Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Star Paul Rudd Reveals the MCU Film That Most Influenced the Sequel

The upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania marks the third entry in the series focusing on Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang, so it might not come as much of a surprise to learn that the actor believes the experience to be heavily inspired by Thor: Ragnarok. While other solo series like the Iron Man and Captain America films found ways to deviate from their predecessors in exciting ways, Ragnarok is known not only for charting a new path for films focusing on one major hero, but also for embracing an entirely new tone, with that sequel arguably entirely reviving interest in the Asgardian. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania lands in theaters on February 17th.

“I didn’t really have the time to do it,” Rudd shared with Empire Magazine about having conversations with Quantumania writers early in development, per CBR. “But we kept talking during the process. I kept thinking about Thor: Ragnarok, where it was like, ‘Whoa, we can’t believe this is the third one, it seems so different.’ There was something appealing about doing something unexpected.”

The big shift with Ragnarok is that it embraced the inherent humor and absurdity of an Asgardian warrior teaming up with Hulk on another planet, with Thor’s subsequent appearances in the MCU seeing him continuing to embrace his sillier side. With Lang’s films having already embraced a more humorous tone than its peers, director Peyton Reed noted that the shift was instead towards the film delivering major ramifications for the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe.

“People felt like, ‘Oh, these are fun little palate cleansers after a gigantic Avengers movie,’” Reed shared with the magazine. “For this third one, I said, ‘I don’t want to be the palate cleanser anymore. I want to be the big Avengers movie.’”

Super heroes Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and The Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Scott’s daughter Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought possible. Directed by Peyton Reed and produced by Kevin Feige, p.g.a. and Stephen Broussard, p.g.a., Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania also stars Jonathan Majors as Kang, David Dastmalchian as Veb, Katy O’Brian as Jentorra, William Jackson Harper as Quaz, and Bill Murray as Lord Krylar. 

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania lands in theaters on February 17th.

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