Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Ant-Man

  • EXCLUSIVE: ‘ANT-MAN 3’ Slated to Film at Pinewood UK

    The third film in Marvel Studios Ant-Man franchise is set to go into production across the pond with Pinewood Studios UK serving as home base! Disney made the decision to move forward with the film late this summer and it was recently revealed that Peyton Reed, who directed the 2015’s Ant-Man and 2018’s Ant-Man and The Wasp, would return to helm the three-quel.

    It is expected that the production film at yet unspecified locations around Europe, in addition to doing some additional photography in and around Atlanta. Michael Douglas has indicated he believes production to begin in January of 2021 and I have been told to expect pre-production to begin on the film as soon as January of 2020.

    The yet to be subtitled Ant-Man 3 will hit theaters in 2022.

  • ‘ANT-MAN 3’: How Marvel Studios Tiniest Franchise Could Make Big Noise in Phase 5

    With the Infinity Saga complete, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to enter a bold, new and Avenger-less era. While the specifics aren’t entirely clear, it seems that Phase 4 of the MCU will only last for 2 years and as we continue to learn more about it, it certainly seems like at least part of its purpose is to prepare us for something, to use familiar Marvel terminology, All-New and All-Different.

    Black Widow, The Eternals, Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder will hit the big screen while The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, WandaVision, Loki, What If…? and Hawkeye (and possibly Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight and She-Hulk) will continue the narrative over on Disney Plus. It appears as if The Eternals is going to be a deep dive into the ancient history of the MCU while also planting the seeds for future stories. As I discussed before, Doctor Strange: Into the Multiverse of Madness, in conjunction with WandaVision and Loki, seems poised to change the very nature of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by truly opening up and exploring the multiverse. The other projects really seem like they’ll be utilized to transition to legacy heroes (Yelena Belova, Falcon-Cap, Jane Foster/Thor and Kate Bishop) or expand the reach of the MCU into previously unexplored corners and genres (Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings). What’s interesting is that we can’t be entirely sure which of these projects takes place in the MCU’s present day of 2023 which allows the MCU to potentially go on for another 2 years without assembling new heroes to fill the void left following the disassembling of the Avengers following Avengers: Endgame.

    Enter the MCU’s smallest franchise: Ant-Man. Both Ant-Man and Ant-Man and The Wasp were smaller budget films that followed major MCU event films in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Avengers: Infinity War, respectively, and were never perceived as “must-see films” despite the second film’s connection to the events of Avengers: Endgame. If there is any truth to the rumors, first shared on our podcast, that Ant-Man 3 may serve as the platform on which the Young Avengers assemble, we could see the final film in Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man trilogy grow to new heights both in popularity and in its impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In following up on the original Young Avengers rumors, I haven’t come across any confirmation of their appearance, but I have consistently heard from other sources to expect something on a much larger scale for Ant-Man 3, so large that the studio has already begun early pre-production work on the film. So while I still can’t confirm Ant-Man and the Young Avengers, I also still can’t entirely rule it out and am left to think about just what that film could look like.

    Given that Ant-Man 3 is happening in 2022, the film wouldn’t introduce audiences to the characters, but it could serve as the film in which the team unites. Just exactly who will be on the team isn’t entirely clear, but there are some members who should be ready to go by 2022. Cassie Lang is already in the MCU and definitely ready to rock and roll as her dad’s parter. It appears as though WandaVision will introduce two members of the team in twins Tommy and Billy Kaplan, aka Speed and Wiccan, the children of the Vision and Scarlet Witch, and Kate Bishop is set to make her debut in Hawkeye, meaning we could have 4 core members of the first iteration of the team by the end of 2021. That leaves Teddy Altman, aka Hulkling, Elijah Bradley, aka Patriot and Nathaniel Richards, aka Iron Lad, (aka Kang!) as founding members of the team that still need to be introduced. Given the introduction of the Kree-Skrull conflict in Captain Marvel, it’s not too tough to imagine a way for Hulkling to show up and given that The Falcon and The Winter Soldier will deal with the legacy of Captain America, it is possible that we find a way to get to Patriot. That leaves us with the most interesting and problematic of the Young Avengers: the young, future Kang.

    In the comics, Nathaniel Richards, after discovering he is fated to become the evil warlord Kang, travels back in time to seek the help of the Avengers. Finding them disassembled, Richards hacks into the Vision and discovers that the Avengers have identified a group of teens who could step in as the next generation of heroes if anything should happen to them. Richards assembles these heroes, the Young Avengers, and begins filling the void left by the Avengers. the Young Avengers ultimately came into conflict with Captain America and Iron Man after their exploits gained the attention of the two Avengers. While the two groups butted heads, they eventually came together to intervene in a major conflict between the Kree and Skrulls that centered around the heritage of one of Hulkling.

