Did ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ Set up Norman Osborn’s MCU Introduction?

Ant-Man and the Wasp may be very much its own standalone story, but it also laid the ground work for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — potentially even the introduction of Norman Osborn.

Warning: SPOILERS for Ant-Man and the Wasp to follow.

In Ant-Man and the Wasp it’s revealed that when Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) safely returned from the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man it prompted Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) to reconsider Janet van Dyne’s (Michelle Pfeiffer) survival in the subatomic world. Realizing that it’s possible that she’s alive and well, they begin to pursue a way to rescue her. Unfortunately, when Scott gets arrested for his involvement in Civil War Hank and Hope have to take their research and go on the run.

Being fugitives from justice leaves the pair turning to black market tech dealer Sonny Burch (Walter Goggins) to get the parts and supplies they need to complete their Quantum Tunnel and save Janet. As is often the case when it comes to black market dealers in movies, Burch double crosses them, claiming to be working for some “very dangerous people”, and then spends the remainder of the movie attempting to steal Pym’s lab for whoever those mysterious people are. While Burch and his goons are ultimately defeated, the mystery of his buyers is never revealed.

Could the mystery buyer really be Norman Osborn? Yes, actually. Writer @DanielRPK recently tweeted that he’s “pretty sure” that Burch’s mystery buyer in the film was none other than Norman Osborn and that he thinks that based on something he had previously heard about Marvel asking Sony not to use the classic Spider-Man villain in their spin-off movies.

Osborn being behind the efforts to steal Pym’s lab in Ant-Man in the Wasp would also line up with speculation that Osborn’s Oscorp Industries was behind the purchase of Avengers Tower in Spider-Man: Homecoming. While there are a number of options, if Osborn is the “very dangerous” person that Burch was looking to sell to, it would be very fitting with the character’s comic book history. In Marvel Comics, Osborn and Osborn Industries have been known for trying to crack the tech of Marvel’s top geniuses. It would also set the stage for Osborn to be a villain for the post-Thanos iteration of the MCU. After all, Thanos’ finger snap very likely created some major openings for someone like Osborn to move in, snap up tech, and become a major antagonist going forward.

What do you think? Is Norman Osborn Burch’s mysterious buyer or is it someone else? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Ant-Man and the Wasp is now in theaters. Avengers: Infinity War is now playing in theaters. Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5th, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.