The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a fascinating place right now. The events of Avengers: Infinity War changed things forever, as a mass of characters fell during Thanos' quest to find the Infinity Stones. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until May 3rd for Avengers 4, with the MCU releasing two blockbusters in the interim. Ant-Man and the Wasp is the first flick post-Infinity War, but is actually set before the film's events. In addition to making Evangeline Lilly's Hope a full fledged superhero, we'll also be introduced to her mother Janet, played by the incomparable Michelle Pfeiffer. While this isn't Pfeiffer's first dip into a comic book role, she recently revealed why she was originally unsure about the franchise as a whole: she didn't know who TF Ant-Man was.
My first exposure to Marvel would have been Spider-Man and then Iron Man, both of which I really loved. I guess I discovered Marvel through my children. Then I saw Ant-Man, and I really loved it. At first, I thought Ant-Man? I was not familiar with the superhero Ant-Man. But the sound of it I was a little skeptical, but I really was pleasantly surprised.
While not nearly as famous as Marvel characters like the X-Men or Captain America, Ant-Man still managed to take his own slice of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The first film had a tone we hadn't seen in the MCU, and the effort was enough to sway Michelle Pfeiffer over to Scott Lang's side. Once the role of Janet van Dyne came to Pfeiffer, it helped that she enjoyed Peyton Reed's movie so much.
Michel Pfeiffer's comments to News 18 wrap up what makes the Marvel Cinematic Universe such an unbelievable concept. When the franchise began with 2008's Iron Man, the studio didn't have the rights to Marvel's most famous characters. 20th Century Fox had X-Men and The Fantastic Four, while Sony had the rights to Spider-Man. But the shared universe was slowly built through impressive origin stories, before bringing a large ensemble together for Joss Whedon's The Avengers.
Through Phases 2 and 3 of the MCU, the universe has embraced lesser known characters, who quickly became fan favorites. The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and Ant-Man were firmly rooted in comedy, while also focusing on quirky characters that the average moviegoer didn't know about. But there are seemingly no characters out of bounds now, and no actor who unwilling to join a superhero movie. For instance, the great Laurence Fishburne will also be making his Marvel debut in Ant-Man and The Wasp, playing Project Goliath scientist Bill Foster.
Ant-Man and The Wasp will arrive, complete with Michelle Pfeiffer, on July 6th, 2018. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
