Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame.
The year-long wait for Avengers: Endgame was a difficult one, despite the MCU releasing Captain Marvel and Ant-Man and The Wasp in in the meantime. Due to the twelve months between Infinity War and its follow-up, the mass of Marvel fans were given ample time to theorize and imagine what The Russo Brothers would be bringing to the table for the 22nd movie in the franchise. And one of these theories included Ant-Man and Thanos' big purple butt.
The viral fan theory broke the internet ahead of Endgame's release, with Paul Rudd's Marvel character being the true of the final battle against the Mad Titan. The ongoing joke was that Scott Lang could shrink, enter Thanos' anus, and then grow-- therefore killing Thanos by tearing him up fro the inside out. It was ridiculous and endlessly meme-able, but now Endgame writer Stephen Markus has officially debunked it. And he did it in a pretty killer way.
Thanos could take a punch from the Hulk, we've seen that. And it stands to reason his whole body is at least as strong as that. If Ant-Man expanded, he would be simply crushed against the immovable walls of Thanos’ mighty rectum.
Excuse me while I spit out my coffee. Despite the massive task of writing the last two Avengers movies, Stephen Markus seems like he's got a good sense of humor about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studio is cued into theories swirling around the internet, and that includes the ones with jokes that run a little bit blue. Or in this case, purple.
Stephen Markus' comments to Empire prove that Ant-Man did not have an easy way to kill Josh Brolins' villainous Thanos. The fanatical villain was super powerful even without the Infinity Stones, and seemingly would have fended off a direct attack by Scott Lang. Including an attack from... behind.
Jokes aside, the true power of Thanos was shown during Avengers: Endgame. In the epic final battle. He faced off again the MCU's strongest heroes, and without the power of the Infinity Gauntlet. The Mad Titan clearly didn't need the Stones in order to lay down the pain, as we saw during his original battle with Hulk in Infinity War. If he was able to take on Cap, Iron Man, and Thor at once, Ant-Man might not have been the best Avenger to get directly into the conflict.
Related: How Does One Return The Soul Stone? We Asked The Avengers: Endgame Writers
Of course, Ant-Man and The Wasp did have a role in the final battle, attempting to get the Infinity Stones back in time through the van's Quantum Portal. And it was Scott Lang's idea for time travel that ultimately made the Time Heist possible. It should be interesting to see how they factor into Phase Four, and what happens in the inevitable Ant-Man threequel.
Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
