Ant-Man & the Wasp is a sequel to 2015’s Ant-Man and is set in the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War. The film sees the return of Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man, who partners with Evangeline Lilly’s Wasp in the battle against a terrifying new threat, the Ghost (played by Hannah John-Kamen). Ant-Man & the Wasp is generally expected to be part of the build-up to next year’s Avengers 4, the climax of Marvel’s Phase 3.
- Release Date: July 6, 2018 Confirmed Cast: Sonny Burch, Michael Douglas, Laurence Fishburne, Hannah John-Kamen, Evangeline Lilly, Randall Park, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Paul Rudd Director: Peyton Reed Writers: Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Andrew Barrer, Gabriel Ferrari, and Paul Rudd
Ant-Man & the Wasp Teams Up Paul Rudd And Evangeline Lilly
The 19th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ant-Man & the Wasp marks the return of the cast from 2015’s Ant-Man. Paul Rudd is once again playing Scott Lang, an ex-thief who has gained access to size-changing technology. This time around, though, top billing is shared with Evangeline Lilly’s Hope Pym. Hope has suited up as a “fully-formed” hero in her own right, and marketing has insisted that the two are “partners.” Rounding out the headline cast is Michael Douglas, whose Hank Pym is a driving force for the story.
A Lot Of Ant-Man’s Cast Is Returning
The secondary cast of Ant-Man are all returning for the sequel. That includes Michael Peña’s Luis, whose role appears to be expanded; he’s now manager of a company who hire ex-cons, and is essentially Scott Lang’s boss. He’s joined by T.J.’s Dave and David Dastmalchian’s Kurt. Other returning cast include Judy Greer and Abby Ryder Fortson as Scott’s ex-wife Maggie and his daughter Cassie. Scott has been left under house-arrest after the events of Captain America: Civil War, and no doubt this has had a significant effect on the family.
The Villains of Ant-Man & the Wasp
The main villain of Ant-Man & the Wasp is a villain named Ghost, played by Hannah John-Kamen. In the comics, Ghost is a sneak-thief who is able to turn intangible. Ant-Man & the Wasp seems to have rewritten Ghost’s origin story and powerset, and she now appears to be linked to Hank Pym’s experiments with the Quantum Realm. Another clear antagonist is Walton Goggins’s Sonny Burch, who appears to be an industrialist hoping to steal Hank Pym’s size-changing technology.
Read More: Ghost Will Retain Classic Comic Book Powers in Ant-Man 2
The New Stars of Ant-Man & the Wasp
Marvel Studios kicked off last year’s Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con with the surprise announcement that Michelle Pfeiffer is joining the MCU. She’s appearing in Ant-Man & the Wasp as the original Wasp, Hank Pym’s wife, who has been lost in the Quantum Realm for decades. Although Pfeiffer has been featured on one promotional poster, the trailers have only offered a single blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance from the famous actress.
Randall Park has joined the cast of Ant-Man & the Wasp as ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Jimmy Woo. Woo appears to be an FBI agent tasked with bringing in the fugitives Hank and Hope, but may well become an important ally over the course of the film. The movie also sees Laurence Fishburne make his MCU debut as Bill Foster, a scientist who worked with Hank Pym years ago on “Project Goliath.” The trailers have hinted at a connection between Foster and Ghost, so he may not actually be quite so trustworthy as Pym believes.
Read More: Ant-Man & The Wasp Set Photos May Reveal Janet van Dyne’s Fate
The Story of Ant-Man & the Wasp
Ant-Man & the Wasp is set in the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War and sees Scott Lang under house arrest. Hank Pym has been using his size-changing technology to explore the Quantum Realm, introduced in Ant-Man as “a reality where all concepts of time and space become irrelevant.” He’s seeking to rescue his wife, Janet Van Dyne, who was trapped in the Quantum Realm decades ago.
Pym is successful in rescuing Janet (eventually), but his experiments with the Quantum Realm also lead to the creation of a world-threatening villain, the Ghost. Although the trailers have revealed Ghost’s MCU origin, Marvel has remain guarded about the character’s motives. It’s time for a superhero team-up, as Ant-Man and the Wasp fight side-by-side as partners.
In terms of tone and style, Ant-Man & the Wasp is very different to Marvel’s last movie, Avengers: Infinity War. It’s far more comedic, although director Peyton Reed has stressed that - contrary to initial reports - it is not a rom-com.
