Joss Whedon wanted to introduce the Wasp into the Marvel Cinematic Universe with 2012’s The Avengers, but Kevin Feige told him it wasn’t the right time yet.
As cool as it would’ve been to see the Wasp fighting in the Battle of New York, it’s fair to say that Feige made the right call, because it meant that Hope Van Dyne could be developed as a character on her own in the first Ant-Man movie before taking on the Wasp mantle (and joining the title of the movie) in the second one. It also meant that she could build a relationship with Scott Lang. Here are Ant-Man And The Wasp’s 10 Funniest Moments In The MCU.
Hope making fun of Scott when he shrinks down to a child’s size
When Scott and Hope need to infiltrate an elementary school in Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scott decides to shrink himself down to the size of a child so they’ll fit in. Seeing Paul Rudd as a child (but still with Paul Rudd’s face) is really weird and creepy, but there’s also no denying that it’s hilarious.
And what makes it even funnier is the way that Hope and Hank make fun of him. Hank says, “Hiya, champ, how was school today?” and when this irritates him, Hope adds, “So cranky!” The basis of all comedy is ripping on people, and the Ant-Man writers make great use of that.
“If you two are finished comparing sizes…”
Hope is great at taking Scott down a peg – and sometimes, he really does deserve it. In Ant-Man and the Wasp, they meet Bill Foster, played by Laurence Fishburne. Better known in the comics as Goliath, he is depicted as an old colleague of Hank’s who experimented with enlarging technology back in the day.
At one point, Foster and Scott start talking about their record sizes. Foster’s personal best is 21 feet, while Scott’s is an impressive 65 feet. And then Hope says, “If you two are finished comparing sizes, we need to figure out a way to track down the lab.”
Scott struggling to think of a label for his relationship with Hope
When Scott first emerges from the Quantum Realm in Avengers: Endgame, as soon as he sees that his daughter is okay (albeit five years older and basically as tall as him), he heads to the Avengers’ HQ in upstate New York to tell them his plan for the “Time Heist.”
Since he just spent five years in the Quantum Realm and it felt like five hours, he believes that the microverse could be used to travel through time and save the world. But he stumbles when he tries to think of a label for his relationship with Hope: “Hope, she is my, ah…she was my, ah…she…”
Hank catching them kissing
The first Ant-Man movie didn’t set up Hope as a love interest for Scott in the way that movies like Thor set up characters like Jane Foster. The great thing about Hope is that she contributes more to the plot and the action beyond simply being a romantic foil. In this sense, she’s more like Peggy Carter.
The first hint of a romance, aside from the clear tension and chemistry that they shared from the beginning, comes at the very end, as Hank opens a door and catches them kissing in the hallway. It was the funniest way to set up their relationship.
The Wasp telling Ant-Man he got caught in Germany because he didn’t invite her
For at the least the first few scenes in Ant-Man and the Wasp, Hank and Hope are bitter towards Scott for the events of Captain America: Civil War – Hank, because Scott allowed his technology to fall into the hands of the U.S. government, and Hope, because Scott didn’t ask her to come along for the Avengers’ battle at the airport in Germany.
After the battle, Scott ended up locked up in the Raft before being broken out by Steve Rogers. But according to Hope in Ant-Man and the Wasp, “If I had [joined you in Germany], you’d have never been caught.”
Scott getting possessed by Hope’s mother
While Ant-Man and the Wasp has two villains, Ghost and Sonny Burch, its main plot doesn’t revolve around battling a villain at all. It’s all about the search for Janet Van Dyne, Hank’s wife and Hope’s mother, who was lost in the Quantum Realm years earlier.
Midway through this search, Scott is suddenly possessed by Janet and she talks lovingly to Hank and Hope as she’s seeing them for the first time in decades. Paul Rudd did an impeccable job of impersonating Michelle Pfeiffer in the scene – he didn’t just do an impression; he completely embodied her, and it was hysterical.
Hope punching Scott in the face
When Hank Pym first told Scott that Hope would be training him in combat as part of his preparation to take on the Ant-Man mantle, he instantly didn’t take her seriously. He thought he was going to have to go easy on her, but then she swiftly floored him with a sucker punch and he realized she might actually be able to teach him a thing or two.
Not only is this a funny moment in their relationship; it also shows an important step towards Scott actually respecting Hope, which is a large part of the foundation of their partnership.
Hope’s sarcastic response to the name “Ulysses S. Gr-Ant”
Scott Lang likes to come up with punny nicknames for the ants that he rides through the skies alongside the Wasp. These names have included “Ant-thony” and “Ant-tonio Banderas,” and when he acquires a new ant buddy in his second solo outing, he names him “Ulysses S. Gr-Ant,” after the Union general and 18th president of the United States.
Unimpressed, Hope sarcastically says, “Hilarious.” Evangeline Lilly has always done a fantastic job of delivering Hope’s dry sense of humor. She brings the same cynicism to Hope that she brought to Kate Austen in Lost, but Hope has more warmth than Kate.
“We’re on it, Cap.”
There were a zillion callbacks to previous MCU movies in Avengers: Endgame. One that a lot of fans missed came courtesy of the Wasp. She and Ant-Man are getting the Quantum Tunnel in the back of Luis’ van up and running and Captain America tells them over the Avengers’ walkie channel that they’ll bring the Infinity Stones to them to toss in there.
Then the Wasp says, “We’re on it, Cap.” It was a callback to when she made fun of Scott for calling Captain America “Cap” in Ant-Man and the Wasp and he told her that his friends get to call him “Cap.” The smile they share in this Endgame moment is adorable.
Scott getting jealous of Hope’s wings
When we first see Hope in action in the Wasp suit in Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scott is also seeing her in action for the first time. He sees that her suit has wings as well as the ability to shrink and gets immediately jealous of her power of flight. He asks Hank, “Hold on, you gave her wings?” Hank corrects him: “Wings and blasters.”
Scott says, “So, I take it you didn’t have that tech available for me,” and Hank quips, “No, I did.” If a guy gave you a super-suit and then the same guy gave someone else a super-suit that could do everything yours could, but it could also fly, then you might also be jealous.
