Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Preview and Breakdown

    Welcome back to HLS Entertainment! Today we are breaking down the very first Marvel Cinematic Universe product of Phase Five, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania! I have been stubbornly calling this movie Ant-Man and the Wasp 2, instead of Ant-Man 3, but this is technically the third Ant-Man movie, and he is now officially the fifth Marvel superhero to get a MCU trilogy! (Iron Man, Thor, Cap, Spider-Man)

    The Ant-Man trilogy started back in 2015 and the first two films were (rightfully or wrongly) thought to be palate cleansers before the larger MCU movies but this time around this IS the big MCU movie. This film is going to set the course and tone for this next phase of the MCU and I can't wait.

    As always, why should you care what I have to say? Why should you listen to my predictions? Well, I always try to lay out my "credentials" at the top and this list keeps growing and growing. Here is my preview for every single MCU Phase 4 property (aside from Ms. Marvel)* and you can read or skim through a few, or all of them! I love the clicks and I am proud of my work, so please do take your time to see why I am very confident in my predictions.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Werewolf By Night, She-Hulk, Thor 4, Doctor Strange 2, Moon Knight, Spider-Man 3, Hawkeye, Eternals, Shang-Chi, Black Widow, Loki, Falcon and Winter Soldier, and WandaVision

*I did not finish my Ms. Marvel preview on time due to personal reasons and did not feel fair to publish

Are we back? Great, now as always SPOILERS treat this entire thing as spoilers. On to the breakdown!

Locations to Know

San Fransisco 

    This is where all our main protagonists live, and where the first two films took place BUT it will not be the primary location for this film.

The Quantum Realm

    This is where the vast majority of the film will take place according to those involved. We first got a glimpse of the Quantum Realm back in the first Ant-Man (2015) as Scott slowly kept shrinking after he sacrificed himself to save his daughter Cassie. We visited the Quantum Realm again in Ant-Man and the Wasp as Hank and Hope worked tirelessly since the first film to try to find a way to bring Janet (Hank's partner and wife, Hope's mother) back who had, years before, sacrificed herself on a mission as the Wasp similarly to what Scott did. Hank was able to use the tunnel they built to visit the Quantum Realm and help save Janet, and we got our first good look at the area. BUT the Quantum Realm is much more than the acid trip dream we saw, it is a vast place filled with so many unique/insane landscapes, creatures and more. I really hope this movie leans into the wild and wacky world that it can be. As someone who is obsessed with these movies I am really hoping for a payoff of the "bubble city" seen very quickly in the background of Hank/Janet's escape. That could be possibly where this film takes place, and it might be referred to as Chronopolis, the timeless stronghold of Kang. 

Characters to Know

Scott Lang aka Ant-Man - Paul Rudd

MCU Appearances: Ant-Man (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and What If...? (2021)

Scott Lang earned a master's in electrical engineering and used his degrees to work but on the side he had become a very talented burglar, Robin Hood type. Stole from the rich and corrupt and gave it back to the people they stole it from. Well this eventually landed him in jail where he was divorced from his wife and could no longer see is daughter until paying child support upon his release. This drove him right back into crime where he was tricked back Hank Pym to steal his suit as a test. Scott took up Hank's mantle of the Ant-Man and was recruited by Sam Wilson to help Team Cap during Civil War and was arrested and eventually put on house arrest for doing so. Since then the Accords have been dissolved and Scott is now back to being a hero and running his successful X-Con Security Consultants business with his friends.

Hope Van Dyne aka the Wasp - Evangeline Lilly

MCU Appearances: Ant-Man (2015), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), What If...? (2021)

Scientist excellent businesswoman, Wasp, according to reports is now a huge humanitarian (possibly award winning). Was a fugitive of the law after Civil War because Scott used their technology breaking the Sokovia Accords (that have now been redacted and her record clean). Hope was a very happy child but when her mother never returned from her "business trip" she became very closed off just like her father. She is just now beginning to open up her heart to her family and to Scott.

Cassie Lang aka Stature - Kathryn Newton

MCU Appearances for the CHARACTER: Ant-Man (2015), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019)

This will be Kathryn Newton's first appearance in the MCU but it is the fourth appearance for her character as she has grown up quite a bit. Abby Ryder Fortson did an incredible job portraying young Cassie Lang in the first two Ant-Man movies but was recast as there was a time jump in the MCU of 5 years. Cassie was always a sweet loving kid who idolized her father Scott Lang and always found the beauty in the ugly things in life. Now that she had to go 5 years without her father (possibly without her mom and stepdad as well) she has grown into a more hardened teenager who is smart but gets in trouble with the law. She dreamed of being her dad's partner as a child but might now want her independence from him. 

