On February 17, ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ will be released in theaters, a film that, while closing a trilogy, opens the doors of Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A great privilege and responsibility for Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), characters who debuted in the UCM 8 years ago in ‘Ant-Man’.
In an interview with Empire Magazine, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige explained why Ant-Man is the one chosen to kick off the new phase of the UCM: “We wanted to start Phase 5 with Ant-Man because he’s earned that spot. Of not just being the backup or the comic resource, but to take his position at the forefront of the UCM.” This frontline importance Feige mentions is something comic book readers have similarly missed in the film adaptations, as Ant-Man is one of the original and founding members of The Avengers in the comics. Barring some key revelation about quantum travel, Paul Rudd’s character’s journey through the UCM hasn’t had much of an impact on the central trunk of the franchise, something that looks set to change with the release of ‘Quantumania’.
Feige and company are so clear that Ant-Man has earned the opportunity to open Phase 5 that, in addition, he will do so by facing Kang The Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), a villain of such magnitude that he will be the main antagonist of the Avengers in the next film that brings together these characters: ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’. That is, the events in which Ant-Man is involved are key to the future of the UCM.
In the same interview with Empire Magazine, the director of ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’, Peyton Reed, has compared the difficulty faced by Scott Lang in this film with the other two installments of the trilogy: “We’re no longer running through the streets of San Francisco. We’re fighting one of the most powerful villains in Marvel history and maybe these are the least expected Avengers to be the first to take him on.” For his part, ‘Ant-Man 3’ screenwriter Jeff Loveness reaffirms Reed’s words about the sheer scale of the villain by referring to him as a challenge worthy of a story where all the Avengers come together: “The first conversation we had was, ‘What if Ant-Man is accidentally alone in an Avengers movie?'”