There are many different heroes and villains whose storylines make up the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One of the MCU’s smallest heroes is one who also has one of the shortest journeys so far, Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang aka Ant-Man. The character was introduced shortly after Avengers: Age of Ultron, and he was a part of the new wave of heroes that came after the original Avengers.
But with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania coming out, you might want a refresher on every movie that featured the buggy hero. So let’s take a look at how to watch every Marvel movie that Ant-Man appeared in.
Ant-Man
The first movie you will want to watch is 2015’s Ant-Man which was directed by Peyton Reed. This is the first film in the Ant-Man series and the 12th movie in the MCU overall. Ant-Man introduces all the main characters in the series, such as Scott Lang, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly).
We see Scott get released from prison and get ahold of the Ant-Man suit for the first time as Hope and Hank attempt to stop Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) from using Pym’s technology for profit. The movie sets up the next entry on this list by featuring a fight between Ant-Man and Falcon, as well as with its post-credits scene.
Captain America: Civil War
The second movie on your list is Captain America: Civil War. The first movie here not to be an Ant-Man film, Civil War was directed by Joe and Anthony Russo and was released in 2016. Baron Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl) plans to get rid of the Avengers who destroyed Sokovia in their fight with Ultron. He staged an attack on the United Nations, setting up Bucky Barnes in the process.
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) both assemble teams to fight each other to do decide whether or not the Sokovia Accords — documents limited the operation of the Avengers team — should be signed. At the same time, Rogers attempts to protect Bucky and take down Zemo. Ant-Man is on Captain America’s team and in the famous airport fight, he turns into Giant-Man for the first time. He also manages to get himself imprisoned, which leads to the events of our next entry.
Ant-Man and the Wasp
2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp is the next film to feature the pint-sized hero. It was also directed by Peyton Reed and it is the second movie in the Ant-Man franchise. The sequel follows Scott Lang as he has cut contact with Hank and Hope after being confined to house arrest due to the events of Captain America: Civil War. After Hope and Hank manage to open a tunnel to the Quantum Realm, Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) sends a message back, but through Scott, causing him to get involved with the crew once again.
The film also sees a new character Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), who is after the Quantum energy that Janet has. Instead of letting Ghost capture her energy, the team rescues Janet, promising to find another way to stabilize her, all while Scott manages to trick the FBI into thinking that he has been staying under house arrest. The post-credits scene sees Scott venture into the Quantum Realm with Janet, Hank, and Hope all waiting for him back on Earth until they disintegrate, leading to our next entry.
Avengers: Endgame
2019’s Avengers: Endgame is the follow-up to 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War. None of the Ant-Man-related heroes were in that movie due to the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp. Endgame was directed by Joe and Anthony Russo and it is the fourth installment in the Avengers franchise. Most of the film takes place five years after Thanos snapped in Infinity War, wiping away half the universe.
Luckily for Scott Lang, a rat ran across the controls for the Quantum Tunnel, activating it and freeing him. After what felt like a short period of time for him translated to five years back on Earth, he openly suggested that they use the technology to go back in time and undo the havoc Thanos had caused. His plan worked and everyone lost in the Blip was brought back, including Janet, Hope, and Hank. Unfortunately, he still lost five years of time he could have spent with his daughter Cassie, and wouldn’t you know it, that leads us to our next entry.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
The third film in the Ant-Man franchise is next on our list, with 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. It follows the events of Avengers: Endgame, seeing all our characters after the Blip. Unfortunately, all the characters from the franchise, including the new Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), get sucked into the Quantum Realm.
In the Quantum Realm, they find Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) and M.O.D.O.K. (Corey Stoll) who are the villains of this film. As Kang is the next major villain of the MCU, it’s unlikely that this movie will end up going as well as the other films in the Ant-Man series did.
Honorable Mention: What If…?
Because it’s an animated television series, you do not need to watch What If…? if you want Ant-Man’s full journey in the MCU, especially as it features different tales from across the multiverse. However, if you do want to see what the alternate Ant-Men are up to, you only need to pay attention to two episodes.
The first episode on the list is “What If… The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?” which sees Hank Pym as an evil Ant-Man hunting down the Avengers. While “What If… Zombies?!” sees Hope and Scott, among others, battle other Marvel characters who have turned into zombies. The first season was released in 2021, and a second season of the series is also in development. It is set to come to Disney Plus in 2023. It is unclear whether Ant-Man will be a character in the second season, but it’s likely that he will be.
So there you have it, that is every film you will need to watch to follow Ant-Man’s journey in the MCU. Keep in mind that all of these films (as well as What If…?) are available to watch on Disney Plus, alongside the rest of the franchise. You can catch Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania as it stomps into theaters on Feb. 17, 2023, and then on Disney Plus a few months after.