Marvel Studios projects for its Phase Four of the MCU are in full swing. As the universe expands into a multiverse, fans are looking forward to the third installment of the Ant-Man films. With how pivotal the second film’s conclusion was to the events of Avengers: Endgame, could the new sequel live up to the legacy, especially with the setup provided in the Disney+ exclusive series Loki and the introduction of Kang the Conqueror. What can fans expect from the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film that involves the Quantum Realms? Read on for more.
Director Peyton Reed wraps up filming
Filming for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania began in July of this year, and it has officially concluded this past week. As director Peyton Reed notes on the Twitter post:
(Art by Mark James Hiblin) pic.twitter.com/wgPcewSakx — Peyton Reed (@MrPeytonReed) November 23, 2021 The tweet also includes artwork by Mark James Hiblin. It appears to be concept art, with the close-up image of Scott Lang’s Ant-Man helmet. Meanwhile, Hope Van Dyne’s Wasp rides on his head. It is unclear if this is going to be a scene in the film or that this is actually Scott in his Giant Man form. Although the Wasp has her wings deployed (which is usually only visible at her smaller size), the upgraded version in the comics has displayed being able to user her wings at normal size. Given how sequels often add and reveal new abilities to its protagonists to emphasize the higher stakes involved, this is a distinct possibility. The tweet appropriately bookends an earlier post by director Reed which announced the first day of filming:
— Peyton Reed (@MrPeytonReed) July 26, 2021
Still a long way to go
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania may have concluded its principal photography, there is still a lot of work to be done. CGI and VFX work will be the most intensive part, along with the editing and sound design. It is interesting to note that not much of the plot and story of the film has been leaked. Thus far, the only plot elements revealed have been the inclusion of Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang and Jonathan Majors playing the main villain of the film as Kang the Conqueror. Newton replaces Emma Fuhrmann, who played the role in Avengers: Endgame (2019), after Fuhrmann also replaced Abby Ryder Forston who was in Ant-Man (2015) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018). Fans have speculated that Cassie will be taking on the role of Stature and Stinger in the film. If this is accurate, it may also lead to the rumored Young Avengers. With Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) already established thanks to the Disney+ show Hawkeye, the Maximoff twins introduced in WandaVision, and Eli Bradley from The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, there is a likelihood of that happening. The other major detail about Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania so far confirmed is that it will further explore the Quantum Realms. The vast subatomic landscape and potential of the Quantum Realm was introduced in the first Ant-Man film and further touched on in the sequels, as well as Doctor Strange (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Loki. In fact, the time travel element that the Quantum Realm facilitated was further expanded in Loki’s interactions with the Time Variance Authority (TVA). Interestingly, the leaked photo showing the alternate title design for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania alludes to this:
[Via: johanssoncomer ~ Twitter] pic.twitter.com/D66IT5FHGt — Ant-Man News 🐜 (@AntManNews) October 25, 2021 The finale of Loki revealed Jonathan Majors as the One Who Remains, a more benevolent variant of Kang. But after he was slain by Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), the Sacred Timeline was altered. Now, the Conqueror version of Kang has taken over the TVA, as shown in the final minutes of the Loki’s first season climax. Given how big and important Kang the Conqueror has been established as, how would the conflict against Ant-Man and the Wasp be resolved? Could Quantumania include other established MCU superheroes or introduce unexplored ones? After all, that seems to be the trend with the MCU projects, with the way Eternals introduced Star Fox, Pip the Troll, and the Black Knight. Still, the security against leaked content related to this Phase Four film is surprisingly tight. The lack of leaked details has even been poked fun on by the film’s own writer Jeff Loveness. After the film was pushed back 5 months from its initial February 17, 2023 target, Loveness shared a rather off-the-wall leak of the script:
— Jeff Loveness (@JeffLoveness) October 18, 2021 Of course, this is just a joke. But who knows? Perhaps there is a hidden message in this humorous jab. And with Bill Murray attached to the film in an undisclosed role, we can expect more hijinks to ensue. Directed by Peyton Reed, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will star Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/Ant-Man), Evangeline Lilly (Hope Van Dyne/The Wasp), Michael Douglas (Hank Pym), Michelle Pfeiffer (Janet Van Dyne), Kathryn Newton (Cassie Lang), Jonathan Majors (Kang the Conqueror), and Bill Murray. The film is set for theatrical release on July 28, 2023.
