Editor's Note: The following article contains spoilers for 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania'.Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is right on the horizon, as Phase 4 came to an emotional and tech/action-filled end with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The 31st movie in the MCU, the highly awaited Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, will be the first film of Phase 5, continuing Marvel’s journey into the multiverse. This is director Peyton Reed’s third film in the Ant-Man film series, becoming only the second MCU director to complete a trilogy after Jon Watts' work on the Spider-Man movies, and he'll soon be followed by James Gunn with his work on the Guardians of the Galaxy films.
The arrival of Kang on the big screen will set the direction of the next phase of the MCU, and it is possible that every next film that we see after Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania will have some kind of connection to the time-traveling villain. President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige himself stated during San Diego Comic-Con that Kang will be the next Thanos-like threat for the Avengers and the film is "a direct line to...[Avengers:] Kang Dynasty", indicating this is definitely not the last that we will see of Kang the Conqueror.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is slated to be released on February 17, 2023, officially kicking off MCU Phase 5. Let’s have a look at all the characters, new and old, who will be taking a trip to the mysterious Quantum realm in Ant-Man and the crew’s latest adventure.
Related:‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ Review: Jonathan Majors Steals the Show in Shaky Start for MCU’s Phase 5
Paul Rudd as Scott Lang
Scott Lang aka the Ant-Man has always been one of the most underrated and underappreciated heroes in the MCU. That is why it was really surprising when he came out as the underdog in Avengers: Endgame, with a bit of help from a rat, and put forth the idea of time-traveling to different realities to fetch the 6 infinity stones and reverse the damage Thanos had done.
Scott is finally getting the recognition he deserves, though sometimes he gets mistaken for the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. From writing an autobiographical tale of his adventures in Avengers: Endgame to launching his own podcast, Scott is having the time of his life.
Scott is still in a relationship with Hope Van Dyne and is still working with the Pym family. His daughter Cassie is the latest to join the crew, showing a similar interest in electronics and the Quantum realm as her father. Their father-daughter dynamic plays a big part in the film, as it is due to Cassie’s mistake that the entire family is sucked into the mysterious land of the tiny. Cassie and Scott are separated from the rest, as they encounter strange landscapes and out-of-this-world creatures.
Before taking on the role of Ant-Man, Paul Rudd was most known for his work in comedies including Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. He also had a memorable recurring role as Mike Hannigan on the hit sitcom Friends. He is also known for his work with filmmaker Judd Apatow, having appeared in several of his films including The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and This Is 40.
Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne
Hope Van Dyne has been Scott’s romantic interest and partner-in-crime ever since the first Ant-Man film, even though they did spend some time apart due to Scott’s antics at the Avengers HQ and later due to Thanos’ infamous Snap. She resumed her superhero shenanigans as the Wasp after being resurrected in Avengers: Endgame, and has proved herself to be an exceptional superhero, on par with the Ant-Man, sometimes even outdoing him.
Hope and Scott are still very much in love, as she takes part in every sphere of his life, from sharing the limelight with him on the red carpet to co-parenting his daughter, Cassie. Hope, along with the rest of the Ant-Family are sucked into the Quantum realm after Cassie’s Quantum Signal generator malfunctions. She joins Scott and Cassie and the Freedom Fighters of the Quantum Realm as they face off against Kang.
Before she took on the role of Hope van Dyne (aka The Wasp), Evangeline Lilly was most known for her role as Kate Austen in the hit ABC series Lost and for her role as Tauriel the Wood Elf in The Hobbit films.
Michael Douglas as Hank Pym
The discoverer of Pym particles and the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym, has been a staple presence in every Ant-Man movie. He has always operated from the background, from selecting Scott as his successor to providing research and guidance to the next generation of heroes. Hank finally gets to see his family back together, once he rescues his wife, Janet Van Dyne, from the Quantum realm. However, it was short-lived as Thanos snaps him and the rest of the Ant-Family to dust (except Scott). He is reunited once again with his family after being restored to life thanks to the collective efforts of the heroes in Avengers: Endgame. However, in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, it seems his family is once again in danger, along with him, after they get trapped in the Quantum realm after the accident at his lab.
