Warning: SPOILERS for Ant-Man and the Wasp are ahead!
Following just two months after Avengers: Infinity War's release, Ant-Man and the Wasp gave audiences a more self-contained Marvel Cinematic Universe adventure. Sure the sequel picked up on elements of the first Ant-Man movie left off and built off of Scott's Lang's status at the end of Captain America: Civil War, but the main story definitely was happening in its own bubble. And then came the mid-credits scene, where we saw Hank Pym, Hope van Dyne and Janet van Dyne turn to dust as a result of the Thanos snap, leaving Scott trapped in the Quantum Realm. This moment was a sharp contrast from the overall playful tone of Ant-Man and the Wasp, and as director Peyton Reed acknowledged, it wasn't easy deciding who would disappear. Reed explained:
A big part of it was deciding who was going to be in that scene to begin with, because there was a version of that scene I think where it's like, 'OK, maybe Bill Foster is here as well, maybe Ava Starr is here as well.' We talked about versions with -- and maybe Luis, or whoever, it could've been anybody -- but then there's a certain percentage issue that's set up obviously in Infinity War that we couldn't ignore. When we finally landed on the version that you saw, the final version in the movie, it just seemed right.
For those who need a refresher, Scott Lang ventured into the Quantum Realm at the start of the Ant-Man and the Wasp mid-credits scene to retrieve some quantum energy for Ava Starr, who needs that to stabilize her condition. Hank Pym, Hope van Dyne and Janet van Dyne were monitoring Scott and were supposed to pull him back in, but they disintegrated alongside half of all other life forms in the universe. As Peyton Reed noted, it was difficult pinpointing which characters the audience would watch be erased. I certainly would have been devastated to watch Luis fade away, but given that Hank, Hope and Janet are currently the most tied to his life as Ant-Man, it makes sense that they would be the ones to go. Unfortunately, that now leaves Scott in a tricky situation.
As for the other members of Ant-Man's supporting cast, Peyton Reed wouldn't comment to HuffPost on what's happened to them post-Avengers: Infinity War, including Scott's daughter, Cassie, though she is rumored to show up in Avengers 4. Ant-Man and the Wasp is the last present day before Avengers 4, since Captain Marvel is turning the clock back to the 1990s for Carol Danvers' origin story. As for Earth's Mightiest Heroes' fourth movie, a.k.a. the final Phase 3 installment, set photos show Ant-Man interacting with Tony Stark, so at least we know he'll eventually break free from the Quantum Real (although who knows how much time will have passed). Beyond that, it remains to be seen how Hank Pym, Hope van Dyne, Janet van Dyne and everyone else who was dusted by the Infinity Stones-wielding Thanos will be brought back, but since Ant-Man 3 is in consideration, there's a good chance Scott and the gang will be around for Phase 4.
Ant-Man and the Wasp is still playing in theaters, so be sure to read CinemaBlend's review and To 3D guide for the sequel. As for the other projects the MCU has in development, you can find that information in our Marvel movies guide.
