SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains massive spoilers for Ant-Man And The Wasp. If you have not yet seen the film, and don't wish to know major, important details about the ending, please bookmark this page and come back after your screening!
Marvel movies are famous for including little hints that only the most dedicated of fans will ever catch, and one of the most perfect examples is featured at the end of Ant-Man - with audiences getting a very brief look at the lost Janet Van Dyne as Scott Lang falls deeper into the Quantum Realm. It's a great little moment that nerds can forever pause and enjoy, and now I'm excited to report that there is a sequel to that Easter egg in Ant-Man And The Wasp. Director Peyton Reed recently confirmed it, telling me,
In this thing, part of the journey of figuring out Quantum Realm was devising this internal logic. When Scott went down, he made it to this place called The Void that felt like you're not coming back from that. And yet he did. And in their research it's like, 'Okay, to find Janet maybe we've got to get to The Void then punch through and go beyond.' And when Scott is channeling Janet and says very specifically, 'Meet me in The Wasteland just beyond The Void,' devising this thing that feels kind of like the outer rim of the Quantum Realm -- but what's closer to the middle?... It was figuring out what's down there. But then there are a couple of shots I think particularly as Hank and Janet leave the Quantum Realm that you may be able to catch some stuff. That's all I will say!
I had the immense pleasure of sitting down with Peyton Reed for an in-depth chat about Ant-Man And The Wasp for our Hero Blend podcast, and it was towards the end of our conversation that we dug into the subject of the Quantum Realm. It was evidently one of the key things discussed in the making of the movie, determining how the environment works and how Janet Van Dyne was able to stay down there as long as she did. And while the movie doesn't do a full, exposition-filled dive into all of the mechanics, Reed told me that there are some key hints for audiences to discover -- particularly one that can be spotted as Hank and Janet are leaving the microverse and going back to normal size.
As you can probably tell, Peyton Reed didn't want to give too much away about the Ant-Man And The Wasp Quantum Realm Easter egg, but I did do a little more digging. Specifically, I asked if the hint was more for the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe, or if it was something planted as a means of teasing a direct sequel. The director couldn't go into it too much, but he told me,
Well, I think it's potentially for both, because, again, as with the first movie it's not a done deal that we'll ever get to make another one, and I'm not being coy! We have no idea. I hope that we do, because I want to see what happens to these characters, but it's definitely... you look at her and she clearly has been down there 30 years, and the question remains what's she leaving behind down there? So it all remains to be seen.
Without more evidence it's pretty hard to speculate about exactly what fans should be looking for here. Could it be a reference to another character who may be trapped in the Quantum Realm? Or is it a hint about a key location within the dimension? We may not actually know until Ant-Man And The Wasp arrives on home video, which is when fans will be able to pause scenes and examine it.
On the front, though, Peyton Reed also offered up another interesting nugget. It seems that the Blu-ray and DVD for Ant-Man And The Wasp will feature at least one special deleted scene that takes place in the Quantum Realm and will give audiences a better sense of how Janet survived. Said Reed:
Janet is clearly wearing some stuff, and maybe privy to some technology and things, and when we get to the Blu-ray/DVD, I know there's going to be at least one scene in Quantum Realm that did not make the final cut of the movie that will show you a little bit more stuff with her.
Fans will be able to pick up a copy of Ant-Man And The Wasp when it hits home video this fall... but let's not jump too far ahead. For example, after you've seen the new movie, do yourself a favor and listen to the new episode of HeroBlend, featuring by 30 minute interview with Peyton Reed!
Ant-Man And The Wasp is in theaters now, and be sure to stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for a lot more from my interviews with the cast and filmmakers!
