuhrmann, who were in the previous Ant-Man films and Avengers: Endgame, respectively. The only other cast member confirmed is expected to change the MCU moving forward: Jonathan Majors.
The Villain Shaping Phase Four
The most exciting news around Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania isn’t its storyline or heroes, but its villain. Fans learned that Jonathan Majors was cast in a “lead role” for the film in September 2020, but the part remained unknown. Fans speculated that Majors’ role was that of Kang the Conqueror, a time-traveling villain in the original Marvel comics known for having multiple versions of himself.
The theory wasn’t confirmed until July 2021, when Majors appeared in the finale of Loki. Majors played an alternate version of Kang called He Who Remains, who only briefly mentions his title as “conqueror” and takes on the role of gatekeeper of the infamous multiverse as Loki and Sylvie reach the end of their journey. While Loki’s He Who Remains was rather calm in his demeanor, Majors was able to create a dark layer under the surface, something he’ll definitely need to bring to Kang in Quantumania. The biggest question remains, though — what version of Kang the Conqueror will audiences be seeing in Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania?
Speculation
Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania’s plot is being kept tight-lipped at the moment, but there are a few possibilities for its plot based on the actors returning and its place in the MCU’s lineup. As of right now, Quantumania is the only other MCU film that has Kang confirmed to make an appearance. It’s possible that the film could do what Guardians of the Galaxy did for Thanos, giving a fuller introduction of the villain that will be causing problems for Marvel’s next batch of heroes.
Michelle Pfeiffer’s return as Janet Van Dyne adds a few theories as well. Perhaps Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania will be exploring the Quantum Realm with Janet as their guide. After all, being trapped in it for 30 years makes her the resident expert of the dimension, even more than Hank Pym. With a title like Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, the film is sure to spend a lot of its time in the Quantum Realm, an area not fully explored by the two previous Ant-Man entries. Hopefully, audiences will get to learn more about the Quantum Realm and how it will be framed by the multiverse drama that began in Loki and will be expanded upon in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which will be released almost a year before Quantumania.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is currently scheduled to be released on February 17, 2023.