Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania kicks off Marvel Phase 5 in dramatic fashion as it introduces Kang the Conqueror to the MCU. As the new big bad, Jonathan Majors' character is set to cause big waves for the Avengers. Not only that, but the third movie in the Ant-Man franchise brings back our titular heroes Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), and the rest of the Ant-family for a new adventure in the Quantum Realm.
As Marvel Studios' 31st movie, there is a lot to get into with the latest MCU entry. Not only does it offer some huge character development for Rudd's Ant-Man, but it also sets up a lot of what's heading our way in the rest of the Multiverse Saga. In order to help you get your head around it all, we've compiled this extensive guide to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Below, we've taken a deep dive into all of the cast and release date information you need – as well as breaking down the movie's ending and post-credits. But, don't worry – anything spoiler-y has been flagged below with clear warnings to help you navigate if you're yet to see the movie or have just watched the credits roll.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania review
The official Total Film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania review gave the movie three stars. Our reviewer called it a "fun sci-fi getaway" with plenty of praise for Majors' Kang.
"True, Quantumania can feel a little too much like a warm-up for more from Kang, rather than its own standalone stand-off," writes TF reviewer Kevin Harley. "Landing flatly, the anti-climactic finale suffers as a result. But [director Peyton] Reed and [writer Jeff] Loveness stir up enough soapy family intrigues and peril to bring out our diminutive hero's best."
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania release date
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was released in theaters on February 17, 2023.
At the moment, Ant-Man 3 is only available in cinemas, but it should be heading to Disney Plus later in the year. There's not official release date for that just yet, but based on our Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Disney Plus release date predictions, it could be sooner than you might expect.
Given recent Marvel movies have landed on the streaming platform between 48 to 69 days after debuting in cinemas, it seems it could be out somewhere between April 6 and April 27.
Where does Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania take place on the Marvel timeline?
Thankfully, where Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania sits on the Marvel timeline is pretty easy to work out. This is due to a Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Easter egg where a CNN ticker mentions Scott Lang's book, Look Out for the Little Guy. We know Ant-Man 3 begins with Scott promoting the book, meaning the events of both films must happen at the same time, which would be 2025.
Ant-Man 3's release also marks the beginning of Marvel Phase 5, the next Phase in the MCU is the middle point in what's now being called 'The Multiverse Saga.' Phase 5 ends a year later with Thunderbolts while Fantastic Four kicks off Phase 6 in November 2024.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania cast
Predictably given the movie's title, Ant-Man and Wasp both return. The immortal Paul Rudd is back and playing Scott Lang for the fifth time; Evangeline Lilly reprises her role as Hope van Dyne. She was last seen in Avengers: Endgame.
Michael Douglas once again plays Hank Pym, Michelle Pfeiffer is back as Janet van Dyne, and newcomer Kathryn Newton is Scott's daughter Cassie Lang. Cassie has been recast from her last appearance in Avengers: Endgame. She was previously portrayed by Emma Fuhrmann. Jonathan Majors plays Marvel's next big villain, Kang the Conqueror. A variant of Kang, called He Who Remains, appeared in the Loki season 1 finale.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania exclusive insight
GamesRadar+ and Total Film had the chance to sit down and talk to director Peyton Reed about why Ant-Man is the best choice to face Kang first.
"We got excited about the idea of if you introduce Kang, one of the great Marvel villains, into the movies – who is going to be the first Avenger to go up against him? We liked the idea that Scott and Hope were the most unlikely Avengers to go up against him," Reed said.
"On paper, it’s an incredibly lopsided encounter," he continues. "There was dramatic tension in that from the get-go. I was like, ‘Well, how can that possibly work? How’s that going to be a challenge in any regard? What is the story going to be? We like that challenge and also the mystery of that." You can listen to our full chat on the Inside Total Film podcast.
In another exclusive interview, we also spoke to stars Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly about playing Quantumania's heroes. "I think that he’s certainly the most powerful [villain]," Rudd reveals about facing Kang. "I think a lot of things that Scott has been able to do, they don’t really work with him. Even his rhythms, everything about him is different."
