7 MCU movies and TV shows you need to rewatch before ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’

The hype for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is bubbling up, as it is set to release on Feb. 17, 2023. The third installment of the Ant-Man franchise will be introducing Kang the Conqueror into the Marvel Cinematic Universe officially, after Jonathan Majors’ previous performance as He Who Remains.

Of course, Kang is not the only reason to be excited about Quantumania, with Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, Evangeline Lilly as Hope Van Dyne, Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne, and Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym all returning. Joining them will be newcomers Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang, William Jackson Harper as Quaz, and Bill Murray as Krylar. With Ant-Man understandably being one of the lesser franchises in the MCU, you might be after a refresher course in all things Ant-Man. So, let’s take a look at the seven MCU projects you need to watch before Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. 

Ant-Man

You will need to start your rewatch with the original Ant-Man, which was directed by Peyton Reed and released in 2015. The first film introduced the character of Scott Lang, and we see him go up against Corey Stoll as Darren Cross/Yellowjacket. Stoll will be returning in Quantumania but this time as M.O.D.O.K, as he was disfigured when Scott sent Cross into the Quantum Realm at the end of the movie. 

It’s important to remember where Scott’s story started, especially as the upcoming film will explore his relationship with his daughter, which was the driving force behind the first movie. That, and we see the beginning of his relationship with Hope as well. 

Captain America: Civil War

Ant-Man’s journey continues in the 2016 film Captain America: Civil War, which was directed by Joe and Anthony Russo. Scott Lang is only in the film for a brief period of time, but this is a must-watch because Civil War is the first time Scott turns into Giant-Man during the fight at the airport. And of course, you can’t forget the scene between Scott and Tony Stark toward the end of the movie. In addition to cementing itself as a great Captain America movie, Civil War also happens to be one of the best ensemble movies in the MCU. It introduces Tom Holland as Spider-Man as well as the Black Panther, and it is always entertaining, making the film worth the watch. 

Ant-Man and the Wasp

The second installment in the Ant-Man franchise, Ant-Man and the Wasp, might be the most important film to rewatch before you watch Quantumania. It fleshes out the concept of the Quantum Realm as the Ant-Man team attempts to rescue Janet Van Dyne. Also directed by Peyton Reed and released in 2018, Ant-Man and the Wasp introduces Jimmy Woo into the MCU, as played by Randall Park. The film manages to set up the next movie on our list quite nicely, as the post-credits scene sees most of the characters blipped by Thanos’s snap, with Scott trapped in the Quantum Realm. 

Avengers: Endgame

The other film on this list that was also directed by Joe and Anthony Russo is Avengers: Endgame. Endgame is the follow-up to Avengers: Infinity War and Scott Lang is directly involved with the plot of this movie. If he was not released from the Quantum Realm, the Avengers would never have gone on their time heist to snap back everybody that they had lost in the blip. However, Scott was trapped for five years, so he missed five years of his daughter’s life, which will directly tie into Quantumania. 

Even though it is not on the list and no Ant-Man characters appear in the film, it might still be worth watching Avengers: Infinity War as it does set up Endgame quite well. If you somehow have not watched Infinity War before, you should definitely watch it. But, if you are pressed for time and are rewatching all of these, feel free to skip Infinity War.

WandaVision

This might be the most surprising entry on the list, as Ant-Man does not make an appearance in WandaVision. But, the Disney Plus series, which was released in 2021, does feature Jimmy Woo, who makes direct references to his previous appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp as he perfected his magic trick. While some might consider him a side character, the upcoming film could reference his time in WandaVision, so you might want to consider rewatching the series before Quantumania. Of course, the show tells the story of Wanda Maximoff after she loses Vision in Avengers: Infinity War. It does not turn out so well for her in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but at least Jimmy Woo made it out of Westview.

Loki

The next Disney Plus series you will want to watch after WandaVision is 2021’s Loki. Again, the show does not follow any of the Ant-Man characters, but the events of Loki’s first season directly set up Kang the Conqueror in Quantumania. So, you will probably need to be caught up by the time you are introduced to Kang. If you haven’t seen it, the series follows Loki after the events of Avengers: Endgame, as he escaped the timeline during the time heist. 

But, if you do not have the time to rewatch the whole series, you could always just watch the last episode of the show’s first season, “For All Time. Always.” It is not recommended to just watch the last episode if you have not seen the show before, but it is the only one to feature He Who Remains, so you could get away with only watching it on a rewatch. 

Marvel’s What If…?

The only animated show on this list, Marvel’s What If…? was released in 2021, and it was mostly an anthology series presenting alternate takes on iconic Marvel events and storylines. However, you do not need to watch all of the episodes for Quantumania. You should probably watch the third and fifth episodes of the series, “What If… The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?” and “What If… Zombies?!”

“What If… The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?” sees Hank Pym hunt down the original Avengers for the death of his daughter, while “What If… Zombies?!” features an ensemble cast with both Ant-Man and the Wasp fighting zombified versions of your favorite Marvel characters. It probably won’t be referenced in Quantumania, but you can never be too careful. 

Have fun rewatching all these MCU projects before you go see Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. You can catch everything on this list on Disney Plus, making it your one destination for all things Ant-Man.

Catch Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania when it shrinks into theaters on Feb. 17, 2023.