‘Ant-Man 3’ director explains what sets Cassie Lang apart from other MCU heroes

Ant-Man’s Cassie Lang has come a long way since fans were introduced to the character many years ago.

Director Peyton Reed of the film’s third installment, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, made it a pivotal point to showcase how much Cassie, the daughter of Scott Lang (Ant-Man) and his ex-wife Maggie, has evolved in the franchise. During a recent interview with Screen Rant, Reed opened up about the changes Cassie went through as a teen and a new superhero during Scott’s five-year absence after he got stuck in the quantum realm following the Blip. 

Reed told the publication on Feb. 11 that because Cassie didn’t have Scott in her life for so long, she developed her own thoughts and ideas surrounding the world’s “injustices” and chose the ones she wanted to solve. The 58-year-old said,

“Cassie Lang, as we’ve seen in all the Ant-Man movies, is Scott Lang’s number one priority in life. He wants to be a good dad. In this movie, she’s 18 as a result of what happened in Endgame. Scott’s kind of still relating to her as a little girl, but she’s a young woman now. And as a young woman, she has her own ideas of what it’s like to be a hero, or what injustices in the world might need dealing with; her methods might be different than her dad’s.”

Later, Reed disclosed what made Cassie different from other Marvel superheroes. The filmmaker claimed it was because the teenager was entering a field that her family was a part of, and she also had guidance from numerous people. He stated,

“She’s also at an age where she’s critical of her dad, but I think what sets her apart is that it’s a family business. She’s got Scott and Hope as a template, and she’s got Janet and Hank as a template. And she happens to be embedded with a handful of genius, Quantum scientists and a couple who synthesized the original Pym particle. But she’s just trying to figure it out, man. She’s just trying to figure out how to be a good citizen of the world and what that means.”

The buzz surrounding Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania began after its trailer was released last year.

The film follows Scott and Cassie Lang, Hope Van Dyne (Wasp), and her parents, Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, as they travel through the Quantum Realm. The group was accidentally placed in the Quantum realm after Cassie’s attempt to help others by using two-way radio backfires. It stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathryn Newton, Jonathan Majors, among others.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will premiere in theaters on Feb. 17.