In the early days of the superhero genre, comic book characters could change when new directors stepped in to tell new stories -- which is why the Tim Burton Batman years are so different from the Schumacher films. Now, the MCU has created an atmosphere in which consistency is critical. That's something that has not gone unnoticed by Marvel Studios, and it turns out that Ant-Man and The Wasp director Peyton Reed actually worked with the Avengers 4 team to keep Paul Rudd's Scott Lang recognizable compared to the depiction of him in his solo movies. In a recent interview, Reed explained:
There's a lot of crosstalk, which is great, you know, among directors. Even on the first movie I had the Russos come in and look at early cuts just to see how Paul was playing Scott Lang to inform what they did in Civil War. And Marcus and McFeely, who are writing the Avengers movies, we all talk about what the overall arcs are going to be so everyone is in sync with all this stuff. I can't say much more than that or I'm going to get a Wasp dart in my neck. But yeah, that's one of the exciting things is keeping this movie a self-contained thing but obviously being aware of how things fit into the larger universe. It's a really fun, creative exercise.
The whole point of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that the studio can tell a long story over the course of several years. This requires coordination between directors to maintain consistency of character. As Peyton Reed explained in his recent interview with Screen Rant, he worked with The Russos, as well as Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, to ensure that Scott Lang's personality remained recognizable from Ant-Man to Captain America: Civil War to Ant-Man and The Wasp, and the eventual release of Avengers 4.
This process is not an uncommon form of collaboration in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the same way that Peyton Reed helped maintain Scott Lang's character for Avengers 4, so too did Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn step in and help out with the depiction of the space-based Marvel team. In fact, Gunn even wrote dialogue for The Guardians. We don't know if Reed helped write any of the dialogue in the next Avengers movie, but it seems that Kevin Feige has fostered an environment that encourages creators to work on each others' projects.
With all of that said, Peyton Reed's lack of further details serves as a concrete reminder that we don't exactly know what to expect from Avengers 4. The Avengers: Infinity War follow-up remains a closely-guarded secret by the folks at Marvel Studios, and very little information about the overarching plot, or even the characters who will appear, has been revealed. Regardless of that fact, it's still comforting to know that Reed played a role in making sure that Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne will feel authentic to his depiction in the Ant-Man films.
For now, make sure to catch Ant-Man and The Wasp when it premieres next month on July 6; reactions to the self-contained Marvel Cinematic Universe adventure have started to roll in, so check them out and let us know if you're excited for the film in the comments! Looking ahead to the future, Avengers 4 will debut next year on May 3, 2019.
