Ant-Man And The Wasp
First up is Ant-Man And The Wasp – due for release on July 6th. This is a movie that needs to achieve three things. Firstly, the film has to be a clear sequel to 2015’s Ant-Man – which means it has to take those characters that were introduced in that story, and significantly progress them within an entirely new tale, featuring villains who are new to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Secondly, it has to provide some indication as to why the characters of Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne did not appear in Infinity War. Thirdly, it needs to elevate a brand new superhero, Wasp, in a compelling and effective way.
The little we know of the movie ahead of its release would seem to indicate that the writing team of Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Paul Rudd, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari have been working hard to achieve those three things – and likewise, returning director Peyton Reed. The film is set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and those of Infinity War – which apparently means that Ant-Man And The Wasp finds Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) under house arrest, while trying to be a parent to his daughter, something which progresses the central part of his storyline from the first movie.
This element of house arrest will also undoubtedly add to the overall connective tissue between Civil War and Infinity War – in much the same way that Thor: Ragnarok did in November 2017 – but it’ll be the new set of villains introduced that draws the titular heroes out. Hannah John-Kamen will take on the role Ghost – who was originally male in the comic book source material, but is a woman here as the filmmakers felt that the gender was irrelevant to the execution of the character.
It’s the presence of the character of Janet Van Dyne – played by Michelle Pfeiffer – coupled with dialogue from the trailer, that indicates the general thrust of the plot, however. In Ant-Man, we saw Scott Lang head into the Quantum Realm and return successfully, in order to prevent villain Yellowjacket from endangering his daughter. We also learned that Hope Van Dyne lost her mother, Janet, when she became trapped in the Quantum Realm decades earlier. It would seem, then, that the mission for Scott Lang and the newly be-suited Hope is to deal with the aftermath of “opening up the Quantum Realm” – having presumably contributed to the scourge of Ghost – while also finding Janet and bringing her home.