Michael Douglas has had a legendary career in Hollywood, he's a two-time Oscar-winner, having won his first Oscar for producing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and winning his second Oscar for his iconic lead performance as Gordon Gecko in Wall Street, a role which he reprised 23 years later in the sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. He has also starred in several iconic erotic thrillers including Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, and Disclosure. In recent years Douglas garnered critical acclaim for playing the lead role in the Netflix series The Kominsky Method and coming up he'll be playing Benjamin Franklin in the Apple TV+ limited series Franklin.
Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne
We haven’t seen a lot of action from Janet Van Dyne, the original Wasp, as of yet, but expect a lot more from the character as the story of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania partially revolves around her as she introduces the crew with the different locales and denizens of the Quantum realm, including the main villain, Kang the Conqueror. After getting rescued from the Quantum zone in the second Ant-Man movie, getting dusted in Avengers: Infinity War, and then being resurrected in Avengers: Endgame, Janet has always been in the backseat. However, we can see her finally suit up and fight in the latest Ant-Man film.
Much like Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer is also a Hollywood icon. She famously portrayed Catwoman in Tim Burton's superhero sequel Batman Returns and has starred in numerous hit films including Scarface, Hairspray, and Dangerous Minds. She has previously been nominated for three Academy Awards for her work in the films Dangerous Liaisons, The Fabulous Baker Boys, and Love Field.
Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania will be the MCU debut of Kathryn Newton, and she will be playing the grown-up version of Cassandra "Cassie" Lang, daughter of Scott Lang. Cassie is big into social justice, which often leads her to get in trouble with the authorities. She is extremely close with the other members of the Ant-Family, i.e. Hank, Janet, and Hope, and has an Ant-suit of her own, however, she is still in the learning phase. Following in her father’s footsteps, she shows interest in electronic devices and the Quantum Realm and creates a mechanism that sends a signal to the place like a satellite. The device ends up malfunctioning and sucks the entire Ant-Family into the Quantum Realm, where she suits up for the first time as the future superhero Stature/Stinger. In the comics, Stature or her later alias, Stinger, possesses similar powers as that of the Ant-Man and the Wasp, and might become a potential member of the Young Avengers in the future.
Newton replaces actresses Abby Ryder Fortson and Emma Fuhrmann, with the former playing a younger version of Cassie in the first two Ant-Man films and the latter playing the grown-up Cassie in Avengers: Endgame. Despite being a relatively new name in Hollywood, Newton has already had quite a successful career with supporting roles in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Lady Bird, and Big Little Lies. She has also had lead roles in films and shows such as Blockers, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, The Society, and Freaky.
Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror
The arrival of Kang the Conqueror has been hyped ever since Jonathan Majorsplayed He Who Remains in the Loki TV series, and he teased the cunning time-traveling villain. Kang is going to be the next Thanos-like threat to the MCU in Phase 5, and it seems like his first victim from their earth will be Scott Lang. He already knows a lot about the Avengers, and has possibly fought against them in a different timeline. However, there’s one task he needs Scott to do, indicating he does have some kind of weakness, despite being ultra-powerful. He also shares a history with Janet from her time trapped in the Quantum Realm.
Jonathan Majors is quickly becoming one of the biggest names in the business, he broke out in a big way with his supporting role in the indie film The Last Black Man in San Francisco and playing the lead role in the HBO original series Lovecraft Country. Since then Majors has starred in numerous high-profile projects including Da 5 Bloods, The Harder They Fall, and Devotion, and next month he'll play the antagonist in the sports sequel Creed III.
Randall Park as Jimmy Woo
Randall Park returns for a brief role as Jimmy Woo in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. A former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who now works for the FBI, Jimmy was first assigned as Scott’s parole officer after his escape from the Raft after the events of Captain America: Civil War. He was also tasked to track down and arrest Hank Pym and Hope van Dyne for violating the Sokovia Accords. Woo also made a cameo in WandaVision and played a role in freeing the town of Westview from Scarlet Witch’s hold. In Quantumania he is still friendly with Scott and Hope.
