One of the strangest entries in the MCU franchise is the series of films focussing on the adventures of the shrinking superhero Ant-Man, played by Paul Rudd. The obscure character from Marvel Comics was generally understood to be a b-tier superhero at best. But Ant-Man surprised everyone by holding his own with two successful solo movies, and a prominent role inAvenger: Endgame. The character is gearing up for his third solo movie, and Michelle Pfeiffer briefly revealed during an interview that she will be reprising her role as Janet van Dyne inAnt-Man 3.
“I’m supposed to do Ant-Man, the third one.”
The actress went on to state that she believes production on the film will start in the spring of 2021, but admitted she did not know whereAnt-Man 3will take her character.Janet van Dynehad an important role to play in the previous installment in the series,Ant-Man and the Wasp.
In that film, the entire crux of the story had to do withJanet’s disappearance decades agowhen, in her role as the superheroine Wasp, she had become trapped in the microscopic quantum realm. It fell to Ant-Man and his allies to rescue Janet from the realm. After she returned to the regular world, Janet hinted at the existence of a small city within the quantum realm that fans believed will be used in future MCU movies to signal the arrival of a major villain.
Janet’s other major importance to theMCUnarrative lies in her newfound energy-manipulation abilities, which were developed in the quantum realm. While there is still a great deal of mystery surrounding her abilities, they are the first sign in the MCU of the existence of normal humans with supernatural gifts, which many believe signals the arrival of mutants into the franchise, directly leading to the introduction of theFantastic FourandX-Men.
It will also be interesting to see how Janet’s personal relationships are portrayed inAnt-Man 3. After all, her disappearance was the cause of the rift between her husband Hank and her daughter Hope, which had only recently begun to heal. There is also the fact that Janet was the original Wasp, whereas now that title has been assumed by her daughter. Lastly, mere days after Janet returned from her 30-year imprisonment in the quantum realm to the real world, she, Hank, and Hope were dusted due to Thanos' snap and came back to find five whole years had passed. That is a lot of stuff for Janet to unpack.
Aside from Pfeiffer’s return,Ant-Man 3will also feature Jonathan Majors as the antagonist, who fans believe is going to be playing the time-traveling supervillain Kang the Conqueror. At this point, it is safe to say the smallest superhero in the MCU has proven himself to be one of the most interesting aspects of the entire franchise.
Directed by Peyton Reed,Ant-Man 3stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas,Michelle Pfeiffer, and Johnathan Majors. The film has yet to receive an official release date. This news originated atOn Gracepodcast.