Dr. Hank Pym aka the original Ant-Man - Michael Douglas

MCU Appearances: Ant-Man (2015), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), What If...? (2021)

Former SHIELD agent and scientist, inventor of the Pym Particles that allow them to change size, the original Ant-Man, was ousted from his own company, Pym Tech, by his own protegee Darren Cross and daughter Hope before the events of the first Ant-Man film. Was a fugitive of the law after Civil War because Scott used his technology breaking the Sokovia Accords (that have now been redacted and his record clean). 

Janet Van Dyne aka the original Wasp - Michelle Pfeiffer 

MCU Appearances: Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Former SHIELD agent and scientist, Wasp, survived in the Quantum Realm from 1987-2018. Janet was able to send a message to Scott when he first was trapped in the Quantum Realm, I wonder if what she used is similar to Cassie's new device.

Krylar - Bill Murray 

First MCU Appearance, we have no idea. My GUESS is he is a part of the resistance against our big bad, or some kind of bureaucrat in the Quantum Realm. My one wish for this character is to get a Groundhog Day reference. 

Darren Cross aka Yellowjacket AKA M.O.D.O.K - Corey Stoll

MCU Appearances: Ant-Man (2015), (his helmet) Loki (2021)

Darren Cross was the antagonist of the first movie, he stole Pym Tech from Hank and developed his own version of Pym Particles in attempt to become enormously wealthy and powerful being the only source of the particles in the world. He ends up using the suit without the proper mental protections and it turns him more evil but was thought to be killed by Scott when he sacrificed himself to destroy the Yellowjacket suit to save Cassie. Turns out he might have just horrifically shrunk into the Quantum Realm. OR this is just another Darren Cross variant entirely. For this film Darren Cross has become MODOK aka Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing. Just want it mentioned that we saw a giant Yellowjacket helmet in the Void in Loki and that could have been Kang attempting to find a variant of him to become MODOK to help him with whatever his plan is, just a thought/theory.

Kang the Conqueror - Jonathan Majors

MCU Appearances for the.. actor? Kind of the Character?: Loki (2021)

    And now the one we've all been waiting for, the new big bad of the MCU. First introduced in Loki on Disney+ as He Who Remains, this is very much not that same persona but is the same person. Kang and his variants are about to wreak havoc on the MCU probably for many projects to come. As always with Kang there are some names like He Who Remains to keep an ear out for including, Rama Tut, Scarlet Centurion, Immortus and Iron Lad. These names are other personas he has gone by in the comics and remember how variants work they do not HAVE to look identical to him (aka Jonathan Majors will probably be playing a ton of them but does NOT have to play them all and they can still be Kang). The fifth installment of the Avengers series is set to come out in 2025 and has already been titled, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, so expect him to be around for a while. Though that does not mean he for sure survives this movie. 

Also Set to Appear:

Special Agent Jimmy Woo - Randall Park

    MCU Appearances: Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), WandaVision (2021) 

Quaz - Willaims Jackson Harper

Jentorra - Katy M. O'Brian 

    We know Randall Park is returning as the beloved Jimmy Woo but I imagine it is a quick cameo at the beginning or the end of the film as we know the vast majority of the film will take place in the Quantum Realm. William Jackson Harper and Katy M. O'Brian are two great actors we know are in the movie but we don't know what they look like in the film, but they are rumored to be playing characters called Quaz and Jentorra respectively. I would bet they are some of the freedom fighters going against Kang, but WJH has been a strong fan choice for Reed Richards for a while now.

Plot Breakdown

    Movie opens with Scott and Hope being world renowned heroes, Hope is leading Pym Tech into the future using the Pym particles to make humanitarian advancements. Maybe Scott is a little down in the dumps because everyone seems to be getting more shine than him, maybe he is a little jealous. We see Hope and Scott on the red carpet seemingly for her to possibly win an award, meanwhile Scott is winning employee of the century from Baskin Robbins and getting mistaken for Spider-Man. Oh also his sweet little daughter is all "grown up" and in her rebellious phase.

    I think Scott is definitely humble enough to just roll with it and be happy for his loved ones, as we see them all eat dinner together and him talk about how impressed he is with their food enlargement cooking technique. This probably leads to Cassie being talked to about her issues and her deflecting from her troubles and showing off a new piece of technology she has been working on. We don't know yet if this is a device she was working with Hank on, but we do know that she had been reading through his old research and work. I think it would be very interesting if we hear that she was working on this with an offscreen friend COUGH Iron Lad COUGH. 

