Marvel Star Says They’re Done Acting (What Does That Mean for Their MCU Hero?)

On Monday, legendary actor Michael Douglas made a surprising announcement while at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. According to Variety, the actor, who was there to present a restored print of Miloš Forman’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, discussed his concerns about politics, while also commenting on his future in acting. Douglas, who has portrayed Hank Pym in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2015’s Ant-Man, has been making an effort to take a step back from acting in recent years. While Douglas stopped short of using the word “retired,” he did explain that he has no real intention of going back to acting anytime soon.

“I have not worked since 2022 purposefully because I realized I had to stop,” Michael Douglas explained while noting his battle with Stage 4 throat cancer. “I had been working pretty hard for almost 60 years, and I did not want to be one of those people who dropped dead on the set. I have no real intentions of going back. I say I’m not retired because if something special came up, I’d go back, but otherwise, no.”

Read Next

Marvel Star Michael Douglas Wanted Hank Pym to Die in Last Ant-Man Movie

The actor noted that there is one “little independent movie” that he is trying to get a good script for, although no further details were given regarding the project. Still, it seems unlikely the actor will return to reprise his role as Hank Pym within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, unless it is for something incredibly special. As it stands, Douglas hasn’t appeared in a Marvel Studios project since 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The character’s fate remains unknown for the time being, after the threequel brought the Ant-family back together, having successfully defeated Kang and brought Janet back from the Quantum Realm.

Douglas is the second actor to step away from acting in the Ant-Man franchise. His on-screen daughter, Evangeline Lilly who plays Hope van Dyne, previously revealed she would be stepping away from acting last year. Like Douglas, Lilly never explicitly retired, noting that there was still a chance she could later return to acting. She has not appeared in a project since Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. This leaves both Hank and Hope in an uncertain state within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It remains to be seen whether Marvel Studios ultimately decides to recast their roles or finds a way to write them off, especially as Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man continues to play an important role within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Douglas has built an impressive career over the span of five decades. He landed his first credited role as Wilson Davis in CBS Playhouse. He would later go on to star in projects like Hail, Hero!, The Streets of San Francisco, and Romancing the Stone before starring in hits like Fatal Attraction and Wall Street. The actor also starred in iconic films like Basic Instinct, A Perfect Murder, Don’t Say a Word, and The Game. His most recent on-screen credit is the television mini-series, Franklin, in which he plays Benjamin Franklin.

Fans can stream Douglas’ work as Hank Pym now, as all three Ant-Man films are streaming on Disney+. He can also be heard voicing Pym in the animated series What If?, which recently wrapped its three-season run on the streaming service.