Ant-Man Director Shares Touching Photo of Kirk Douglas at Son Michael’s Costume Test

Yesterday brought the tragic news that Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas had passed away at the age of 103. Celebrities and fans alike reacted to his death by paying tribute to the Oscar nominee and former leading man with quotes and memorial posts on social media. Now, Ant-Man director Peyton Reed has debuted a very special and Marvel-centric photo tribute of Kirk Douglas, showing him with his son Michael during a costume test for Ant-Man and The Wasp when Michael was trying on his first Ant-Man suit.

“To the world he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to,” Michael wrote about his father yesterday. “But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchild their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband.”

He continued, “Kirk’s life was well lived, and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come, and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to aid the public and bring peace to the planet. Let me end with the words I told him on his last birthday and which will always remain true. Dad- I love you so much and I am so proud to be your son.”

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe might be wondering why Michael Douglas would even be doing a costume test in the Ant-Man suit when his character didn’t actually wear it in the final cut of the sequel. Douglas suited up in Ant-Man and The Wasp near the ending of the film, though not the suit as seen in the photo above. Hank ventured into the Quantum Ream to look for his long-missing wife Janet in a bulkier outfit, sans Ant-Man helmet; however, an alternate opening for the movie was shot (and can be seen in the Infinity Saga box set) which showed off a mission with Douglas’ Hank Pym and Michelle Pfeiffer’s Janet van Dyne in their original costumes. This sequence got far enough along that it almost appeared in the final cut, and is why Douglas would have been wearing the outfit as a test.

Michael Douglas previously confirmed that an Ant-Man 3 is happening, but with no official release date set for the movie it may not debut until 2022 at the earliest. It remains to be seen if Douglas will put on the classic Ant-Man suit or not.