Park is most known for his role on the ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat as well as for playing Kim Jong-un in the controversial action-comedy The Interview. He also starred opposite Ali Wong in the hit romantic comedy Always Be My Maybe. He is also part of the DC universe as he played Dr. Stephen Shin in Aquaman and will be reprising the role later this year in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Bill Murray as Krylar
One of the most surprising additions to Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is Bill Murray’s character, Krylar, who had a fling with Janet Van Dyne in the past and used to work alongside the Quantum Realm's Freedom Fighters. Krylar is a relatively minor character from the comics and his only appearance was in an issue of The Incredible Hulk from back in 1972.
Bill Murray has had a long and storied career in the film business. He has starred in blockbuster comedies such as Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, Groundhog Day, What About Bob, Caddyshack, and Scrooged. He is also well-known for his work with acclaimed auteurs Sofia Coppola and Wes Anderson.
Corey Stoll as Darren Cross/M.O.D.O.K
As soon as Ant-Man’s latest adventure into the Quantum Realm was announced, a lot of fans speculated the return of Corey Stoll’s Darren Cross, who, in the first film, was trapped in the dreaded zone after his fight with Scott. However, he will be returning as another supervillain in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, as the hyper-intelligent menace M.O.D.O.K. We will have to wait and see how this dynamic plays out in the film, as the Ant-Family will have their hands full dealing with another deadly threat.
Corey Stoll is known for his roles in hit shows such as Billions, House of Cards, Law & Order: LA, and The Strain. He has also appeared in plenty of major films including Black Mass, Non-Stop, First Man, The Report, and West Side Story. He is next set to have a key role in Zack Snyder's sci-fi epic Rebel Moon, which will be hitting select theaters and Netflix at the end of the year.
Katy O'Brian as Jentorra
The Quantum Realms Freedom Fighters will play a big role in the upcoming Ant-Man movie, as the journey into the Quantum realm explores its deeper depths, as well as micro-sized politics. Katy O'Brian's Jentorra is the leader of the prominent and heroic Freedom Fighters group. Her character reminds you of Drax in the first Guardians of The Galaxy movie in some ways, as being really monotone, but really strong, and will stand with the heroes in the final fight against Kang in the Quantum Realm. In the comics, Jentorra is the niece of Queen Jarella, leader of the planet K'ai.
Jentorra is Katy O'Brian's first big movie role after previously having supporting roles on series such as Black Lightning, The Walking Dead, Z Nation, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and The Mandalorian. She will next star in the indie romantic thriller Love Lies Bleeding alongside Kristen Stewart.
David Dastmalchian voices Veb
If you are missing the older members of Scott's gang, you are definitely in for a surprise. David Dastmalchian, who has appeared in Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp movies as Kurt Goreshter, the cybercriminal friend of Scott Lang, Luis, and Dave, will return but in a completely unrecognizable avatar in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. Dastmalchian voices Veb, an MCU original character with a slimy-blob-like appearance with an exposed brain and eyeballs. Veb is also a member of the Freedom Fighters and is obsessed with "holes." His slime actually works as a translator, something he shares with Scott and Cassie to make them understand the languages within the Quantum Realm.
Dastmalchian is no stranger to the superhero genre, outside his roles in the Ant-Man films he memorably played Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad, he played one of Joker's thugs in The Dark Knight, he starred as the villain Abra Kadabra in several episodes of The Flash, he appeared as Dwight Pollard on Gotham, and he voiced Calendar Man and The Penguin in Batman: The Long Halloween Parts1 & 2. He has also had roles in acclaimed films such as Blade Runner 2049 and Dune, and he's starring in several major films coming in 2023 including Boston Strangler, The Boogeyman, Last Voyage of the Demeter, and most notably Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer.
William Jackson Harper as Quaz
Having a telepath by your side during an ongoing crusade always gives you an edge over your enemy, but not when you are William Jackson Harper's Quaz. Another important member of the Quantum Realm's Freedom Fighters, Quaz is a telepath but has no control over his mind-reading powers. In fact, they mostly activate against his will, and whenever they do, his head glows, resulting in several embarrassing and hilarious situations.
Harper broke out into the mainstream with his role as Chidi Anagonye on The Good Place, and he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his work in the fourth and final season of the series. He has also appeared in films and shows such as Midsommar, Love Life Season 2, The Resort, and The Underground Railroad.
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