'Avengers: Endgame' Trailer May Prove Important Ant-Man Quantum Realm Theory

The first trailer for Avengers: Endgame left Marvel fans with as many questions as it did provide answers, and one of the biggest mysteries came at the very end of the trailer. We see Scott Lang/Ant-Man make an appearance outside Avengers HQ, startling Avengers like Captain America and Black Widow who thought Ant-Man dead alongside the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe lost in The Decimation event.

Ant-Man's presence has prompted theories that we've already seen an example of time travel in Avengers: Endgame. However, there's another big reveal that this scene may be setting up, one that has to do with theories about The Quantum Realm that have been circulating ever since the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp.

The final scenes of the Ant-Man sequel saw Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and the Pym family (Hank, Hope, and Janet) using the Quantum Tunnel to send Scott back into the Quantum Realm to gather samples of Quantum Energy. Unfortunately for Scott, that exploration is happening at the exact moment of Thanos' big finger snap with the Infinity Gauntlet, which left Scott stranded in the Quantum Realm with no exit.

Here's the big question we were left with: was Scott Lang actually spared from The Decimation because he was just one of the lucky few new Avengers characters to get a pass? Or was he spared because he was inside of the Quantum Realm at the time? We here at ComicBook.com had the chance to sit down with Ant-Man and the Wasp director Peyton Reed to ask him that very question, and this was the answer we got:

"Is the Quantum Realm a safe place?" Ant-Man and the Wasp director Peyton Reed said to ComicBook.com. "I assume there's parts of the Quantum Realm that are safe, and parts that are dangerous, and I think it remains to be seen how and if he'll get out of the Quantum Realm. Beyond that, I ain't saying a thing, man. I don't want a Marvel sniper showing up at my house, and taking me out."

There's a lot of room in that non-answer for interpretation and speculation. It does in fact seem like The Quantum Realm will be a key factor in Avengers 4, and the way events have played out suggests that the Quantum Realm is indeed a "safe space" that's immune to the effects of the Infinity Gauntlet. That's an important detail to note, as it could be the key to a bigger threat than Thanos that could be waiting in the wings. The Quantum Realm has been seen to possibly house its own civilization, and could also be plane in which major MCU cosmic entities (Eternity) could be hiding. Given the events of the classic "Infinity Gauntlet" storyline, the Quantum Realm could be opened to either give The Avengers a literal path to defeating Thanos, or possibly release some of the power hidden within the mysterious realm.

Peyton Reed has also hinted that the Quantum Realm's Time Vortexes could also be a key point on how Scott gets out of the Quantum Realm, and possibly shows up at the Avengers door in a different time period. So not only is that place seemingly safe from the Infinity Stones' power, it may have the power to counter the stones' effects on forces like time and reality. One thing we do know: Scott is seemingly driving the same van that housed the Pyms' "Quantum Tunnel" device when he comes to meet The Avengers, so clearly he thinks it's a destination worth returning to.

Do you think Ant-Man is still around because of the Quantum Realm? Let us know in the comments!

Avengers: Infinity War is now available on home media. Upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, Avengers: Endgame on April 26, 2019, and Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5, 2019.