‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ director explains why Scott Lang was Kang’s perfect first foe

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania director Peyton Reed recently opened up about why he felt that Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man, was the perfect person to go against Kang the Conqueror. 

Lang, portrayed by Paul Rudd, encounters Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) when the superhero and his team get sucked into the Quantum Realm after his daughter Cassie Lang’s two-way radio malfunctions. Reed disclosed during a discussion with the Inside Total Film podcast that Lang was a great opponent for Kang the Conqueror because fans would see the Avenger as the last person to go up against the villain as compared to others his powers are limited by his suit. He is no Captain America who can do it all day and is not a God like Thor.

“We got excited about the idea of if you introduce Kang, one of the great Marvel villains, into the movies – who is going to be the first Avenger to go up against him? We liked the idea that Scott and Hope were the most unlikely Avengers to go up against him. On paper, it’s an incredibly lopsided encounter. There was dramatic tension in that from the get-go. I was like, ‘Well, how can that possibly work? How’s that going to be a challenge in any regard? What is the story going to be? We like that challenge and also the mystery of that.”

This is one of many times the dynamic between the two very different characters has been discussed. Last week, while at the film’s premiere, Rudd shared details of the “intense” scenes and what it was like having to fight Majors in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

 “It’s legit. It feels intense. He’s really a great actor, and throughout the entire film, it felt as if he was a formidable foe. He’s also getting ready to go do Creed so any time we’re doing any fight choreography or any of that…it was real. It was amazing.”

Since the premiere of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the movie has received conflicting reviews. At the time of writing, the film holds a low critics score of 48% on Rotten Tomatoes, but fans have stood up in its defense and called out the website for giving Ant-Man sequel a far lower score than it deserved. 

News outlets, including Variety, have reported during the preview screenings that the movie has generated $17.5 million domestically at the box office. As for international revenue, the film has grossed about $23.8 million. The final total for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s opening weekend has yet to be released. However, the publication claims that the movie could make $95 million to $100 million at the domestic box office. 

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is now playing in theaters.