Read More: Why There’s a Giant Ant Playing the Drums in Ant-Man & the Wasp’s Trailer
How Ant-Man & the Wasp Fits Into The Wider MCU
Ant-Man & the Wasp appears to be set two years after the events of Captain America: Civil War, meaning the film is probably happening shortly before Avengers: Infinity War - possibly even at the same time. That would make sense of a comment from Joe and Anthony Russo, who described this as the Marvel movie most strongly linked to Avengers: Infinity War. Marvel’s Victoria Alonso accidentally teased that Michelle Pfeiffer will actually appear in Avengers 4, while Emma Fuhrmann has been cast for that film as an older Cassie Lang.
The trailers for Ant-Man & the Wasp have already confirmed a subtle call-back to Iron Man 2, where Tony Stark made a throwaway reference to “Project Goliath”.
Read More: Jessica Jones May Explain Why Ant-Man And Hawkeye Aren’t In The Raft
Ant-Man & the Wasp Theories
Most Ant-Man & the Wasp theories attempt to work out the film’s mysterious link to Avengers 4. Given the Quantum Realm figures in both Ant-Man & the Wasp and Captain Marvel, a popular theory is that this realm actually enables time-travel. If that is correct, time-travel could prove to be the key to stopping Thanos, perhaps by preventing the Mad Titan collecting all six of the Infinity Stones in the first place. Ant-Man and the Wasp would prove to be vitally important heroes in the fight against Thanos, as they’d be the ones with the most experience of the Quantum Realm.
Meanwhile, Marvel has stressed that the experience of living in the Quantum Realm for decades has had a massive impact on the original Wasp’s psyche. This has caused some to theorize that Wasp will actually become a villain in the film.
Read More: How Time Travel Can Work In Avengers 4
The Ant-Man & the Wasp Trailers
The first Ant-Man & the Wasp trailer was scored to “Ants Invasion” by Adam and the Ants, a double-layer of ant-play. It stressed the importance of partnership to the film, ensuring Wasp wasn’t seen as just another “sidekick.” The trailer carefully established the status quo of the main cast, showing Scott under house arrest and the Pyms on the run from the FBI. Pride of place went to an awesome car-chase, which incorporated size-changing tech into the action in a fantastic way.
Read More: Ant-Man And The Wasp: Trailer Breakdown And Secrets
The second trailer offered a lot more action involving the Pym Particles, including a stunning sequence in which Wasp evaded a knife attack. It also provided context for the main story, focusing in on the exploration of the Quantum Realm. There was a brief glimpse of Janet Van Dyne’s original Wasp, although it’s easy to miss.
Read More: Ant-Man & The Wasp Trailer Breakdown: 22 Secrets You Missed
The Ant-Man and the Wasp Posters
While the first poster for Ant-Man & the Wasp followed the traditional Marvel format - a montage of all the key characters and actors, even including what was then the first glimpse of Ghost - the second has highlighted the heroes themselves. It’s a stunning image of Ant-Man and the Wasp, with the focus clearly on the Wasp’s big-screen debut. Marvel recently released an IMAX poster, featuring Giant-Man and appropriately inviting viewers to “experience it a little bigger.”
The Writers of Ant-Man & the Wasp
The script of Ant-Man & the Wasp has been written by a large team, including Paul Rudd himself. He’s worked closely with Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, screenwriters of Spider-Man: Homecoming and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. The writing team is rounded out by Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari.
The Director of Ant-Man & the Wasp
The first Ant-Man film was plagued with behind-the-scenes drama, believed to largely be due to clashes between now-defunct the Marvel Creative Committee and Edgar Wright. Peyton Reed took over, and remains in charge of the Ant-Man franchise as director of the sequel.
Read More: Here’s Why Edgar Wright Didn’t Make Marvel’s Ant-Man
More News on Ant-Man & the Wasp
- Ant-Man and The Wasp Set Visit Report Check Out This Huge Collection of New Ant-Man & The Wasp Promo Art Ant-Man & The Wasp Releases A Month Later In The UK For A Really Dumb Reason Evangeline Lilly Made Sure To Honor The Wasp From The Comics
More Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies
Captain Marvel Avengers 4 Spider-Man 2 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Black Widow
Ant-Man 2 Release Date: 2018-07-06 captain marvel Release Date: 2019-03-08 The Avengers 4 Release Date: 2019-04-26 spider-man homecoming 2 Release Date: 2019-07-02
