Ant-Man star Michael Douglas reveals that the ever-growing cross-film narratives of the MCU sometimes perplex him.
Per Digital Spy, Douglas admits that he was not interested in comic books as a child and feels bewildered by Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) traversing storylines in multiple Marvel films. He explains:
“I didn’t have any idea about [the universe] and even now I still have to ask quietly because I don’t want to be an idiot. Now it’s getting very complicated because Kang, our ultimate villain in Ant-Man: Quantumania, is going to be in a lot of the different Marvel films.”
Douglas made his MCU as Dr. Hank Pym in the first Ant-Man film back in 2015 and its 2018 sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp. He is no stranger to franchise-hopping as he also appeared in Avengers: Endgame in 2019 and the Disney Plus animated series What If…? in 2021.
The Hollywood veteran admits that he made a concerted effort to adjust to some of the defining concepts of the MCU because he came to the franchise with little awareness of the storylines. Marvel Studios quickly brought the star up to speed. Douglas recalls receiving a collection of comics as part of his onboarding process to play earth’s Scientist Supreme.
His performance in the films is a testament to his formidable acting skills. Once Douglas’s orientation in the MCU was complete, he brought charm and depth to the role of the brilliant yet frenetic academic. Fans were delighted by his scene-stealing comedic timing in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
As Douglas has been acting since 1966, it’s refreshing to see that an accomplished actor of his stature remains curious and open-minded about their roles. Yet, Hank Pym’s character has existed even longer since his first appearance in Tales to Astonish in 1962 and has had so many different incarnations in the comic books as various superhero personas that it’s easy to understand why Douglas might find it a bit baffling.
