Ant-Man and the Wasp director reveals how Avengers: Infinity War ties into the movie

Ant-Man towers over San Francisco tourists.

Avengers: Infinity War is an all-encompassing beast. Despite Ant-Man and the Wasp coming out in just a few weeks (unless you’re in the UK, that is), all the talk about the pint-sized sequel has been about how *that* Infinity War ending feeds into the story director Peyton Reed and stars Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly aim to tell. So much so, that Reed has had to come out and clarify exactly how much of a role Infinity War plays in the movie, if at all. Minor spoilers to follow…

Speaking to Collider, Reed reveals that Ant-Man and the Wasp is a “free-standing story” on the face of things, but does tie into a particular MCU mashup – just not the one you’re expecting.

“We definitely had to deal with the ramifications post-Civil War,” Reed says. “That was crucial to Scott. And crucial to Hope. I mean it really is like fundamental in the jumping off point about what’s going on between the two of them at the start of this movie.”

If Scott Lang’s actions at the end of Captain America:  Civil War play a key role in setting up the story to Ant-Man and the Wasp (he’s under house arrest after a stint in super-prison The Raft, remember), then it’s almost certain that Infinity War won’t play a part at all, something that Reed is very keen to hammer home.

“[Ant-Man and the Wasp] is going on over here with huge personal stakes and huge other stakes that are really separate of what’s going on with infinity War,” Reed explains.

That’s that then? Obviously, the director isn’t going to come and say outright if Infinity War’s events – and the finger-snap – rears its ugly head, but it sure sounds like Ant-Man and the Wasp will be doing its own thing – which is fine by me. Those ‘other stakes’, though, make it seem as if we will get a definite answer to where the hell Scott and Hope were while Thanos was rocking up in Wakanda.

Get ready: Ant-Man and the Wasp is the first in a long, long line of new Marvel movies heading your way over the next few years.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.