In terms of both budget, box office and the stature of the title hero, the Ant-Man franchise has never really been regarded as one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most integral standalone properties.
That isn’t a dig at the adventures of Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang by any stretch of the imagination; Peyton Reed’s breezy heist capers have told relatively self-contained stories that aren’t interested in the magical, mystical or extraterrestrial side of the mythology, focusing on straightforward adventures powered by a strong cast bouncing off each other in suitably playful fashion.
However, that’s all set to change in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, with Jonathan Majors debuting as Kang the Conqueror after making his first appearance in Loki‘s Season 1 finale as variant He Who Remains. In an interview with Lights, Camera, Barstool, Evangeline Lilly teased that the third installment is going to tie closer to the rest of the MCU than ever before.
“Ant-Man, the brand, always existed somewhat outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s mythology, you know, machine. So, we had a lot of freedom to come and go as we pleased. And like make stories that are standalone little pieces, sweet family pieces. Definitely, the breadth of this one is grander and I am excited about it.”
That’s to be expected given that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania features the MCU’s next Thanos-level threat and the big bad of Phase Four, and some fans will think it’s about time Scott and Hope Van Dyne were given something more substantial to deal with than saving rogue Pym tech from falling into the wrong hands for the third time.