While Lilly adds: "But when she comes up against Kang, that’s when – for the first time – you have this woman who is competent and capable in all situations feel on the back foot and feel scared and vulnerable in a way we’ve never seen before. She doesn’t know what to do or how to react."
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania breakdown *SPOILERS*
If you've already seen Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania at the theater then you're in the right place. Read on for our comprehensive and spoiler-filled guide to the movie below.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania cameos
Alongside the main cast, there are also plenty of cameos too. Although we will be getting into spoiler-territory here.
Ghostbusters actor Bill Murray shows up as Janet’s former love interest Krylar, now Lord Krylar. Elsewhere, The Good Place's William Jackson Harper plays Quaz and Katy O’Brian is Jentorra, both of whom Scott encounters in the Quantum Realm.
One of the biggest twists is the introduction of Marvel villain MODOK (Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing, in case you were wondering). Corey Stoll plays the character, who turns out to be Darren, Scott's long-time nemesis. You can read about all of the other Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania cameos through that link. If that's not enough, we've also broken down some Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Easter eggs too.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania plot
Ant-Man 3 begins with Scott Lang living happily as a successful author with his girlfriend Hope van Dyne. However, when his daughter Cassie Lang reveals she’s been working on a device to contact the Quantum Realm, the whole ant-family ends up sucked through a portal into the mysterious dimension. It’s not long before they encounter some of the weird and wonderful inhabitants, including MODOK and Kryler, as well as its leader Kang the Conqueror.
Kang is attempting to get his power core back, using Cassie as a leverage to get Scott to help him. Thankfully, Hope, Janet, and Hank are on hand to help and Cassie manages to escape. Kang isn’t about to make it easy for them, though, capturing Janet and battling the ant-family. They're only saved at the last minute by hyper-intelligent ants (who had also been pulled into the Quantum Realm). MODOK even ends up switching sides to help, too.
Just as the ant-family open a portal to return home, Kang returns to deliver a brutal beatdown to Scott. Hope comes back through the portal and together they push Kang into the power core, which destroys it and pulls the villain into oblivion. Cassie opens the portal again to get them out of the Quantum Realm. As the movie ends, Scott wonders if he did the right thing destroying Kang, before putting that worry to the back of his mind…
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania ending and post-credits explained
So what exactly does the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania ending mean? Well you can check out our comprehensive deep dive into the biggest questions through that link. However, the big takeaway is that Kang may not be as defeated as Scott might hope, especially given Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is on its way…
This becomes more clear in the post-credits scenes when multiple Kang variants turn up, including the Council of Cross-Time Kangs and Victor Timely. The latter seems to be posing some problems ahead of Loki season 2 as well. Check out our Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania post-credits scenes deep-dive for everything you need to know about these scenes.
Will there be an Ant-Man 4?
Another big question left at the end of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is whether the franchise will return for a fourth movie. At the moment, we don't know if Ant-Man 4 is happening. However, producer Stephen Broussard did drop a promising tease.
"We're already thinking about [Ant-Man 4]," he told ComicBook.com. "It's like, every movie's its own battle and you bear the scars of making it and wanting to make it great. But hope springs eternal and you start to put yourself back together after the journey of making the movie. You're like, 'Yeah, what if we did X and what if we did Y?' Like the wheels start turning, you can't help yourself."
What's the low-down on MODOK?
One of the moments splitting viewers of Ant-Man 3 is what they think of MODOK. The absurd supervillain has a long comic book history, as well as some fans from Marvel's Avengers. But what did people think of his live-action introduction?
Well, it seems they're pretty split. "MODOK was friggin' awful," one said, reflecting the early sentiment towards the villain. "Hilariously bad," another wrote. Although, elsewhere another wrote: "MODOK is solely known as 'that giant head with tiny limbs' and is a universal punching bag, if you expected him to NOT look goofy then you're on some shit."
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania explainers
If you're looking for more on Marvel's 31st movie, we've also got plenty more spoiler-filled guides and explainers for you. This includes what Marvel movies and shows to watch before Ant-Man 3, the Kang variants comic book origins explained, and the Loki variants listed and explained.
Discover what else is coming to the MCU in 2023 and beyond with our guide to upcoming Marvel movies, how to watch the Marvel movies in order, and the complete breakdown of the Marvel timeline.
