Spoilers ahead for Avengers: Endgame
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is in a fascinating place right now, as fans and cast/crew alike are still recovering from the wild events of Avengers: Endgame. The Russo Brothers threw everything and the kitchen sink into the blockbuster, crafting a movie even larger and more ambitious than Infinity War. And while Paul Rudd's Ant-Man was noticeably missing from that first Avengers flick, he had a major impact on the events of Endgame.
Once Scott Lang was brought back to the present following his time in the Quantum Realm, it was his idea to manipulate Pym Particles in order to travel through time and somehow reverse the affects of Thanos' snap. Due to the character's previous two solo movies and involvement in Endgame, one would think that an Ant-Man threequel was inevitable. But Paul Rudd recently encouraged Marvel fans to campaign for the third movie. When asked if a trilogy was happening, he said:
I don’t know. You need to make a call to the top brass and start a campaign to make it happen.
While Phase Four of the MCU is a complete mystery to Marvel fans, it looks like insiders within the behemoth franchise are similarly clueless. That includes Paul Rudd, who apparently hasn't officially signed on to play Scott Lang in a third Ant-Man movie. So what's the hold up?
Paul Rudd's comments to Yahoo are sure to surprise Marvel fans, especially considering how strong of a run Ant-Man had throughout the course of Phase Three. After being kept largely separate from the rest of the MCU, Ant-Man crossed over alongside Earth's Mightiest Heroes starting with Captain America: Civil War. And after his second solo movie made The Wasp a bonafide superhero, Scott Lang became critical to the plot of Endgame.
Related: How Ant-Man And The Wasp Potentially Sets Up Ant-Man 3
Both Ant-Man movies were directed by Peyton Reed, who took on the role after Edgar Wright dropped from the original movie due to creative differences. Reed helped carve out a special corner of the MCU for Paul Rudd's character, and both movies have done quite well critically and financially. As such, moviegoers assumed that the director and actor would collaborate on a third film, especially as larger Marvel heroes have come to the end of their tenure onscreen.
Avengers: Endgame provided a fitting ending to most of the leads of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Iron Man, Captain America, and Black Widow. With the OG team going into retirement, smart money says the newer characters like Ant-Man will become larger presences in the franchise.
But since Paul Rudd isn't sure if Ant-Man 3 will happen, it perhaps the studio is still fleshing out its plans for Phase Four. Till then, it's time for us to make our feelings known. And this writer is 100% in on a threequel for Paul Rudd's signature Marvel hero.
Ant-Man’s origin story was mostly self-contained, save for a brief interaction he had with Anthony Mackie’s Falcon. But it was this encounter that ultimately brought Scott Lang into the main narrative of the MCU, as Sam Wilson called him in for join Team Cap in Captain America: Civil War.
Ant-Man participated in the iconic tarmac battle during Civil War’s third act, where he got to meet a ton of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes for the first time. He tussled around with some seriously powerful heroes, including War Machine, Iron Man, Black Widow, Spider-Man, and Vision. But his act of resistance ultimately landed him on The Raft.
Scott Lang was noticeably absent during the events of Avengers: Infinity War, which was a rare point of contention for the blockbuster. Black Widow mentions that he’s on house arrest in order to do the best thing for his daughter, Cassie. So fans had to wait until Ant-Man and The Wasp to catch up with Paul Rudd and the rest of the cast.
Ant-Man and The Wasp was the character sophomore run at leading a movie, and this time he had some help. Evangeline Lilly’s Hope became The Wasp, and their relationship was fleshed out more. We also got to spend more time with Cassie Lang, which would end up being important in Endgame.
After being left stranded in the Quantum Realm, some luck and a rat bring him out five years after Thanos’ snap of death. And after discovering his daughter was alive, he finds out that Hope, Janet, and Hank all perished.
Its this storyline that helps move the story forward, as Scott Lang’s hopeful attitude and experience with Pym Particles kickstart the plan for the Time Heist. Without his presence, it’s possible Thanos’ snap would have never been reversed. He and The Wasp fought in the epic final battle in the ruins of the Avengers Facility, and were also joined by Hank and Janet at Tony Stark's lakeside funeral.
Due to this, Ant-Man 3 seemed like an inevitability. But Paul Rudd’s comments may cause some doubt as to whether or not another blockbuster is really coming. Scott did get a happy ending, resurrecting Hope and being safe with his daughter. He’s shown watching fireworks in San Francisco, although Marvel fans are hoping this isn’t the last we see of the character.
There are still some narrative threads to pull from for Ant-Man 3, as Ant-Man and The Wasp didn’t exactly wrap everything up with a nice bow. Ghost is still in the picture, with Janet experiment with the Quantum Realm to help alleviate her symptoms. It’s unclear if Ghost and Laurence Fisburne’s Bill Foster were snapped by Thanos as well. And Scott’s 5 year- absence and presumed death should have some emotional ramifications for his family. This includes Cassie, but also his ex-wife (Judy Greer) and her husband (Bobby Cannavale). Plus, the fate of Scott's crew (especially Michael Pena's Luis) is currently known as well.
You can catch Ant-Man and The Wasp (see what I did there?) in Avengers: Endgame now. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
