Major MCU Phase 3 Easter Egg Showcased in Ant-Man 3 Trailer

As Phase 4 winds down, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is gearing up for what promises to be a seismic next installment of feature films and streaming shows. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania kicks off the theatrical side of Phase 5 next year. While that threequel is still four months away, Marvel Studios gave a taste of what's to come in the form of Quantumania's first teaser trailer. As Paul Rudd's Scott Lang tries to enjoy his post-Avengers: Endgame life, he and company are roped back into that familiar microscopic universe thanks to a satellite created by his daughter, Kathryn Newton's Cassie Lang.

Once there, the collective of Scott, Cassie, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) navigate what stands before them. As someone who spent decades trapped in the Quantum Realm, Janet takes the lead, revealing what they are dealing with.

"It's a secret universe beneath ours," Janet says.

Throughout the trailer, Janet is noticeably nervous, which prompts Hope to question what she fears.

"There's something I never told you," Janet cryptically responds.

From there, Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) begins narrating, teasing that the Quantum Realm is not what it appears to be. As Kang speaks, shots of a massive military-esque base are showcased, complete with assembly lines of soldiers and other-worldly ships. Outside of this base, the Quantumania footage takes fans to a Quantum Realm bar, introduces Bill Murray's human-looking character, and pits the aforementioned ships against a supersized version of Ant-Man.

All these events take place in a city that bears resemblance to a blink-and-miss-it skyline featured in 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp.

While it is not explicitly stated that this is the same city as the one that cameos in Ant-Man and the Wasp, both feature similar building structures and lighting. On top of that, both are surrounded in similar Quantum Realm-style energy.

This city will likely end up being the MCU's version of Chronopolis. In the comics, Chronopolis is a time-spanning city-state ruled over by Kang the Conqueror. Chronopolis is depicted in a circular shape, not unlike what was seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp and the Quantumania trailer. 

Most notably, Chronopolis is powered by an engine called the "Heart of Forever." This engine gave Chronopolis the power to exist in every single branch of the timeline simultaneously, which consequently gave Kang the ability to tap into past events at will. In one brief trailer frame, Kang's hand can be seen placing a brightly-lit sphere into a capsule, which could be interpreted as the conqueror recharging the film's iteration of the Heart of Forever.

If this mystery city ends up being Chronopolis and follows a similar set of rules to its comic counterpart, the crux of Ant-Man 3's story could be about Kang attempting to make his kingdom timeless. During his narration, Kang claims that he needs Scott's help for something, and in return he will gift him and his friends more time. Perhaps that favor is related to powering up the Heart of Forever, as successfully doing so would give him the ability to dish out time as he so pleases.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania arrives in theaters on February 17th, 2023.