For years, theAnt-Man and the Waspfranchise was considered the “filler” movies of theMCU. That has drastically changed with the upcoming third installment,Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which has marked the on-screen debut ofKang the Conqueror. But even though public opinion on the franchise has only recently changed, Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne have always played key roles in the larger MCU. As evidenced by the animated series,What If…?, their shrinking tech has even positioned them as two of the most powerful Avengers.
Without the help of Ant-Man, the Avengers would never have been able to access the Quantum Realm, thus never undoing the Blip. Before Ant-Man and the Wasp joined the fight against Thanos, they were foiling the plans of Darren Cross and helping stabilize Ghost. With the arrival ofQuantumania, now is a great time to look back on the history of Ant-Man and the Wasp in the franchise. Here is every Ant-Man and the Wasp appearance in the MCU, ranked.
5Avengers: Endgame (2019)
A rat was the unsung hero ofAvengers: Endgame, releasing Scott Lang from the Quantum Realm after he had been trapped for five years. Scott observed that time worked differently in the Quantum Realm, leading to his idea of using it as a time machine. While the idea was initially met with skepticism, Scott participated in various experiments to prove time travel was possible. A Time Heist was then executed, in which the Avengers went back in time to retrieve the Infinity Stones. Thanos' Snap was undone, bringing half of all life in the universe back including Hope van Dyne, Hank Pym, and Janet van Dyne.
Ant-Man and the Wasp were later present during the Battle of Earth, using their unique abilities to their advantage. Ant-Man became Giant-Man, punching a Leviathan and crushing Cull Obsidian under his foot. Meanwhile, the Wasp helped clear a path to the Quantum Tunnel for Captain Marvel. Neither Ant-Man nor the Wasp were main characters inAvengers: Endgame(screentime was focused on the original six Avengers), but were lovely to watch whenever they were on-screen.
4Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Captain America: Civil Warwas Scott’s second film appearance, as well as his first film appearance outside theAnt-Manfranchise. He was recruited by Falcon into Team Cap, joining Captain America himself, Hawkeye, the Winter Soldier, and the Scarlet Witch. Ant-Man’s appearance in the film was relatively brief, but he stole the show during the fight at the Leipzig/Halle airport — so much so, in fact, that Spider-Man couldn’t stop himself from using some questionable language.
Scott became Giant-Manfor the first time, and made the battle much more difficult for Team Iron Man. It was Giant-Man’s presence that made the scene so memorable for MCU fans. Unfortunately, Scott wasn’t used to his new form and was defeated and imprisoned in the Raft. Despite the battle at the airport being Ant-Man’s first time with the Avengers, Ant-Man blended in perfectly with the other superheroes.
Related:Kevin Feige Says Kang Is a Different MCU Villain and in a Predicament in Ant-Man 3
3What If…? (2021)
The third episode of Marvel Studios’What If…?presented a scenario where the world lost its mightiest heroes. As Nick Fury recruited heroes for the Avengers Initiative, a mysterious killer disrupted his plans by wiping out all of Fury’s candidates. The list of victims included Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and the Hulk, all whom were no match for an invisible enemy. The killer was revealed to be Yellowjacket, not Darren Cross from the main MCU, but a variant of Hank Pym in an alternate universe.
Hank was motivated by revenge after Hope van Dyne had been killed during a mission in Europe. He accused S.H.I.E.L.D. of using Janet’s death to recruit Hope, blaming the organization and its director, Nick Fury, for Hope’s death. The variant Hank Pym was terrifying, demonstrating just how dangerous the Ant-Man and Yellowjacket suits are in the wrong hands. When Hank described his work as not being “some cute technology like the Iron Man suit,” he was completely right.
2Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
Hope van Dyne finally donned the Wasp suit inAnt-Man and the Wasp, joining Scott in the superheroics. Together, they fought against the black-market dealer Sonny Burch and his men and a superpowered “Ghost.” The power couple dynamic inAnt-Man and the Waspwas very well done, providing a breath of fresh air from the individual superheroes and the larger superhero teams. Rather than focusing on a traditional hero-versus-villain plot, the film centered on a mission to retrieve Janet van Dyne from the Quantum Realm. This decision deepened the world of Ant-Man and the Wasp, and of course set up the events ofAvengers: Endgame.
Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly had great chemistry and were surrounded by a great supporting cast in Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Hannah John-Kamen. Thefan-favorite Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) fromWandaVisionalso made his MCU debut in the film, first introduced as Scott’s parole officer. Everything came together perfectly to create a wonderfully entertaining and light-hearted adventure. It has a strong contrast with its follow-up,Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which has significantly raised the stakes.
Related:How Will Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Factor Into the MCU’s Future?
1Ant-Man (2015)
In a universe full of super soldiers, robots, sorcerers, and aliens,Ant-Mantold the story of the seemingly ordinary Scott Lang. But there was more to him than meets the eye as Scott was a master thief, an amazing dad, a graduate of a master’s program in electrical engineering, and a Baskin-Robbins employee. Ant-Man has become one of the most lovable characters in the MCU, and that’s in no small part thanks to Rudd’s unique charm. There was doubt that a relatively obscure character such as Ant-Man could carry a film, but likeGuardians of the Galaxy,Ant-Manturned out to be another success.
The movie concept of shrinking tech had surprisingly not been explored that often before, outside of films such as 1989’sHoney, I Shrunk the Kids.Ant-Mantook that concept, as well as the original Marvel Comics character that debuted in the 60s, and brought it into the modern era. By going subatomic, the MCU actually became much bigger. Fans didn’t know it at the time, but a “palate cleanser” filmlikeAnt-Manwas destined to become one of the films with the greatest impact on both the Infinity Saga and the Multiverse Saga.
