'Ant-Man and the Wasp': Why Hank Pym Is a Bigger Jerk in the Sequel

Being the original Ant-Man and developer of the Pym Particle has given Hank Pym quite an ego, which is on display in this weekend's Marvel sequel Ant-Man and The Wasp.

The writers and directors intentionally pulled out a more hostile side of Hank Pym for the sequel, making him less of a friendly mentor and more of a determined and egotistical ally. Some might go as far as calling him a jerk, which Michael Douglas says is just fine because it makes for good banter and juxtaposition among the characters.

"It plays really good against Scott, against Paul's character," Douglas told CinemaBlend. "But yeah, [Hank]'s a little arrogant, a little aloof. An intellectual, he always thinks he's smarter than everybody else. He has this little conflict with Laurence Fishburne's character. And certainly does not think that Paul Rudd, Scott, was the right character to carry on the role of Ant-Man. But yeah, it's a little dangerous, being a little bit of an a--hole. But I like that, I'm not afraid of it."

Now that Marvel Studios has shown their ability to de-age Michael Douglas for flashback scenes, the actor is more than ready for a standalone film showcasing his character's backstory. "I just hope Marvel is listening," Douglas said when ComicBook.com suggested a Hank Pym prequel film in the interview featured in the video above. "ComicBook.com, guys, you hear what he's saying, Marvel? Here we go! It's going to be the entire future of my life."

Still, the Hank Pym ego might come out again if Douglas' idea for a future Ant-Man film comes to fruition.

"Now that I see that you can have the ability to make yourself 40 years younger rather than simply having a flashback in the movie," Douglas said. "If you can make yourself small and you can make yourself big, I should certainly hope that you can make yourself younger. I wanna give Paul [Rudd] a run for his money! I think it's time for us to go at it mano-a-mano."

Ant-Man and The Wasp and Avengers: Infinity War are now playing in theaters. Captain Marvel will follow it in March of 2019, with Avengers 4 coming in May of 2019 and Spider-Man: Far From Home slated for release on July 5, 2019.