SPOILER ALERT: The following article contains big spoilers for Ant-Man. If you haven’t seen the film yet, we recommend clicking away to another one of our wonderful articles.
The version of Ant-Man that is currently playing in theaters ends with a gag featuring a "tip" montage where Michael Pena’s Luis informs Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang that the Avengers are looking for him. What you probably don’t know, however, is that while the movie now ends on a funny note, originally it was going to feature a bit more ass-kicking.
It was director Peyton Reed himself who revealed this interesting bit to me when I had the chance to interview him in Los Angeles a few weeks ago. The subject came up when I asked about how the existence of Captain America: Civil War would up having an effect on the script for Ant-Man, and the filmmaker revealed that there was originally going to be a showdown with Martin Donovan’s character, Mitchell Carson. Said Reed,
At the end of the movie he gets away and has these Cross particles, and there was a sequence where Ant-Man has an encounter with him. But then for a couple reasons, it felt like maybe we should leave those particles out there. In that original thing, he took Martin Donovan out and got the particles.
Those who saw Ant-Man will remember that Mitchell Carson was a high ranking member of S.H.I.E.L.D./undercover Hydra agent in the 1980s – including during the time that Dr. Hank Pym quit the organization because they were stealing his research. In the film, he attempts to purchase Darren Cross’ Yellowjacket suit, and while he fails to hold on to that technology, he does manage to scoop-up and get away with the "Cross Particles" without interference.
So when will the story of Mitchell Carson and his stolen shrinking technology play a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Although it’s not on the slate for Marvel Studio’s Phase Three, perhaps it will wind up being a part of the plot in a future Ant-Man sequel. If they want to pay the dangling plotline off sooner, however, there is another option worth exploring: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Given Carson’s connection to the clandestine organization, I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if an episode of the upcoming third season featured some kind of Ant-Man tie-in and has Director Coulson and his team finding the villain and taking him down.
Do you wish that Peyton Reed had kept this original ending for Ant-Man, or do you think that the film ended exactly where it should have? Where do you think Mitchell Carson and the Cross Particles will show up next? Hit the comments with your thoughts!
