Since its debut in 2015, the Ant-Man franchise has been dropping hints of the importance of the Quantum Realm to the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s future. Following Ant-Man and The Wasp, it seems that importance is about to burst.
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With some spoiler-heavy set photos from Avengers 4 having surfaced online and Ant-Man and The Wasp having been released in theaters, the connections between Marvel’s smallest heroes and its biggest ensemble of all-time are abundant.
From the opening sequence of Ant-Man and The Wasp to the unexpected and shocking post-credits scenes which wrapped it up, full spoilers for Marvel’s latest theatrical outing follow!
Immediate Aftermath
As seen in the second post-credits scene of Ant-Man and The Wasp, the immediate aftermath of Thanos snapping his fingers in Wakanda is on display. This was the first look at the world beyond the events of Avengers: Infinity War.
While Avengers: Infinity War left Wakanda briefly to show Nick Fury experiencing the aftermath of the snap in a city street, the scene was likely prior to any jump on the Emergency Broadcast System being activated. Scott Lang’s eerily quiet house with the Emergency Broadcast System ringing out from the television was a chilling step into the world where half of the universe’s living beings have been erased from existence.
Whether or not Avengers 4 will pick up in these moments is unknown, as Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige refused to divulge any details regarding the timing of the film’s opening moments when asked by ComicBook.com.
More Heroes
Heading into Avengers 4, the remaining heroes are going to need all of the help they can get. Half of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was wiped away from existence, including Doctor Strange, Star-Lord, Scarlet Witch, Black Panther, Spider-Man and more. Following the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and The Wasp, Hank, Janet, and Hope all joined that list.
However, it appears they will be returning in some capacity as it won’t be only Ant-Man banding together with Marvel’s greatest heroes to fight Thanos and possibly undo his Infinity War actions. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige says Evangeline Lilly has already filmed scenes for another movie and unless that movie is Captain Marvel, Avengers 4 is the only Marvel Studios film to have gone into production, so far.
“I think [Evangeline Lilly has] talked about it,” Feige said. “There’s already been additional Wasp filming of her for future movies but she’s great.”
Time Vortex
In the first of Ant-Man and The Wasp‘s two post-credits scenes, Janet van Dyne advises Scott Lang to avoid getting trapped in a time vortex while in the Quantum Realm.
While it’s unclear what a Time Vortex is capable of, it would likely spit Scott Lang out of the Quantum Realm in a timeline that is either in the past or future where his friends would not be. As a result, they “would not be able to save” him, as Janet pointed out.
However, time travel is just what the Avengers are going to need if they are going to undo what Thanos erasing half of the universe. While many suspected the Time Stone of being the only way the heroes could accomplish such a goal, the Quantum Realm may be capable of helping out, after all.
Multiple Parallel Realities
While the line about time vortexes was what caught moviegoer attention immediately, it may have been what Scott Lang would call a classic misdirect like close-up magic. Earlier in the film, Bill Foster was introduced to the film as a college professor. During his lecture, he explained Quantum Theory.
While explaining the complicated matter to his classroom, he explained the heavy effects of disrupting Quantum mechanics which could result in “chaos” and “multiple parallel realities.”
With Scott Lang trapped in the Quantum Realm, he might develop an ability to disrupt a Quantum Atom or otherwise visit a parallel reality. In those realities, which would set up the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse, heroes who have gone missing or been killed could still exist and begin traveling between worlds in an effort to band together against Thanos.
Janet van Dyne
Though Janet van Dyne is currently erased from existence, something seems to indicate she could be a major player in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
After spending years in the Quantum Realm, Janet claims to have experienced an “evolution” in her existence. Immediately upon her exit, she was able to use her bare hands to restore Ava’s cells to their proper working abilities using Quantum Particles. Janet’s knowledge and experience could play a key role in helping the heroes survive a battle with Thanos or in future Ant-Man and The Wasp movies.
