Summary
Ant-Mandoesn’t use his powers in one obvious way more often, and new information on why comes from a reliable source close to the hero.
Currently on the third installment titledAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,the MCUAnt-Manfranchise follows the Scott Lang version of the Marvel Comics character, with the Hank Pym version of the hero serving as a mentor in the films. After establishing the hero in the first film, where he uses the character’s iconic shrinking tech to prevent a villainous former colleague from replicating it for nefarious purposes (a plan that fails and ends in a good old-fashioned hero versus villain battle), the subsequent entries deal with the Quantum Realm and the attempts of the main cast to save Pym’s wife and thwartthe machinations of Jonathan Majors' Kang.
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While Ant-Man has shown that good things can come in small packages across his MCU appearance, the character has quizzically been conservative with his complementary ability to grow larger. The new MCU-themed book from Marvel titledLook Out For The Little Guy!, a memoirpresented by Paul Rudd as written by Langhimself, has finally answered the question. “To be perfectly honest, that’s one of those Hank Pym questions that I hate to ask him because he takes everything as a critique,” Lang says as a preface to answering the question. “‘Oh, so it doesn’t get big enough for you now? Why do you need to be bigger?'”
Lang has needed to be bigger on some occasions, such as in his appearance inAvengers: Endgame,one of the highest-rated MCU films on LetterBoxd, which saw him go big to disable flying Chitauri ships. “But seriously, from what I’ve experienced, self-enlargement is something any user of the Ant-Man or Wasp suit needs to be really careful with,” Lang explains in the book. “For a variety of reasons, it takes a big toll on the human body. Or at least mine. For one thing, going big puts a strain on my nervous system. So if my size hits a certain threshold, I start to see things, like, specifically, the ground coming toward me, Fast!”
The idea of a book written by Scott Lang was always bound to be hilarious. Fans can now see that the material can be informative as well, possibly opening up the floor to other MCU characters with a bit of a funny bone to pen their own memoirs and give interested viewers a closer look at some facets of their adventures. It might have also served as a soft reminder to fans, as the last film received some harsh reviews from critics and some more judgemental fans, despiteAnt-Man 3breaking a franchise box-office recordwith its earnings.
While the last Ant-Man film wasn’t the best in the franchise by popular reckoning, the characters still have a fair chance at returning to the MCU. With the MCU pivoting towards the Multiverse with Kang as the main villain andAnt-Man 4discussions previously underway at Marvel Studios, there’s a fair chance that Rudd’s Ant-Man gets to bust out the big guns at least one more time in the franchise, a moment that’s sure to be all the more appreciated now that fans know the great risk that comes with the power.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniais currently available for streaming on Disney Plus.
