Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a 2023 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Scott Lang / Ant-Man and Hope Pym / Wasp. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel to Ant-Man (2015) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) and the 31st film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It was directed by Peyton Reed, written by Jeff Loveness, and stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang and Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne, alongside Jonathan Majors, Kathryn Newton, David Dastmalchian, Katy O'Brian, William Jackson Harper, Bill Murray, Michelle Pfeiffer, Corey Stoll, and Michael Douglas. In the film, Lang and Van Dyne and their family are transported to the Quantum Realm to face Kang the Conqueror (Majors).

## Plot

Scott Lang has become a successful author and has been living happily with his girlfriend Hope van Dyne. Lang's daughter Cassie has become an activist that results in her getting arrested and Lang having to bail her out. While visiting Hope's parents, Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, Cassie reveals that she has been working on a device that can make contact with the Quantum Realm. Upon learning of this, Janet panics and tries to shut off the device, but the message is received, resulting in a portal opening and pulling the five of them into the Quantum Realm. The Langs are found by natives of the land who are rebelling against their ruler, while Hope, Janet, and Hank must make their way through a sprawling city to get answers.

Hope, Janet and Hank meet with Lord Kryler, a former ally of Janet's, who reveals that things have changed since she left and that he is now working for Kang. The three are forced to flee and steal his ship. The Langs are told by the rebels' leader Jentorra that Janet, who had previously been to the Quantum Realm, is indirectly responsible for Kang's uprising, having helped rebuild his Multiversal Power Core after he was "exiled" before enlarging it beyond use, resulting in Kang taking over the Quantum Realm. The rebels soon come under attack by Kang's forces, who send his robotic henchman led by M.O.D.O.K., who is revealed to be Darren Cross, having survived his apparent death at Lang's hands.

The Langs are taken to Kang, who demands that Lang help get his power core back or else he will kill Cassie. Lang is taken to the site and shrinks down, nearly losing his mind in the process, but the timely arrival of Hope results in the two of them acquiring the power core. However, Kang reneges on the deal, capturing Janet and destroying her ship with Hank on it. Hank is rescued by his ants, who were also pulled into the Quantum Realm, rapidly evolved, and became hyper-intelligent. He helps Lang and Hope as they make their way to Kang. Cassie, still imprisoned, rescues Jentorra, and they commence the uprising against Kang and his army. During the fight, Cassie manages to appeal Cross's better judgement and he helps fight Kang, at the cost of his life.

Janet fixes the power core as she, Hank, Hope, and Cassie jump through, but Kang attacks Lang, nearly beating him into submission. Hope returns as she and Lang destroy the power core and knock Kang into it, causing him to be pulled into oblivion. Cassie reopens the portal on her end for Lang and Hope to return home. As Lang happily resumes his life, he begins to rethink what Kang told him about Kang's death being the start of something terrible happening, but nonchalantly puts it aside.

Elsewhere, numerous Kang variants commiserate over the death of one of their own and plan their multiversal uprising. In a post-credits scene, Loki and Mobius M. Mobius spot another Kang variant named Victor Timely in the 1920s.

## Cast

* Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man
* Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne/Wasp
* Jonathan Majors as Nathaniel Richards/Kang the Conqueror / Nathaniel Richards/Rama-Tut / Nathaniel Richards/Immortus / Nathaniel Richards/Scarlet Centurion / Nathaniel Richards/Victor Timely
* Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne
* Michael Douglas as Doctor Hank Pym
* Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang/Stature
* David Dastmalchian as Veb
* William Jackson Harper as Quaz
* Katy M. O'Brian as Jentorra
* Bill Murray as Lord Krylar
* Randall Park as Agent Jimmy Woo
* Corey Stoll as Darren Cross/M.O.D.O.K.
* Joshua Collins as Derrick
* Gregg Turkington as Dale
* Ruben Rabasa as Ruben
* Tom Hiddleston as Loki
* Owen Wilson as Mobius M. Mobius

## Future

In June 2015, Reed proposed a prequel film focused on a younger version of Hank Pym, an idea that Douglas expressed interest in by June 2018. In February 2023, Douglas said he would be interested in returning for a fourth film if Pym died in it, while Broussard said that he had started to discuss a potential fourth film with Feige and Reed.

## Trivia

* This is the thirty first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
* This is the first film of Phase Five.
* This is the live action debut of Kang the Conqueror and M.O.D.O.K.
* This is the second lowest rated MCU film on Rotten Tomatoes after Eternals.
* The second trilogy in the MCU to have the same director for all three films following the Spider-Man trilogy directed by Jon Watts.
* Emma Fuhrmann played the now teenage Cassie Lang in Avengers: Endgame (2019) but the role has been recast with Kathryn Newton. Fuhrmann claimed on Twitter that she learned about being replaced when Disney released details of the film at their Investor Day in December 2020, and that while she was saddened, she was still grateful to have been a part of the MCU.
* Evangeline Lilly had her first Wasp costume fitting almost three weeks before she read the script.
* This film, Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) and The Marvels (2023) were filmed the same time with Thor: Love and Thunder filmed in Sydney, Australia, The Marvels filmed in Jersey City, New Jersey, Los Angeles and Buckinghamshire, England and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania filmed in Atlanta, Georgia, Turkey and London, England.
* It Was announced to be called "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" on 10 December 2020 on Disney Investor's Day.
* This is Bill Murray's third comic-book role. He had previously voiced Johnny Storm/The Human Torch in a 1975 radio show adapting the early issues of "The Fantastic Four", and later on would voice Garfield in Garfield (2004) and Garfield 2 (2006).
* Murray had also played Clark Kent/Superman in Saturday Night Live: Margot Kidder/The Chieftains (1979), though that was a sketch and so an unofficial role. That sketch also featured Garrett Morris (who cameo-ed as a cab driver in Ant-Man (2015)) as Ant-Man.
* Scriptwriter Jeff Loveness based the dynamic between the fathers and daughters in the film on the father-daughter films Father of the Bride (1991) and Hook (1991).