    Well it’s unlikely we see a direct adaptation of their comic book origins, it’s not too hard to see a way that they could slide into the MCU. The present day of the MCU, as seen in Spider-Man: Far From Home, is a time without Avengers. As I mentioned above, many of the characters will be introduced ahead of Ant-Man 3, so it’s just a matter of bringing them together. Given that Ant-Man is one of the few remaining Avengers and the only one with a film franchise, it certainly seems possible that we could see some universe shifting events including the Young Avengers take place in the third film.

    The family friendly franchise seems like a great place to introduce the new team and provide them with opportunities to be mentored by Earth’s remaining Avengers. In a recent interview, Mark Ruffalo indicated that this sort of mentorship might indeed be something we see in the future, saying he’d like to see the Hulk interact with the new heroes that will be introduced and act as a “guru to some of the younger ones.” While I’m not sure we’ll see an actual academy with classrooms and lunch breaks, I could certainly see Scott, Hope, Clint, Rhodey, and Hulk (and maybe even Wanda and/or Vision) bringing a bit of an Avengers Academy vibe to the story. As for what that story might be, I think Avengers: Endgame may have left some a bread crumb or two.

    Tony Stark invented time travel and, as he told Cap, when you mess with time, it tends to mess back. While that certainly happened within the events of Endgame when Thanos traveled forward to 2023 to lay waste to Earth, I’m not sure we’ve seen the end of time messing back. If ever there were a time to introduce Kang, it would be in the next few years. Should Marvel Studios version of the Fantastic Four hit theaters ahead of Ant-Man 3, say in February of 2022, the great 31st century conqueror could be first introduced there, making his younger self’s appearance possible in Reed’s third Ant-Man film. Of course this is nothing but pure speculation and there’s probably all kinds of timey-wimey stuff to consider, but one can always ponder the possibilities.

    How would you like to see the Young Avengers brought together in the MCU? Let me hear your thoughts below!

  • 5 Things To Explore In An ‘Ant-Man’ Sequel

    5 Things To Explore In An ‘Ant-Man’ Sequel

    This article was originally published by Charles Murphy at MCU Exchange on July 27, 2015.

    Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man has been a hit with critics and audiences. While it’s opening weekend box office gross didn’t match up with its predecessors, it is making plenty of money globally having taken in over $133M in it’s first 7 days, meaning it’s already out-grossed its production budget. While we know that Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang is going to appear in next year’s Captain America: Civil War and that Evangeline Lilly’s Hope van Dyne will appear again at some point, the studios has yet to greenlight an Ant-Man sequel. Director Peyton Reed seeded the film with multiple ideas that could be explored in future films (and the MCU at large), leading to all sorts of speculation among the team here at the MCU Exchange. Here are 5 things we thought we’d like to see explored in a Payton Reed directed Ant-Man sequel.

    Evangeline Lilly’s Wasp

    This one is as obvious as they come. Evangeline Lilly’s Hope van Dyne spent the entirety of Ant-Man being kept away from her destiny. Only in the mid-credit stinger did she finally get some satisfaction when her father, Dr. Hank Pym, revealed the suit he and his wife, Janet van Dyne, had been working on. Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige has since revealed that while the plan was originally to have Hope reappear in Captain America: Civil War, they’ve now rethought when we’ll first see her don the suit.

    Audiences have really seemed to like Scott Lang, but the partnership between him and Hope was under explored. While it will be great to see them both in action at some point in the future, we’d love to see Hope (in a redesigned Wasp suit) and Scott in some size-changing adventures in an Ant-Man and the Wasp sequel (my title, not theirs). Hope van Dyne is, for all intents and purposes, an open book. She isn’t based directly on any existing comic book character (though there is a Hope Pym in an alternate universe), so Lilly can make this character her own. HOPEfully we get to see that happen.

    Hank Pym’s Search for Janet van Dyne


    Throughout the film, Hank Pym gave us bits of information about why his wife, Janet van Dyne, was MIA. While working together for S.H.I.E.L.D., Janet seemingly made the ultimate sacrifice to stop a warhead from striking American soil. According to Hank, despite knowing the dangers of doing so, Janet turned off her regulator and shrunk beyond the point of no return. Hank goes on to state that Janet became lost in the Quantum Realm, a place from which he believed there was no return…until Scott Lang proved him wrong in the film’s climax.

    Director Peyton Reed hinted that audiences should keep their eyes peeled while Scott was in the Quantum Realm, leading many to believe that we might catch a glimpse of Janet. Eagle-eyed viewers have claimed to notice a shadow in the background and though it’s nearly impossible to be sure, it is entirely feasible that it’s her. As Ant-Man closed, we saw Hank Pym seemingly rejuvenated in his desire to continue his search for the wife he believed lost. A sequel with parallel stories of Scott and Hope working together in this dimension while Hank searches for Janet in the Quantum Realm could be the kind of heavy science-fiction fare that could help Marvel Studios continue their expansion into multiple genres.

    The only times we saw Janet in the film her face was obscured by some headgear, leaving future casting of the Winsome Wasp wide open. Michael Douglas has expressed his desire to see his wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, in the role and Evangeline Lilly recently went on record naming Michelle Pfeiffer her favorite. Here’s to hoping we get to see anyone cast as Janet so we can see her and Hank, two founding Avengers in the comics, on screen together for more than a flashback.

