As much as fans are excited for the incoming threequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is also getting the Marvel community kinda… well, antsy as there’s an ever-growing fear that Paul Rudd’s titular hero isn’t going to be making it out of this one alive. Not to diminish his prior accomplishments, but it’s fair to say that Kang the Conqueror, the Multiverse Saga’s big bad himself, is definitely the most fearsome opponent Scott Lang has faced across his MCU journey so far.
And that’s why everyone’s half-expecting his MCU journey to end here, something that Kang’s vicious threats in the latest Quantumania promo is doing nothing to quell. So let’s, just for the sake of argument, imagine that Scott does die in the new movie: who could take over from him as Ant-Man, either by taking on that name itself or by continuing his legacy as a similarly size-shifting hero? As much as we would miss Scott, there are a few characters who could take over the job…
Eric O’Grady
We’re including Eric O’Grady, the third individual to take on the mantle of Ant-Man after Pym and Lang in the comics, for the sake of completion, but honestly there doesn’t seem like much chance of Marvel bringing O’Grady into the MCU thanks to his reputation as one of the superhero universe’s skeeziest superheroes ever.
Like Lang, O’Grady is another former criminal who stole Pym’s shrinking suit, but unlike the loveable Scott he utilized its powers for much more selfish ends. Starring in his very own comic, suitably titled The Irredeemable Ant-Man, Eric proved himself to be a thoroughly unpleasant person. Most infamously, he used his Ant-Man abilities to spy on Carol Danvers in the shower. Yeah, hard pass, Marvel.
Clint Barton
Even before Jeremy Renner’s recent injury (which he’s thankfully recovering from), Clint Barton’s future in the MCU was in doubt due to the introduction of Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop as the franchise’s latest Hawkeye. He might not be needed as Earth-616’s primary archery-themed Avenger anymore, then, but the comics point to him taking on a surprise new alter ego instead.
That’s right, Clint used Pym Particles to become the giant-sized superhero Goliath for a time in Marvel Comics. Interestingly, he used this identity during the Kree/Skull War storyline. With the Skrulls set to cause trouble on screen very soon, what with both Secret Invasion and The Marvels, could we see Clint as Goliath over the next couple of years?
Tom Foster
The original Goliath, of course, has already been introduced into the MCU in the form of Bill Foster, as played by Laurence Fishburne, an old colleague of Hank Pym’s. Bill is probably too mature, then, to take over as Ant-Man if anything happened to Scott, but the potential there is for Marvel to keep it in the extended Ant-Man family by introducing Bill’s nephew, Tom.
Tom Foster is yet another individual to use the Goliath alias in the comics. Fueled by grief and anger over his uncle’s death, Tom would offer an interesting, dark spin on the mantle. What’s more, he was mentored in the comics by Black Panther, so there’s the potential to tie the Ant-Man world into the Wakanda corner of the MCU through him.
Nadia Van Dyne
Out of all the Ant-Man family characters yet to appear in the MCU, however, Nadia Pym/Van Dyne is the one Marvel needs to get around to the most. As Hank Pym’s other daughter from his first marriage, Nadia was raised in the Red Room (yes, the same one as Black Widow) before eventually reforming and becoming the Unstoppable Wasp.
Debuting in 2016, Nadia has been a huge hit with fans thanks to her being a positive depiction of a character who is both asexual and has bipolar disorder. The MCU has yet to introduce a hero who identifies with either of these communities, so that’s another reason Nadia would be an interesting addition, apart from being a fascinating, highly capable character in her own right.
Cassie Lang
Sometimes, though, you don’t need to overthink it, and in this case the best character to take up Scott Lang’s mantle should Kang get the better of him is staring us right in the face. Yes, it’s obviously Cassie Lang, Scott’s own daughter, who’s clearly set to step up in a big way in Quantumania.
With Cassie getting her own shrinking suit and journeying with her dad into the Quantum Realm, her heroing days are already upon us, meaning she’ll likely team up with the Young Avengers any day now. Fans are curious to know what her superhero name will be, however, given the various aliases she uses in the comics — e.g. Stature and Stinger. So what if she surprised us all and chose a moniker a little close to home: Ant-Woman?
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is coming to theaters on Feb. 17.
