IT KEEPS THE MCU GROUNDED

As the MCU continues to expand, its individual narratives are also becoming more and more complicated in order to cater to the notion that everything is interconnected with each other. Over the last few years, after they’ve established their brand, Marvel Studios has started branching out with some of their more obscure characters such as Doctor Strange and the Guardians of the Galaxy. The universe is only going to get bigger and more complex with upcoming heroes like Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther and the formal introduction of Wakanda, as well as Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel. Having a straightforward hero in Ant-Man with a very simple super skill - size changing, (albeit technically, there’s a lot going on to make it happen) gives the series the ability to stay grounded and more palatable to the general viewing audience who may not be up-to-speed with the whole franchise.

Now, that is not to say that Scott and the shrinking tech won’t be as significant as other players in the MCU. Ant-Man And The Wasp’s imminent exploration of the Quantum Realm where time and space don’t matter is perhaps as groundbreaking as Strange entering various alternate realities. And supposedly, the tech is posed to have some sort of impact in the MCU moving forward. However, due to the lighter tone established in the series, tackling this narrative doesn’t feel as heavy and complicated. That and the movies’ strong familial beats with both heroes’ respective families playing a part in their journeys allow the subfranchise to maintain its simplistic approach to storytelling.

IT’S A GREAT PALATE CLEANSER

Following an enormous storyline like Infinity War with a smaller-scale, self-contained story might feel like a downgrade from such a high, but it’s actually just an ideal contrast. Releasing another big, epic movie just a few months after Infinity War would defeat the purpose of the ensemble epic as the mega-franchise’s crowning jewel (at least, until Avengers 4 arrives in 2019). Instead, Ant-Man and the Wasp will be like the cool-down after running a marathon.

The MCU release schedule works best when it contrasts not only scale, but genre. For example, in 2014 Marvel released Captain America: The Winter Soldier, a gritty and down-to-Earth political action thriller, followed by Guardians of the Galaxy, which was decidedly neither gritty nor down-to-Earth. This may be why Marvel has avoided creating “superhero fatigue” among audiences; even though these movies are set in the same universe, each one feels different enough from the last.

After Ant Man and the Wasp’s roll-out, it will be another eight months before we get a brand new MCU installment in Captain Marvel - a project that is expected to venture to outer space. If Infinity War also spends enough time in the cosmos as much as the trailers suggest, Ant-Man And The Wasp will serve as a breather from all the outer space shenanigans.

INFINITY WAR HYPE WILL SPILL OVER INTO ANT-MAN 2

Much like what happened with Iron Man 3 following the The Avengers, the buzz that people will have for Infinity War will more likely spill over into Ant-Man and the Wasp. Tony Stark’s last solo outing was somewhat controversial due to its huge Mandarin plot twist, which a lot of fans hated. Nevertheless, it went on to make big bucks at the box office. One of the only two MCU standalones (the other being Civil War, which technically could be Avengers 2.5) to break into the billion dollar movie club, the phenomenon could be attributed to it being the next entry in the franchise after the successful first Avengers film in 2012.

Considering that the upcoming ensemble spectacle will technically be the first half of a two -parter, with Avengers 4 rolling out next year, fans will likely latch into any new content from the franchise while they wait. Ant-Man will also be featured in Infinity War, piquing the audience’s interest in how he went from being a wanted man after Civil War to rejoining the rest of the Avengers in their first bout against Thanos (Josh Brolin). Since Ant-Man and the Wasp is actually set before the events of Infinity War, it will effectively serve as a flashback that answers this question.

At this point, marketing for Ant-Man And The Wasp is still understandably limited, with Black Panther and then Infinity War taking the majority of the attention among the Marvel 2018 releases. But presuming that Paul Rudd is going to do press for Infinity War, he can use that as an opportunity to start building hype for his next solo movie. Ant-Man had some of the best moments in Civil War, despite his limited screen time, so if he has some similar standout scenes in Infinity War then audiences will surely be eager to see him on the big screen again later that year.

MORE: Ant-Man And The Wasp Trailer Has Big Implications For Infinity War’s Ending

  • spider-man homecoming 2 Release Date: 2019-07-02 The Avengers 4 Release Date: 2019-04-26 Avengers: Infinity War Release Date: 2018-04-27 Black Panther Release Date: 2018-02-16 captain marvel Release Date: 2019-03-08 Ant-Man 2 Release Date: 2018-07-06