Is Ant-Man Part of 'Avengers: Infinity War'?

Update: Ant-Man has been confirmed for Avengers: Infinity War! Details HERE!

As Avengers: Infinity War approaches, fans have been scrutinizing every piece of official information and promotional material, looking for clues to what will happen in the movie -- and which characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe might show up.

Much has been made of the fact that Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye hasn't been featured in the promo materials for the film, despite knowing that he will appear in it. Well, there's another character who doesn't appear in any official promo materials, and some fans have been wondering if it means he's not a part of this epic Marvel Cinematic Universe team-up.

So is Paul Rudd's Ant-Man in Avengers: Infinity War, or not? Here's what we know:

pic.twitter.com/bXTfSrG5zK

— Fran-Man (@SuperiorFrank) March 26, 2018

No Evidence

So far, there's been no solid evidence that Paul Rudd has a role in Avengers: Infinity War. He wasn't featured in a single set photo or video, nor has he been seen in any of the promotional materials for the movie. There's a fan theory that suggests Ant-Man makes a secret appearance in the Infinity War IMAX poster, but that sounds more like fanboy wishful thinking.

Paul Rudd hasn't come out and confirmed that he won't be appearing in Avengers: Infinity War, like other popular actors from the MCU have; then again, the actor hasn't been seen doing much (if any) publicity lately, so he's never really had the question put to him in any kind of direct and pressing way.

But as the old saying goes, "the absence of evidence, is not evidence of absence." Just because we haven't heard Ant-Man confirmed yet, doesn't confirm that he's not in the film. Infinity War is a crossover event where there could be all kinds of surprise cameo appearances, so really, anything is possible.

Avengers 4 Redux

We've already heard confirmation from Paul Rudd's Ant-Man franchise co-star Evangeline Lily that Wasp will be appearing in Avengers 4, and set videos from over the summer confirm that Rudd definitely appears in the Infinity War sequel, as well.

So, it would seem that Ant-Man and Wasp could be saved for the second chapter, which is totally in keeping with what directors the Russo Bros have teased about the sequel: namely that characters who don't get much time in Avengers: Infinity War will get the spotlight in Avengers 4. In the case of Ant-Man, that could be a change from zero screen time to having an all-important arc in the sequel.

So Many Films, So Little Time

When it comes to Paul Rudd's Ant-Man, there's also a unique logistical dilemma to face: Ant-Man has an entire movie coming out right on the heels of Avengers: Infinity War. Ant-Man and the Wasp hits theaters in July. That would leave virtually zero time for Rudd to be out first promoting Infinity War, only to have to push through the rest of summer going back out on the worldwide tour to promote Ant-Man and the Wasp.

That's a tall order, even for Marvel Studios, and it flows into a larger dilemma: how Rudd would've even been available for extensive shooting on both films, given the tight proximity of their respective productions -- not to mention, production on Avengers 4, which also began while Ant-Man and the Wasp was still shooting. It makes much more sense (on a lot of fronts) to have Rudd skip Avengers: Infinity War, do Ant-Man and the Wasp and Avengers 4, then spend this summer promoting his solo film, and next spring promoting the Avengers sequel.

Last Min-Ant Save

At this point, it seems pretty cut and dry that Paul Rudd's Ant-Man won't appear in Avengers: Infinity War, but that's not necessarily a guarantee.

As stated, Infinity War may have all kinds of surprise cameos, and there's a growing fan theory that the characters we're not seeing much of in the marketing (Hawkeye and Ant-Man) could get a surprising subplot in the movie that sees them on a mission to obtain the Soul Stone, the all-important final MacGuffin in the MCU.

There's also been a smaller sector of fans who believe that Infinity War could end in disaster for the universe, and that Scott Lang / Ant-Man could be a last minute savior that helps the MCU heroes survive to fight again in Avengers 4.

There's definitely room for Ant-Man and the Wasp to reveal that the Soul Stone has been hidden in the Quantum Realm microverse; if that's the case, then a final or post-credits scene of Infinity War could def reveal that fact -- along with a brief cameo from Ant-Man that wouldn't be listed in the cast listing, or have required more than a day or so for Rudd to film the top-secret scene. It would spoil a big reveal of Ant-Man and the Wasp, but it might also inspire many other fans to go out and see the Ant-Man sequel, because it's suddenly important to the overall MCU plot, moreso than anyone initially thought.

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Do you think Ant-Man will show up in Avengers: Infintiy War? Or will he be saved for Ant-Man and the Wasp and the currently untitled fourth Avengers films? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!