The new Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania trailer dropped last night and we’ve got some theories to unpack, some people to point out, some comic winks to spot, and boy howdy do we have a whole lot of Kang. Like so much Kang. Not too much Kang, the right amount of Kang, but I think he might be the protagonist? I think this might be Kang’s movie, and you know what, I’m ready for it.
Let’s break it down.
Good morning!
You don’t have to say it back. Here’s a pretty look at San Francisco where we will only spend enough time to establish that this isn’t LA or NYC and then move on.
Good morning Paul Rudd!
I don’t know what to tell you, Paul Rudd as Scott Lang is adorable little bag of sunshine, a delightful little snack and I’m so pleased to have him back on the Marvel screen. Just an adorable guy, just a dude, a regular dumbass.
Normal person montage
Well, as normal as an Avenger gets really. Sure he’s got red carpets with his… girlfriend? Wife? Partner? I mean we all know that Scott Lang would be the wifiest of wife guys, but who knows what his relationship with Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) actually is at this point.
Sad dad, Scott Lang
The MCU really has gone from “men with daddy issues” to “dads with issues” so fast, and I’m not sure I’m feeling the nostalgia angle. The more that I watch this trailer, the more it bothers me, because the narrative of missing the child of your memories rather than embracing the child you have now… feels bad. I’m sure Scott will eventually realise the error of wanting what he can’t have, or that this overarching idea in the trailer is some kind of obfuscation about what the movie’s really about, but still. This emotional angle is already frustrating, especially because of Lang’s affable good-guy persona in the MCU.
Cassie Lang, delinquent
Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton) takes after her father! I’m here for this rebellious child, and I hope she never stops breaking laws. I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs; I love when they do bad things. Also woof, way to set up a contrast between five-year-old Cassie and teenage Cassie. Sorry that kids grow up, Scott! Maybe if you spent more time Parenting rather than Avenging…
A beacon goes both ways
It’s not mentioned in this trailer, but we know from the previous trailer this device is sending a message down to the Quantum Realm. Nobody is happy about this, least of all…
Grandma!
The original Wasp, Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), is so unhappy about this. If anything could say “back off now” it would be this lady, who has Seen Some Shit, looking at you like you’re setting off a bomb.
Cassie genuinely thought this would go better…
Clearly this science experiment is turning out bad, like super bad, like really bad.
Time for trouble!
The Pym/Lang family gets sucked into the little Quantum radio, and we’re in for it now.
I already know I love him
Our first glimpse of Kang sees him make a tempting offer to Scott. I love an intimidating entrance, I love it.
The kitten is confused!
A chance for more time from the timebending Kang the Conqueror? What could go wrong?
Blue boy
An intimidating (and rather blue) first look at Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror here. Kang is blue-skinned in the comics, but as we’ll see…
A MAN
… In the MCU, he can turn it off and on, it seems. Fellas, what’s stopping you from looking like this?
Welcome to… Chronopolis
This is a slightly different look at Chronopolis, Kang’s stronghold in the Quantum Realm.
I feel like a lens flare is missing here…
And now we get another glimpse, from Kang’s perspective — and it’s way bigger than even what we’d seen of it before. Krang’s doing more than building an army down here.
TVA V. 2
Again, I am digging this city design. It’s got a bit of a Time Variance Authority vibe, which makes sense considering the ending of Loki season one, and the version of Kang — ahem, sorry, He Who Remains — we met there.
Surprise!
I have a feeling that Janet is going to be a key information dispenser this movie. She spent most of the past century in the Quantum Realm before being rescued in the climax of Ant-Man and The Wasp, and has said that time is funky in there, so I’m sure we’ll learn more about her experiences in the realm this film.
If evil… why hot?
Honestly, why the hell would Marvel make a bad guy look this good? I don’t think he’s done a bad thing ever in his life actually. I think he’s right on all points.
Spider-Man Pointing Meme
Kang teases that his powers are beyond Scott’s comprehension and we almost immediately get a taste of that, as he’s split into two variants before his eyes. What is going on? This is tricksy and weird and I’m here for getting weird. I’m very curious about what they’re going to do and just how much they’re going to dive into personhood, body doubles, memory… maybe I’m asking too much of Marvel, but this is interesting.
Whoa, Wasp is here?
There is not a lot of Hope in this trailer, especially considering the movie is titled Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but she’ll be along for the ride with everyone else in the Lang/Van Dyne family.
Is that who I think it is…
A wee sneaky MODOK in the background here — we’ll see more later, but this giant head also confirms that Darren Cross/Yellowjacket himself, Corey Stoll, will be playing the giant-headed AIM leader in Quantumania. A variant of our Cross, or simply George Tarleton with a familiar face… or perhaps even a transformed version of our Cross? After all, in the first Ant-Man he “dies” by shrinking beyond a subatomic level. What if he simply got stuck in the Quantum Realm instead?
