Marvel Star Paul Rudd on What Drew Him to the Ant-Man Role

Paul Rudd is “very, very proud” of his Ant-Man role, saying the small-sized superhero is a “regular guy” thrown into the extraordinary world that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. First appearing in the Peyton Reed-directed Ant-Man in 2015, Rudd’s skilled thief and ex-con Scott Lang found himself in possession of an advanced suit granting him the ability to shrink to the size of an ant after vowing to reform for young daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson). After joining the fugitive faction of the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War, Lang suited up alongside superhero partner Hope (Evangeline Lilly) in Ant-Man and the Wasp before helping Earth’s mightiest heroes save the universe in Avengers: Endgame.

“I’m very, very proud of Ant-Man. I love the character,” Rudd told The Ringer. “When I first learned about Ant-Man, I thought, ‘What a weird, interesting, funny ability.’ He shrinks and can talk to ants [laughs].”

Boarding the project originally developed under Scott Pilgrim vs. the World writer-director Edgar Wright, Rudd went on to receive a writing credit on Ant-Man alongside his Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy director Adam McKay.

“I liked that it was a regular guy that seemed to be thrown into this extraordinary world and had to try, and continues to try, to adapt to it all,” Rudd said. “And that his struggles are real, and they’re human struggles, and it was funny, and it was cool to be a part of such elite company, for sure.”

After Rudd was confirmed for Ant-Man in 2013, Marvel said in a statement Rudd was “long ago identified as its first choice” to play the everyman superhero.

“When Edgar Wright came to us with the idea of Paul Rudd, we felt a huge sense of relief because the first step in creating any Marvel Studios film is finding the right star,” added Marvel Studios chief and producer Kevin Feige. “We knew early on that we had found the right person in Paul. When he not only agreed to do it but became as enthusiastic as any actor we’d ever met with about doing the work, we knew we’d found the right guy.”

Marvel’s untitled Ant-Man 3, reuniting Rudd and Lilly with Reed, is reportedly looking to release in 2022. Like Ant-Man and the Wasp, where Lilly’s Hope van Dyne suited up for the first time as Lang’s superhero partner, the sequel will emphasize the relationship of the crime-fighting duo.

Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp are now streaming on Disney+.