Debate around the latest MCU release refuses to die down, despite the film’s generally lackluster status among most viewers.
Hopes for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania were high, particularly when fans discovered that the film would serve as both an introduction to the franchise’s next major villain, and as the beginning of Phase 5. When it actually hit theaters, however, many MCU fans found themselves disappointed by the film’s uneven pacing and lackluster final battle. It maintains as one of Marvel’s only “rotten” films on Rotten Tomatoes, despite a relatively generous audience score. Critics blast the release as lacking “the spark of fun that elevated earlier adventures,” but audiences are much more positive, praising the film as starting “Phase 5 of the MCU with a colorful, creative thrill ride that will leave you wanting to see much more of Jonathan Majors as Kang.”
Jonathan Majors has long been the standout element of Quantumania, thanks to a stellar performance as Kang, but it is the first part of this consensus that may surprise some. It also echoes the thoughts of a recent post to Reddit’s Marvel Studios sub, which predicts that “Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania will be remembered as a solid beginning of Phase 5.”
The body of the post digs deeper into user AgentC3’s thoughts on the early 2023 release. In general, they seem to think that more was going on in Quantumania‘s final moments than many viewers realized. They noted, leaning on the Kang War storyline in the 2016 Avengers run of comics, that Quantumania appears to incorporate a “time ripple” into its final moments.
“In the end, all of the changes signal that something isn’t quite right,” they continue, “and the post-credit scenes indicate that things are being messed with in the timeline.”
The timeline does appear to be a bit botched by the time Quantumania rolls to a close, and this would tie in well with Kang’s official introduction in Loki season one. Not everyone agrees that the film will eventually ascend to popularity, of course, as they made clear in the post’s comment section, but a few people are intrigued by the notion that we have yet to truly understand the film’s implications.
Soon, comparisons to other underrated MCU releases came pouring in, as fans compared Quantumania‘s initial response to those for Iron Man 2 and 3, Thor, and Avengers: Age of Ultron. As it turns out, quite a few Marvel releases have received lukewarm reception upon initial release, only to grow in popularity as accompanying films release and beef up their storylines and characters.
If all else fails, many fans believe that history won’t define Quantumania as a great release, but it will serve as an important Phase 5 entry. This distinction, between important and actually good, is vital here, as fans consider Quantumania‘s potential as a titular release, but still acknowledge its flaws.
Time may serve the third Ant-Man release well, but we won’t know until we’ve put some distance between ourselves and its release. The movie will likely arrive on Disney Plus around two months following its theatrical release, based on the streamer’s history with MCU films, which should see it hit the platform between April and May. Once fans have another opportunity to enjoy the film, perhaps it will get a better rap.
