Though they do have their more dramatic moments, the first two Ant-Man films are generally seen as somewhat throwaway action comedies with little in the way of stakes. The term "palate cleaner" tends to pop up a lot in relation to the movies, and director Peyton Reed won't be having it for Quantumania!
"People felt like, Oh, these are fun little palate cleansers after a gigantic Avengers movie," he tells EW. "For this third one, I said, 'I don't want to be the palate cleanser anymore. I want to be the big Avengers movie.'"
Based on what we've seen from this threequel so far, Reed won't have to worry! The stakes appear to have been raised significantly, as Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and his allies travel to the Quantum Realm for a confrontation with ultra-powerful villain Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).
"I grew up a real Marvel comics nerd, and there are a handful of antagonists in the Marvel comics universe who are all-timers," says Reed. "Loki, obviously. Doctor Doom from the Fantastic Four. And Kang the Conqueror. In conversations with Kevin Feige and Marvel, it was like, I want to put Ant-Man and Wasp up against a really formidable villain in this movie, and so we're doing Kang the Conqueror. In the comics, Kang has dominion over time, he's a time traveler. His situation is a little bit different in this movie, which I won't spoil for you, but he's someone who, [while] we live very linear lives, from childhood to death, Kang doesn't exist that way. It struck me as interesting to take the tiniest Avengers — in some people's minds maybe the least powerful Avengers — and put them up against the most powerful force in the multiverse."
Check out a new still featuring Scott and his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) below.
In Quantumania, Super-Hero partners Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible. Jonathan Majors joins the adventure as Kang. Peyton Reed returns to direct the film; Kevin Feige and Stephen Broussard produce.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters on February 17, 2023.