When Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania opted for a digital release like that of Avatar: The Way of Water, it wasn’t too far-fetched to guess that the ongoing Jonathon Majors controversy was the reason. But even though the date of its release on Disney Plus has been finally unveiled — which is a big victory, as it one-ups an Oscar-winning film in the process — all it does is further highlight the dire state of the MCU and the fact that a future project has way, way too much on its shoulders.
It would be redundant to point out how much the franchise has been struggling to conjure even a sliver of the pre-Endgame trust the fandom had in its projects. The over-inflation of Phase Four, the initiation of mediocre superheroes, cliched plotlines, or debuting disappointing villains didn’t exactly help the Marvel universe, which was already up against itself after the exceptional success that was Phase Three and its conclusion.
Needless to say, the dent created by most of the recent shows and films — exclusively deepened by Thor: Love and Thunder and its make-your-ears-bleed dialogues — became a bottomless ravine thanks to Quantumania and every other new (and upcoming) drama that followed in its wake.
Even though it has already infected Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’s upcoming release — despite it being a James Gunn serving and following after the exceptional Holiday Special — the newly announced Disney Plus release date for Quantumania confirms how much MCU is already hinging on its success.
Quantumania was most probably delayed from joining the streamer in hopes that the Majors’ controversy would lose steam soon and when it does debut, it would join the list of Marvel misfires that received love once released on Disney Plus. But as the Majors’ disaster train continues picking up speed, the higher-ups seem to have pivoted their attention to GotG Vol. 3.
The third Ant-Man film is set to debut on the streamer this May 17, just days after the hopeful James Gunn “wonder” arrives in theaters. Now, it is expected to be as good as its predecessors — the films are not called the “mini-MCU” for nothing. But that is exactly the hope everyone had from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, and of course, Quantumania.
Many have claimed that the poor performance of Phase Four and Quantumania should be largely blamed on the skyrocketing expectations Endgame set for the MCU. Well, in that case, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to shoulder even more; it’s expected to be a box-office hit as it is made by Gunn, fans are demanding perfection from it as it is Gunn’s — and many Guardians’ — last Marvel film. And even the one-hour Holiday Special was great, so why shouldn’t this follow suit?
And now, it is expected to be so good that it either absolves Quantumania of all its sins, or makes the fandom forget the film and everything that came before it. Wow, that’s a lot. And seeing how “well” past projects have fared under the pressure… we just hope Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is braced for mighty impact when it lands in theaters this May 5.
