Marvel’s Ant-Man is seven months away from release, and while we know who most of the characters are, it’s still unclear what specifically several of them will be doing in the film. One of the biggest mysteries is Hope Van Dyne, played by Evangeline Lilly. Aside from being the daughter of Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, Hope’s role in the film has been kept on the down low, but now we have a better idea of what to expect from her in the 2015 blockbuster.
While talking with CNN, Lilly gave some information on her character, describing her as "a very talented, intelligent, capable woman and a force to be reckoned with." However, she also dropped a nugget of information regarding what she’ll be doing. It turns out that she’s crucial to the film’s driving force.
This one is very much a heist film. It has all the fun, tension and drama of a good heist film. The heist is being masterminded by myself, my father and Scott Lang.
Ant-Man has been labeled as a "heist film" for a while, but this is the first time that we’ve gotten confirmation that Hope will have a role to play in the theft. Granted, since Lilly is one of the main stars of the movie, it was obvious she was going to play an important part in the story, but now we know that she’ll be directly involved with what Scott and Hank are planning. The heist will likely revolve around stealing something from Darren Cross, the main antagonist. In the film, Cross is Hank Pym’s former mentor who seizes control of both Pym’s company and the Ant-Man technology - the latter of which allows him to become Yellowjacket. If he’s abusing Pym’s work, the trio will try to take back it back, and Hope is apparently instrumental in planning the operation.
The only question now is exactly what her job will be when the heist begins. Will she be coordinating behind-the-scenes or in action on the front lines? Personally, I’m hoping they let Hope shrink down alongside Scott Lang as this movie’s version of The Wasp. Yes, it may not be the same as actually having Janet Van Dyne as the superheroine, but at least it would allow the basic concept of the character to be seen on the screen.
It’s also worth noting that Lilly described Hope as the daughter of founding Avengers "Ant-Man and The Wasp." While the Avengers comment isn’t applicable to the MCU (unless an earlier iteration of the group existed), since Pym was the original Ant-Man in this universe, that could mean that Janet used to be The Wasp at the same time. So if Lilly does become The Wasp, we’ll have two legacy superheroes sharing the screen. The second generation of insect-themed superheroes!
