Is the Ant-Man skull in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Scott Lang’s or Hank Pym’s?

The challenge of adapting comics is the number of characters to draw from. The character of Ant-Man features one of these challenges.

For a long time, Hank Pym was the one and only Ant-Man in Marvel comic continuity. He and Janet took on the mantle of the insect-related superheroes and had a fine time doing it. Scott Lang was only added later. While Hank’s (Michael Douglas) contribution to the Ant-Man mythos is acknowledged in the Marvel films, there is no denying that Paul Rudd in the role of Scott is the main draw of the films. His humor and unlikely heroism make him one of the most enjoyable characters in the franchise. But this switcheroo adds fuel to the fire of the questions prevalent in another Marvel entity. 

Deadpool & Wolverine unites the Merc With the Mouth (Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) at last in a multiverse-heavy film. The Deadpool franchise has always pushed the envelope with its content, so it’s anyone’s guess who the man behind the Ant-Man of the film will be.

Who is Ant-Man in Deadpool 3?

The trailer for Deadpool 3 has such sensory overload that there are many blink-and-you-’ll-miss-it moments. Many old-school Marvel villains, such as Pyro (Aaron Stanford) and Azazel (Jason Flemyng), appear in quick flashes in the trailer. But more prevalent is the giant Ant-Man skull being used as a hide-out. The trailer doesn’t indicate the identity of this dead Ant-Man, but as luck would have it, Deadpool 3 released more footage that hinted at the sad demise of our favorite six-legged superhero. A new clip posted on X (formerly Twitter) gives some context to the giant head as Deadpool offers a quippy line of dialogue.

“Huh, Paul Rudd finally aged,” Deadpool comments about the skull. This quick line plays on Rudd’s reputation as an ageless immortal and also has the benefit of revealing which Ant-Man is in question. Despite exploring the multiverse, Deadpool 3 does not appear to use Hank as the prime Ant-Man. Unfortunately for Scott Lang fans, he apparently does not survive in whatever timeline Deadpool is traversing in the ambitious film.

But that doesn’t exactly make Ant-Man dead in the water. At least, not forever. If Logan can return after his definitive death in his titular 2017 film, there is still hope for Rudd’s Ant-Man. Who knows exactly what timeline that skull is from? And after all, the entirety of Deadpool 2 changed after Wade time-traveled to save Vanessa (Morena Baccarin). That’s how that works in the MCU, right? Fans will have to wait to see what rules Deadpool follows and breaks when the film premieres in theaters on July 26.