While Doctor Strange took us to some very, well, strange places, it was actually Ant-Man which first explored a different side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. When Scott Lang shrunk down in order to stop Yellowjacket, he was transported to the Quantum Realm, the same place it’s thought Janet Van Dyne is trapped.
In Doctor Strange, the titular hero was sent into multiple realms by The Ancient One, and if at least one of those looked familiar, it’s because you’ve seen it before. Scott Derrickson’s film is now available on Digital HD, and in his Director’s Commentary, he confirmed that the movie did indeed pay a brief visit to Ant-Man‘s Quantum Realm.
“This image here is obviously a nod to Ant-Man and the Quantum Realm, acknowledging that as one of the mysterious realms of existence.”
It’s widely believed that we’ll return there in Ant-Man and The Wasp when Scott and Hope team up to try and find her mother. The original Wasp has been trapped there ever since shrinking down to disarm a bomb which would have led to multiple casualties, so what her role will be in the MCU upon her return is obviously hard to predict.
However, you have to believe that it’s possible we’ll see Ant-Man turn to the Sorcerer Supreme for help. We already know that he’s going to be dishing out advice to the God of Thunder in Thor: Ragnarok, so the mystical hero making his presence felt here before the inevitable Doctor Strange sequel is released definitely makes a whole lot of sense, right?