Hark, a plot point!
I’m going to hazard a guess that the Quantum Realm is breaking somehow — maybe because of the events in Loki? Maybe because of the Quantum radio Cassie made? But I think that Scott is going to be asked to put it back together, probably because he can go super small… and for the small price of getting to go back to his daughter’s childhood.
Baby Cassie
Again, I can tell I’m going to get tired really fast of Scott Lang being like, “I wish my teenager daughter were five again!” But…
A sweet father-daughter moment
If we get to this kind of payoff fast (like a mid-movie point) or something, I’m willing to deal with it. I just don’t want to watch a whole movie where a parental figure ignores the person their child is right now, in favour of a memory!
Mini and mighty
Where’s smol Ant-Man going? How many times can he downsize? How many Pym particles does he have?
Heist, heist, heist
I am so convinced that Janet is going to lead a heist after some “we’re splitting the party hijinks” and I’m ready.
Where did all these ants come from?
So at first I was like, why the hell are there that many ants in the Quantum Realm? And then I decided I didn’t care — I love when Ant-Man uses his bug telepathy, it’s charming and wonderful and silly. But then…
Are you telling me those aren’t bugs?
No! They’re hundreds of little Ant-Men! Queue the Spider-Man meme.
Cassie gets a way out?
Is she getting out of the Quantum Realm? Going back in? There are some interesting cracks in this still. I wonder if she’s figured out a way to break into and out of the Quantum Realm without the use of her little radio.
Emotions!
Again, the Wasp wasn’t featured a lot int his trailer, but clearly she’s here for emotional stakes, I mean emotional support.
Honestly, what choice do I have but to stan
His cape! This view! The power! I am so ready!!!
So he’s a bit of a bad boy…
Kang has sent out some of his army against the Ant Family, so we’ll see when the betrayal happens, but I’m thrilled and excited for a high-speed chase through some wacky retro sci-fi settings.
Hank and Janet
Seriously, Hank is barely in this trailer, so it’s nice to be reminded that he gets sucked into the Quantum Realm too. And whatever happens it looks like him and his wife are in for a time.
The unravelling of Scott Lang
Look at all the little Langs running around here! There’s a cool unravelling here that reads very much like the moment in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness where Wanda unspools Reed Richards. I’m sure that’s not happening, but the visual horror similarities here are kind of interesting.
Just a baby
I think he’s neat, innocent, and probably correct.
Look at how they massacred my boy
Oh my god, MODOK looks fucking nuts right now — it looks like we’re getting something more evocative of his comic book look in the form of an armoured shell that covers Stoll’s giant face. I have no idea what to think about his role as an agent of Kang, but he’s going to be absolutely bonkers.
Arms
Arms. That’s all. Arms. I mean, Kang and Scott are fighting, but details, schmetails.
Swarming
In the background it looks like there’s a lot of little Wasps. A whole swarm of Hope van Dynes — and this looks like the same object the army of Ant-Men were building towards too, in the background.
Kang Korner
I really, really hope that most of the film just turns into the Kang appreciation hour. I’m sure he’s got his reasons for fighting with an Avenger and I’m sure they’re totally justified and I’m sure that he will be proven right at the end.
Kang Stomps Down
He’s just stomping on our hero, brutally. I’m sure it’s fine.
Shattered
Good thing there’s a million Ant-Mans running around with extra helmets!
I mean, I wouldn’t bet against this man
But while Kang looks like he has all the cards in this fight, Scott offers a typically Lang-ian retort: he hasn’t got to win, he and Kang just both have to lose.
Sashay away
Another look at Kang in his MCU riff on the classic Conqueror costume. I would follow this man into the Quantum Realm and beyond. I think that this is absolutely the power walk of the century.
THE TIME OF KANG!
Sure, this was less of a breakdown and more of an all-out admiration/thirst slideshow for Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror, but truly who can blame me? There’s not really much else in this trailer — hints of the story and Scott’s dilemma over Cassie, sure, but this was our big introduction to the threat Kang will pose not just in this film, but as the villain of the MCU’s whole “Multiverse Saga.” We’re going to have a great time at the movies, and I know that the fight between the Ant-clan and Kang’s forces is going to be epic. I can’t believe I’m actually interested in a Marvel film, but that’s what you get when you cast Majors in a major role.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania arrives February 17.
While you’re here, why not check out Gizmodo Australia’s guide to what’s streaming this month on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Stan, Binge and more. We’ve also got one for all the good movies coming out in 2023 if that’s more your thing.