With the recent trailer release, anticipation for Marvel’sAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniahas only grown (no pun intended). Even though it seems like a lot of the public and even some fans might be getting fatigued by the amount of MCU content released over the past few years, there’s still quite a bit of hype for this film. A lot of fans are eager to return to the world of Scott Lang. From the trailer, it seems as though, as the title might imply, the Quantum Realm is going to a major setting over the course of the film.
This is an interesting idea, as in the past, the Quantum Realm has only been visited briefly. It’s often seen as a place where one wouldn’t want to spend a lot of time. It will give the MCU a chance to explore a new facet of their universe, on a molecular level. However, it also presents a major problem for the story. Ant-Man’s growing and shrinking abilities are integral to the character and tothe world of Ant-Manthat the MCU has created, and spending a majority of the movie in the Quantum Realm kind of negates the potential for happen.
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Part of the appeal of any superhero is their set of superpowers. Their backstory or general personality may be compelling, but what grabs most people’s attention are the supernatural or science-based things they can do — the things make them a superhero in the first place. For Ant-Man, those powers involve the growing and (more often) shrinking of his bodyusing Pym Particles. Being able to shrink to the size of an insect (or even ride an insect like a horse) is what makes Ant-Man what he is. The individual films are well-made and have interesting plot points besides this, but the main appeal is watching Ant-Man use his powers.
This also gives the movie a chance to have some really fun set pieces, as fans get to see the world through a very different lens when Ant-Man shrinks down in size. Seeing the heroes at their tiny size the real world is fun, and is the best way to illustrateAnt-Man’s and the Wasp’s powers. Think of the kitchen scene fromAnt-Man and the Wasp, or the way they utilize growing and shrinking the van for comedic effect. This is one of the elements that makes theAnt-Manmovies stand out from the other MCU films.
All of this is why it might be a bad idea forQuantumaniato focus as much as it does on the Quantum Realm. While theQuantum Realm is a new and exciting placethat the MCU hasn’t explored deeply yet, it is also, famously, at the quantum level. This means that the characters will be small, inside a world that is already small to begin with. If the movie spends a lot of its runtime in this setting (as the title suggests), then it loses out on the fun of having Ant-Man grow and shrink in a normal environment. Visually, being stuck in the Quantum Realm is a lot less interesting.
This isn’t to presume that the whole movie itself is going to be uninteresting, as it’s a little too early to make that judgement call. Still, the idea of the Pym Particles not being used to their full potential makes the prospect of this movie seem a little less fundamentally “Ant-Man.” If one of the main appeals of the characters and world on this end of the MCU is watching how they utilize the shrinking abilities tofight baddies, it’s a lot less fun when everything is on a molecular level.
Maybe the movie will still find a way for the Pym Particles fulfill their purpose in the Quantum Realm; for example, the characters may become even smaller within it. But in general, it still leads to a far less visually interesting premise. This is especially problematic forCassie Lang, who is going to be a major player in the movie and presumably learn the ways of the Ant-Man power set, setting her on the path to become Stature. If the audience doesn’t get to see her utilize those powers in the classic way they were intended, it’s a bit disappointing for those who were excited to see Cassie’s character develop on the big screen.
Again, it may be too early to be making these assumptions when the only evidence there is to go off of iswhat’s in the trailer, but the worry for fans still stands. This film will obviously utilize the Quantum Realm quite a bit, and spending too much time there defeats the purpose of what makes Ant-Man and the Wasp interesting. Some of the funniest, most engaging sequences from these movies are the ones that play around with the shrinking powers, and having them take a back seat would be a big mistake for the movie. PerhapsAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniawill be able to split its time and make equal use of the classic powers and the Quantum Realm, but only time will tell.