    More 80’s Ant-Man and Wasp


    Speaking of flashbacks, Marvel has to find some way to fill in the further adventures of Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. For comic book fans, the little bit of Ant-Man and Wasp action seen in the film and the flashback scenes of a young Hank Pym were just a tease. While we want to see Hank searching for his wife in the present day, it’s damn near mandatory that we get more of Hank and Janet in their primes.

    As I first hypothesized back in April of 2014, Hank Pym’s place in the MCU timeline saw him working alongside Howard Stark and Peggy Carter (and it’s still open to argument that he may have worked with robo-Zola and the treacherous Alexander Pierce. While the shrinking effects are too pricey for TV, there has to be somewhere that the adventures of Hank and Janet can be further explored.

    HYDRA’s Pym Particles


    Something easily forgotten in the film’s climax was that Mitch Carson, played by Martin Donovan, hit the bricks with a vial of Darren Cross’ Pym Particles. Given that Carson, a long-time Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., was revealed as a HYDRA mole, that’s probably not good news for the MCU.

    We know HYDRA, though greatly reduced, still exists in the MCU. Grant Ward seems to be a big player on the TV side of things, but we are about to meet someone who is likely an even bigger part of the evil organization: Baron Zemo. One of our favorite, crazy theories around here is that Captain America: Civil War will either introduce or lead to the formation of the Thunderbolts, a team of super-villains, led by Zemo, who originally seem to be helping out only to be revealed as the baddies they are. One member of that team, Erik Josten, a former Marine under Zemo’s employ who eventually uses Pym Particles under the alias of Goliath. Scott Lang seemed to have cracked the ability to grow in Ant-Man’s 3rd act, opening the doorway for him to to appear as Giant-Man at some point in the future. The shrinking effects in Ant-Man gave us the opportunity to see some pretty intense fight scenes; it’s easy to get excited about the prospects of seeing Lang (or maybe Michael Pena’s Luis!!) and Josten go toe-to-toe as giants.

    Of course there’s another option as to how HYDRA could use the Pym Particles. In the comics there was a third Ant-Man, an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. named Eric O’Grady. Given the shortened timeline of the MCU, it’s doubtful we’d see Scott Lang replaced so quickly by O’Grady. However, given HYDRA’s continued hold over S.H.I.E.L.D. (as demonstrated by Agent Carson), maybe we could see an Eric O’Grady with a little different backstory. It’s entirely within the realm of possibilities that O’Grady could be a HYDRA mole working under Carson and uses the Pym Particles and a new suit to be a thorn in the side of Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne. The character of O’Grady, thought dead, is slated to co-lead a new Illuminati book in the All-New, All-Different Marvel comics universe under the name the Black Ant. Maybe that’s in preparation for an upcoming villainous role or maybe it’s not.

    Marvel Studios does love exploring villains with the same powers as their heroes so though it’s possible that Carson’s confiscation of the Pym Particles never leads to anything, it might be handy for HYDRA to have a size changer or two of their own. It’s not too far-fetched to imagine The Astonishing Ant-Man (our title, not theirs) seeing HYDRA teaming up with AIM to put Josten, O’Grady or both in the way of our heroes.

    Ant-Man’s Rogues

    Ant-Man does not have the greatest collection of arch-enemies, however, while he’s not going up against Spider-Man’s gallery, there are plenty of villains that could pose some problems for the team of Pym, Lang and van Dyne. If not Josten and/or O’Grady, who else could cause trouble for our heroes?

    If Marvel Studios does not wish to explore more size-changing villains in the sequel, there are a few directions in which they could go. Given Hank Pym’s deep scientific genius, it would certainly be possible that we could see the reappearance (and hopefully a good one) of Aldrich Killian’s A.I.M. While the A.I.M. we saw in Iron Man 3 was nowhere near the hive of scientists comic fans know it to be, an Ant-Man sequel could see the company restructured under Elihas Starr, the comic book villain known as Egghead. His scientific genius, specifically in the atomic (maybe sub-atomic) realm, could lead to conflict.

    Of course it’s hard to talk about A.I.M without bringing up everyone’s favorite oddity, M.O.D.O.K. It’s difficult to imagine a way in which whatever M.O.D.O.K. is could appear in something as reality-based as the MCU, if there’s a chance it would have to revolve around the work of A.I.M. Though he wasn’t necessarily a main antagonist of either Hank Pym nor Scott Lang, seeing him brought to the big screen in a science-based Ant-Man sequel would be thrilling.

    If A.I.M. presents itself in a sequel, it’s likely they’ll need some muscle to help them out. We can think of nobody we’d like to see in that role more than Taskmaster. Despite some uncertainty about his film rights, Taskmaster is the ultimate A.I.M. henchman and presents such a unique type of villain that the types of fight scenes Marvel Stuidos could put together makes for some exciting speculation.