    Once Janet realizes what the device is, she immediately tries to stop her but suddenly the whole family (and a lot of the workshop) is sucked into the Quantum Realm. The seem to get sucked in at different times, Janet, Hank and Hope all at once then Cassie immediately followed by Scott. Cassie and Scott holding out slightly longer could end up having this work similarly to the Rainbow Bridge moment in Thor Ragnarok where Loki and Thor arrive on Sakaar at very different times with Loki saying he had been there months already (desperately trying to stop my ADD brain from going down the rabbit hole of, well what if that's how the bridge works? What if it is just a physical representation of using the Quantum Realm to travel and that is why it appears as glass shards similar to the ones we have seen when Scott gets trapped and when Doctor Strange first messes with the Time Stone in his film). Most importantly here I think I have pieced together they have made advancements to their suits where it is just a small circle that he clicks onto his chest to activate.

    Now we have two split camps, Cassie and Scott as the "A story" and Hope, Janet and Hank as the "B story". Cassie and Scott will get a chance to spend time together (ahhh) as they traverse the Quantum Realm before being found by what I am guessing (could be entirely wrong) are people loyal to Kang and are brought before him. This would be a good early moment to introduce MODOK and have his "reunion" with Scott. Janet leads Hope and Hank across the wastelands showing off how much she had adapted to this wild vast world. During this Hope who has been closed off to the world for so long, has opened her heart back to her parents but is finding a much darker response than she was expecting. Janet is still hiding secrets.

    I think it possible we find out Janet met Kang when he arrived in the quantum realm and helped him conquer it and rise to power. That is why she says you can't trust him, she realized he is evil and forms a rebel group trying to stop him, but she left them high and dry when Hank arrived to save her. So, her arrival back to them might not be the most welcome. Apparently once you get into the Quantum Realm you have to drink this goo that makes you be able to understand everyone there and communicate with them. (I wonder if that is how the TVA agents "speak every language on the timeline"). I think Janet and crew arrive and meet Bill Murrays character Krylar, who could possibly be her former partner (possibly lover she was trapped there a long time) and he won't be too happy to see her. They find out Cassie and Scott have been captured by Kang's men and he has them in his city/compound whatever we are calling that city wish we knew already. Janet talks Krylar and crew into helping them try to stop Kang and rescue Cassie and Scott.

    Meanwhile Cassie and Scott are brought before Kang. Darren has told Kang about Scott's infiltration and stealing from him. This intrigues Kang as he is trying to limit the use of his powers and have no wasted moves. He comes to Scott and tries to make a deal with him to give him more time with his daughter because he missed 5 years trapped in the Quantum Realm. I am VERY curious if we find out that audio could have been repurposed to it possibly being a deal Kang made with Janet previously. 

    So what is Scott being coerced into stealing? This could definitely fall into the theory section below but I think Kang is trying to make a Cosmic Cube(/pyramid). Kang knows it is a suicide mission and that is why he sends Scott to attempt it. I think he is trying to harness cosmic energy created by the Beyonders to form it and it is assumingly possible to access it from the Quantum Realm. This could be why Secret Wars happens AFTER Kang Dynasty. I think this "cosmic cube" could be mixing backstories with the Forever Crystal that Kang has been linked to in the comics, and this reality altering power is what Kang uses to power himself and his special floating chair/ship. I have a different theory as to what the giant energy source is but will cover that in theories. For the bare bones of this story, Kang wants something he claims was stolen from him, looks to be some sort of source of energy and it is nearly impossible to reach but somehow Scott will.

    This is where I believe we see Janet and company launch their attack simultaneously with Scott being forced to go through whatever portal leads him to the energy. Cassie and Scott had their gloves taken from them when they were captured so they had not been able to shrink or grow until they were given back. Scott goes through the weird trippy areas and we see him arrive in this red plane, where he begins splitting into dozens and dozens and hundreds of himself the closer he gets to what looks like a giant glowing spherical astrolabe. What is an Astrolabe? Here let me be google for us both, "an ancient astronomical instrument that was a handheld model of the universe", BUT they have been used to determine a ships latitude, to tell time, or to help locate celestial bodies in the sky. Hmm sounds useful for a time traveling conqueror. For simplicity's sake, let's assume whatever this object is it can power and guide Kangs Time Chair/Ship.

