During the social media event, Lilly also compared the version of Hope Van Dyne that featured in the original Edgar Wright Ant-Man script to the version seen in the finished Peyton Reed film.
“She became a little more relatable and a little less like an original, 1960s comic book character. I loved both versions, but the version we settled with fit better in the Marvelverse. I’d still love to do Edgar Wright’s version, too.”
This suggests that Edgar Wright’s script and characters were much closer to the source material than the finished film, and this is important to consider because, although the film as a whole is well-made and enjoyable, the female characters – specifically Hope Van Dyne – are its biggest problem. Yes, she is a capable woman – skilled at business, espionage, martial arts and exerting mind control over insects – but she allows herself to be oppressed. In at least three scenes, she begins to forcefully and clearly argue with her father that she should be the one to don the Ant-Man suit and head into battle – only for him to essentially bark at her, and cause her to fall silent. While this may be intended as a hint at the domestic abuse storyline contained in Hank Pym’s comic book arc, that does not detract from the ramifications of that action on this version of Hope Van Dyne.
Instead of going ahead anyway, she concedes defeat, and defers to her father’s wishes. There is even a scene in which Scott Lang (Rudd) takes a moment to carefully explain to her why her father wants him in the suit instead of her. Clearly, in the source material, Hope Van Dyne does not become Ant-Man, but she doesn’t become The Wasp either. Technically, she becomes Red Queen – and she also has a twin brother, named Henry Pym Jr., with whom she creates the supervillain team The Revengers. Though it is not necessarily a bad thing, it is clear that any argument about being faithful to the comic books does not apply here.
In the context of Hank Pym repeatedly silencing his daughter, the post-credits scene rings very hollow. There is vast build-up to the moment where Hank Pym finally grants his daughter’s wish, basically telling her she gets to be a superhero and, as the audience, we are supposed to be as excited as she is. But the fact remains that this film’s version of Hope Van Dyne is a grown woman who waits for permission from an old white man to follow her dreams. As a message to young female Marvel fans, you really don’t get more supportive of patriarchy than that.
So, what have we gleaned from this snippet of information from Evangeline Lilly? Marvel clearly has an Ant-Man sequel in mind – even though it has yet to be confirmed – as well as a future arc for the character of The Wasp. We know that the character will be fantastically capable, but we also know that, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she will exist solely to support the narrative of male characters. That’s because, right now, that’s how the Marvel Cinematic Universe works, and when we finally see Marvel projects that are led by characters that are not white men, we will be expected to respond as if they have reinvented the wheel, instead of slow-clapping a Hollywood studio finally reflecting humanity.
