Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the latest installment in the MCU and the newest Ant-Man film to hit the big screen on February 17, 2023. The Lang/van Dyne/Pym family is back with Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne, Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang, Michelle Pfeifer as Janet van Dyne, and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym.
It’s still a family affair as Director Peyton Reed said in the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Press Conference. He describes it as a generational thing. After all, Hope is the daughter of two super heroes, but Scott “is not a billionaire or super scientist or anything,” and he gets sucked into this world, but now he wants family time with Cassie.
That’s why I think Ant-Man is a favorite Avenger, because he’s so relatable. He’s an Avenger, but he wants that work-life balance. And that’s something that if you’re a parent, is always a struggle. In Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the whole family goes to the Quantum Realm, and we learn that Janet had some secrets.
But Reed also mentioned that the family has to “work out these family dynamics while being in this bizarro, wacked-out world.” And trust me, the Quantum Realm is so bizarre, but also beautiful, with creatures and life galore down there. Producer Kevin Feige said the Quantum Realm has “parallels to the Wizard of Oz a lot in terms of taking and meeting a family down there.”
There are also mean guys, big ‘ol baddies. Enter Jonathan Majors as Kang who killed it.
Who is Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania?
When Moderator Randall Park (yes, Agent Woo, I know, hilarious) asked Majors to explain his character and variants, he answered, “Who is Kang? I think that is a question that we will all be answering for a very long time.”
The quick answer is Kang is a time-traveling super villain. Majors continues, “He’s also a Nexus being which leads to this idea of variants. There’s multiple versions of Kang. Versions being variants. They occupy different universes, multi-verses; they have different intentions. They are all different beings, and yet something that we’re still (and I’m still working on) and continue to refine and refine and refine to something as a throughline between them. And that, to me, is the Kang gene.”
Ok, Jonathan. Give us all the Kang info.
When asked about his approach to playing his character, he said, “This really feels like joining like the Shakespearean troops back in the day.” He likened it to Shakespeare having a clear vision of what he wants to do and then the lead actor sets the tone, and you just get busy. But the culture and the story of the play is changing, so you have to be really clear about who your character is and the spine of the character.
In summary, “Kang gotta Kang. Kang is just different in so far that he lives in a very different world.”
Park joked that he takes the same approach with his character Jimmy Woo.
You’re gonna love Kang, I love Kang. He’s one of those villains who you want to hate, but you just can’t.
Will the Wasp Get Her Own Movie?
Shifting gears a bit, I did have to ask Evangeline when she was getting her own Wasp movie, because you know how much I adore the female MCU characters. So much heart and kick-butt attributes, that I just want more of that. And in Quantumania we get to see a softer side of Hope.
Evangeline laughed and suggested this may be the most important question of the day and deferred this question to Kevin Feige. And in true Feige form he answered, “Well Ms. Lambchops (that’s me!) the opportunities within the MCU are endless, as they are in the multiverse. So, we will have to see what happens in the future.”
But all jokes aside, it would be nice to get some more of the family stories back into the MCU, the ones where I get to watch with my whole family. Since Deadpool 3 will be the first rated-R film the MCU, and we’ve seen a darker side of Marvel with Moon Knight and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the tone seems to be shifting away from family watching.
I’d love to see a series with more adventures of the Lang/van Dyne family. I’ve put it out into the universe. And the multiverses. And if you don’t agree, well take it up with Tiana Lamb.
Watch Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in theaters Friday, February 17th!
If you need age recommendations, then check out this Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania Parents Guide.