    I think at this point Scott is trying to use the copies of himself as ladders and bridges to reach the object but keeps failing. Meanwhile Kang and his troops are under attack from Janet and company, Hope gets to Cassie and finds out where Scott is. This is just purely calling my shot here, I believe MODOK sees that Janet is alive and well and feels for Hope and Hank and turns on Kang and his men and is killed for it in the fight. Hope dives through the portal to go help Scott and saves him just in time before he is crushed. 

    I believe they bring the object back through and Kang recants his deal to Scott and attempts to kill them all. Scott then blows up the object after using it for a portal home for his family. It takes a while for the portal to close and with his entire family now through the portal safely back on Earth, we get our final showdown between Scott and Kang. I think we are led to believe Scott kills himself to stop Kang, if we remember the first Ant-Man Scott is more than willing to lay down his life to protect Cassie and I imagine Hope now falls in that category. 

How MCU stories wrap up is always the greatest mystery, they do a good job of setting up plot without really revealing the actual stories resolution, so I am excited to see how this final act plays out.

Theories

The TVA Stepped In

    I think us as an audience are led to believe Scott died stopping Kang from entering the portal but what if in his attempt to kill them both the TVA stepped in to interrogate Scott before he dies. If the TVA is now run by another variant of Kang they could be keeping tabs on the rest of their variants and investigates every one that dies.

The Greatest Power in the Universe

    What if the thing Scott is stealing for Kang, is the TVA's time energy. That is the big red room we see Scott in where he seems to be splitting into hundreds of mirrors or variants of himself. What if the energy he is trying to steal is the Kang of the TVAs and he stole it from the one here in the Quantum Realm. Maybe that's what the "cage" he refers to is, the Multiversal War already ended again, and the winner trapped all the others in the Quantum Realm. Okay that last part is a huge out there idea, but what if the TVA was previously the Council of Kangs and He Who Remains was in the high council (4 supreme Kangs ((the broken statue when we meet HWR))) and he trapped them in the Quantum Realm. So now for Loki season 2 the Council of Kangs could be free again, or maybe it just IS the Council of Kangs.

Earth Number 616 617

    What if...? This entire movie set up is actually set in an alternate universe in the MCU and not the main Earth 616. What if we come to find out this entire movie is just from Kangs perspective as he keeps bringing in different Ant-Men to try to steal something for him. What proof is there to this insane theory? Kathyrn Newton's Cassie Lang. Emma Fuhrmann actually played the older version of Cassie Lang that we saw multiple times in Avengers: Endgame. What if this entire movie is a deception because they are trying to kick off this next big bad of the MCU with style.

I Was Wrong About Loki (?)

    A long held belief that I have had about Loki and how time travel works in the MCU is that the "sacred timeline" isn't a literal singular timeline, but a collection of timelines that all follow a similar path that all end up with He Who Remains winning. But what if that isn't the case, what if it is literally one timeline that has been repeating itself over and over and over. That is why Kang says he knows how it all ends, that is why He Who Remains said he will be back do to "reincarnation baby", and that is why Sylvie tells Loki that her timeline was pruned before he was born. Maybe what makes Kang special is that each variant of Kang removes themselves from the sacred timeline at some point and that is why He Who Remains was impressed with Sylvie.

    What is the point of that? If Kang is a being who can see/access all of time itself it would make the most sense for it to fit this narrative, that is why he says he knows it all. Time is a flat circle to this Kang and he is trying to break out now that the circle has been broken. Maybe the Quantum Realm is how Kang knows it all, because time works differently in there and maybe he peered through time vortexes and could see it all at once. A reason why I have been against this theory is that would mean Sylvie is at minimum hundreds of millions of years old. I much more like the theory that it was a collective of timelines where He Who Remains wins. This could be very similar to the Central Finite Curve in Rick and Morty (spoilers for Rick and Morty?) Huh, would you look at that, the writer of the main episode dealing with the Central Finite Curve ("Rickmurai Jack") Jeff Loveness is also the writer for this movie and Avengers: Kang Dynasty)... well, maybe I am not wrong.

Thank you so much for reading! Please be sure to Like/Retweet/Share this breakdown with all your friends, I do so much love the clicks but I really do it because I am a prideful jerk who wants to be right lol. So guess what, if I am wrong this time let me know it. Come yell at me on Twitter @HaroldLStokes and follow me while you are there! Next up is either Secret Invasion or What If..? season two! Or I guess they could get pushed further and it could be GotG vol. 3, either way see you then!