Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania isn’t just the first Phase Five movie of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. It isn’t just the first time we get to see Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) on the big screen. It isn’t just the first time we get to spend substantial time exploring the quantum realm and meeting its interesting inhabitants. No, above and beyond all that, it is also the first time the world at large gets to meet Katy O’Brian, the actress who plays Jentorra of the Freedom Fighters.
O’Brian, 34, is an American actress and martial artist who’s been steadily climbing the ladder for the last decade, appearing in a smattering of popular TV shows since 2017. Making her big screen debut in Quantumania, O’Brian starred as the comic book character Jentorra, the leader of a group of displaced rebels known as the Freedom Fighters. According to her comic origins, Jentorra is a magic-wielding sorceress with blood relations to The Hulk’s love interest Jarella.
As for O’Brian, well, she kicks just as much butt as her comic book alter ego, at least according to her Instagram. As a matter of fact, kicking butt and playing villainous henchwomen has become a well-fitted glove for her, dating all the way back to her time on Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Who is Katy O’Brian and where have we seen her before?
Quantumania may be O’Brian’s most prominent motion picture role to date, but it’s by no means her first significant one. Her past projects include stints on popular TV shows such as ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder, AMC’s The Walking Dead, and HBO’s Westworld. She also played Georgia (“George”) St. Clair in season five of Syfy’s Z Nation, as well as Major Sara Grey in The CW’s Black Lightning.
In fact, superhero projects have become something of a staple for O’Brian ever since Black Lightning. In 2020, she dipped her toes in Marvel’s waters for the first time as the character Kimball in ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.; Kimball was one of Nathaniel Malick’s (Thomas E. Sullivan) crew members. Due to its relatively small size, the roll wasn’t big enough to exclude O’Brian from starring in future Marvel projects (thankfully). However, it’s unlikely to happen again given Jentorra is a much more significant role than her former Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. character.
Furthermore, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn’t even O’Brian’s first foray with Marvel or Disney. The actress also played Moff Gideon’s Comms Officer in season two of The Mandalorian. The role was small but resulted in several crucial scenes throughout the season.
O’Brian’s career has seen a steady upward trajectory in the last five years, so there’s no question that starring as Jentorra in Quantumania will further her chances to be seen by the public eye. After all, superhero projects are one thing but breaking into a pivotal MCU movie like Quantumania is another matter entirely. By our estimate, there’s nowhere but up from here.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania premiers in theaters on Friday, Feb. 17.
