Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania is the 31st movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not only will it make Kang the Conqueror (played by Jonathan Majors) a major villain for the MCU, but it will also introduce a new actress for Cassie Lang in Kathryn Newton. Newton takes over the role from Emma Fuhrman in Avengers: Endgame and Abby Ryder Fortson in the previous Ant-Man movies. With Cassie Lang having a more significant role in this MCU installment, there is a lot fans could learn about her from the comics.
Though Cassie is often thought of as a relatively new comic book character, she has been in Marvel Comics for over 40 years. She just happened to make her comic book debut in a similar way to the MCU - as a nine-year-old. Cassie Lang has grown up to be a Marvel hero in the years since, belonging to multiple superhero teams, and that could be her future in the MCU as well.
Cassie Lang First Appears In Marvel Comics In 1979
Cassie Lang makes her comic book debut in 1979 in a book called Marvel Premiere, the same one to feature Scott Lang’s debut. Marvel Premiere is a unique concept for a comic book because it’s often used to introduce new characters to comic book readers. Many heroes and villains debut in Marvel Premiere to see how the audience reacts to them before they become part of an ongoing series.
Cassie is a creation of comic book heavyweights David Michelinie and John Byrne. Michelinie is credited with the creation of more than 500 comic book characters, including Ant-Man’s villain Darren Cross and the symbiote Carnage. Byrne is best known for his work on X-Men and Fantastic Four among Marvel fans, but his prolific career also involved a lot of work on DC Comic books as well.
Cassie’s first appearance in Marvel Comics demonstrates that she’s a Spider-Man fan and that she has a heart condition that informs a lot of her early appearances in the comics. Contrary to the MCU, Scott Lang’s criminal activity in the comics is done to save Cassie’s life. He rescues a doctor (after stealing the Ant-Man suit and Pym particles) who could help prolong her life.
Cassie Lang Gains Powers From Pym Particles
In the MCU, the members of the Ant-Man team don costumes powered by Hank Pym’s technology to achieve their various superpowers. While that is true to a degree in the comics as well, that’s not always the case. Cassie’s ability to grow or shrink isn’t initially from the technology of a suit. Instead, it’s from her use of just Pym particles.
Cassie spends a lot of her childhood living in the headquarters of the Avengers after Scott is welcomed onto the team. She has access to the entire mansion, and all the equipment they experiment with. Cassie decides to experiment with Pym particles herself, exposing herself to them regularly, hoping to become a hero like her father. That does eventually pay off.
So much exposure to Pym particles without the aid of any protective gear means that Cassie eventually has the abilities of those particles within her. Her power is even tied to her emotional state. When Cassie gets angry or especially passionate, she grows. When Cassie is embarrassed or guilty, she shrinks. She has to learn to control her abilities.
Cassie Lang Is A Member Of The Young Avengers
While Cassie and her father have allied with various heroes over their time in Marvel Comics, the team Cassie Lang is most often associated with is the Young Avengers. The Young Avengers are initially formed when a teenage version of Kang the Conqueror tries to prevent the future timeline that turns him into a villain. Cassie isn't initially asked to join. Cassie and Kate Bishop, who become friends, attempt to join the team but are initially refused. It’s only after proving themselves in a fight that they’re invited on.
In addition to Cassie and Kate, the team also includes the sons of Wanda Maximoff's Scarlet Witch, Kid Loki, and America Chavez, all characters that have already appeared in the MCU.
Cassie Lang Has Two Superhero Names
A lot of comic book characters who become heroes or villains try out more than one codename. Hank Pym’s Ant-Man is also known as Giant Man for a while when he can’t shrink back to normal size, for example. Cassie Lang has seen people call her things like Ant-Girl and Giant Girl in reference to her own size-changing abilities, but there are only officially two code names in Marvel Comics for Cassie Lang.
She’s initially known as Stature thanks to her ability to grow to a giant size. That particular code name makes its debut in an issue of Young Avengers in 2005. Eleven years later in an issue of Astonishing Ant-Man, Cassie debuts a name change. She goes by Stinger, and has a more insect-inspired costume, much like her father. That particular costume has wings on it, much like Wasp’s in the MCU, and a helmet that allows her to talk to insects.
Cassie Lang Has Battled Kang The Conqueror And Doctor Doom
Since the Young Avengers are formed by a time-displaced version of a teenage Kang - real name, Nathaniel Richards - Cassie has a connection to Kang the Conqueror from the moment she takes on a codename and becomes a superhero as a teenager. She even has a crush on the teenage Nathaniel, who goes by the codename Iron Lad when they team up. Their comic book history could come into play on the big screen as Kang appears in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Cassie, however, also has a connection to another villain that could be appearing in the MCU shortly. Cassie and her team have gone up against Doctor Doom in the comics on more than one occasion. She even sacrifices herself to stop him when he attempts to steal the Scarlet Witch’s reality-warping abilities, though her death is short-lived, as many comic book deaths are. Doctor Doom will likely be joining the MCU soon as there is a Fantastic Four movie on the way, and he is the superhero team’s primary villain.
MCU fans can see just how close Cassie Lang is to her comic book counterpart in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, in theaters. Other Ant-Man titles are available to stream on Disney+.