The next solo Marvel Cinematic Universe Film, Ant-Man, is coming along nicely. A solid director in Edgar Wright, a script written by Joe Cornish and Wright himself, and an actor I couldn’t be more excited for- Paul Rudd. I was always a big supporter of Rudd from day one, I was on the hype train and praying he would do it, so this film just moved from number 3 most anticipated, to the number 1 most anticipated, but hey, that’s just me.
Along with several other pieces of casting news and a small synapsis of the plot, there is one confirmation we are missing. It’s a touchy subject for a lot of people: Domestic Abuse. Now, I’m not condoning in physical or verbal abuse of your significant other, but I am here to tell you why I think it’s the most needed plot point in the film. Allow me to go over some points to make my argument.
1. It is integral to the character’s history and lore.
As I said before I don’t approve of violence of your spouse or a woman in general, but this could be the first MCU protagonist that is sort of an odd-ball hero, a guy that by no right we should root for, but do anyways. A character with layers is what I am getting at. That really goes along with the other variations of Ant-Man as well; Scott Lang being an ex-criminal/thief, and Eric O’Grady being… well, being a just plain jerk. As most know, from what we have heard, the film is loosely based on “To Steal an Ant-Man” where Scott Lang steals Pym’s Ant-Man technology and uses it to save his terminally ill daughter.
This could be the ground work for the MCU’s first protagonist that believes in a distorted version of the “greater good.” So if and ever Pym decides to lay a hand on his wife, he would be crazy enough to assume it was to get peace or to keep her mouth shut. It’s a piece of the character that makes him a lesser evil type, but also not husband of the year material.
2. Look At The Actor They Have Casted.
As I said before, I was on the Paul Rudd Hype Train the moment the rumor started.
They casted an actor that could play Pym in spades. Proof is in the pudding as they say, my best example for his ability to portray the character is an indie film called Prince Avalanche, where Rudd plays a jerk dealing with life out in the wilderness while living with his polar opposite.
Hank Pym is a character with many aspects of his personality; he’s brilliant, a snarky smart-ass, and well, he’s a bit of a prick. This would give not only Marvel, but also Rudd a chance to push their depth and understanding of characters if they touched on this particular subject. It would allow them to build a character that is rather dark and creepy but also give us a chance to see a new side of the superhero genre, a side that’s willing to go above and beyond to create a rather upsetting character. It could allow them to create emotion that feels real; they could keep the action, comedy, and thrills in the Ant-Man scenes but also keep the drama in the Lang/Pym/ Van Dyne scenes for real character development.
3. The Director and His Previous Subject Material.
I can guarantee that without Wright at the helm, this film wouldn’t be made, or be as exciting as it is. I want you take a look at all of his work, go ahead, he has a short but impressive filmography.
From Shaun of the Dead all the way to The World’s End, they all contain some emotional and personal subject matter. The most recent evidence of this is The World’s End, a movie that touches on – and among other things without going into spoilers - alcoholism and drug abuse. Gary King (played by Simon Pegg, someone whom I hope makes a cameo.) is a broken man that has fallen on hard times; sound like someone else we know? Abuse would not be out of the realm for someone like Wright to attempt to put in the film; for Christ sake, Shaun of the Dead… and spoilers for Shaun of the Dead, even though it’s your fault for not watching it yet…. But, it had a scene where Simon Pegg was forced to kill his own mother, seriously how messed up is that? This is a director that prides himself in balancing drama, comedy, and action- it’s the perfect set up. With Wright being a self-proclaimed fan of the character and even show casing his personal comic he owns, I think he knows full well understands Pym’s personality traits, along with the other Ant-Men of course.
4. It Could Break The Awkward Comedy Streak And Set Things In The Right Direction.
For the MCU films, even most recently Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, a common complaint has been too much comedy, comedy that feels a little disjointed and out of place. Now, Captain America: The Winter Soldier looks like it has a Mission Impossible feel but after seeing the trailer it looks it like still had a level of comedy, and the fact that James Gunn is directing Guardians of the Galaxy means that the comedy factor isn’t leaving anytime soon. With Wright directing, the comedy will be far from awkward, it’ll be quick witted, fast paced, and genuinely hilarious, but this will be the perfect chance to really flex his drama muscles. This will also be a great tonal direction for Marvel to take as they gear up for the big Thanos appearance which we can all assume will semi joke-less and more darkly serious. It could be the first of many things that could add weight to the drama that will definitely transpire during Phase 3.
5. Stop using Kids As A Shield.
The excuse I’ve been hearing a lot lately is “It’s a Disney movie; kids will be going to see it.” First off, children today twerk, post Facebook pictures of themselves in their underwear, curse and do much worse so there’s that. As for Disney, well come on, in Pirates Of The Caribbean Keira Knightley got slapped around a few times, and Black Widow’s opening scene in The Avengers involved her being hit a few times while being tied to a chair, so a women in physical peril is nothing new to the big wigs at Disney. I’m not asking for an Ike and Tina Turner relationship here, I’m asking for one back-hand, or better yet let me direct you to a scene in The Ultimates where Pym shrunk Janet to her wasp size and sprayed her with Bug Spray, it’s a scene that would get the point across heavily but also keep it in that comic book-ey superhero-ey world.
As I said multiple times through this, I am not condoning domestic or any kind of abuse what so ever, but I am going to acknowledge a part of the character that makes sense to adapt to film and will add weight to the character. It could be refreshing and realistic to see a superhero that is kind of an ass. It would be unique and right up the alley of everyone involved. So… go ahead, let me hear how you feel about it, whether or not you think Ant-Man should go into a rather dark place and tackle a upsetting concept, comment below and let me know.