SPOILER WARNING: The following article gives a few things away about Bill Murray's Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania character from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. If you are not caught up on the latest installment of the Marvel movies, hopefully you are more careful than the Ant-Fam was with their Quantum Realm studies as you read on.
I don’t know about you, but I, personally, don’t think I would include Lord Krylar among my all-time favorite Bill Murray cameos so far. It is not that I do not like his performance in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania — I mean, he rarely phones it in for anything — but I feel that his first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and likely his last) is just a little too brief to amount to anything particularly memorable. Then again, the character’s comic book legacy is not very lengthy either.
If the MCU’s Phase 5 opener was your first introduction to this obscure Marvel character, you are surely not alone. I, myself, had never heard of Bill Murray's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania character before seeing the movie, but after a little research, you can now practically call me an expert on all things Krylar. The following is a convenient breakdown of everything we learned about the comedic icon's debut comic book character role (not counting his participation in superhero parodies on SNL) from the comics and everything we already know from the movies.
Krylar In Marvel Comics
Krylar Is A Descendant Of The Micro-Verse
Created by writer Archie Goodwin and artist Herb Trimpe, Krylar made his debut in a Marvel comic in The Incredible Hulk #156 in July 1972, which would also mark his final appearance (more on why later). The issue introduced him as one of the green-skinned, humanoid citizens of K'ai — a planet that exists in a microscopic world known as the Micro-Verse — and a resident of its oldest civilization, called Pitll Pawob.
Leader Of A Group Of Assassins
Krylar had a few different purposes on K’ai, such as his most esteemed position: leading a team of mercenaries and contract killers known as the Pitll Pawob assassins. He also provided services to K’ai’s ruler, Lord Visis, by designing very unique technological devices of, practically, magical ability. However, one of Krylar’s greatest inventions would also lead to his ultimate downfall.
Aided Lord Visis’ Conflict With Hulk
Bruce Banner shrunk himself down to a size suitable for traveling through the Micro-Verse (unlocking his Professor Hulk persona in the process) in search of a woman he had fallen love with named Jarella, but found himself at odds with Lord Visis instead. Krylar came to the ruler’s aid in a duel with the Avenger by creating a device that manifests any opponent's greatest fears — in this case a reckless clone of the Hulk. However, when the clone suddenly and inexplicably disappeared, an enraged Visis killed Krylar, bringing his brief legacy in Marvel comics to a close.
Krylar In The MCU
Krylar Resides In The Quantum Realm
It is not unusual for Kevin Feige and company to take a few liberties when bringing a comic book character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Krylar is certainly no exception, with his lack of green skin being just one example. However, one way that Bill Murray’s version from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania does resemble the source material is that he calls a strange, microscopic world — i.e., the Quantum Realm — home, where he also serves as the governor for a city called Axia.
Shared A Romance With Janet Van Dyne
Krylar’s cue into the story of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania comes when Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) — seeking a way for her, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Hope (Evangeline Lily) to find Scott (Paul Rudd) and Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton) — calls on her old friend for help. Yet, it turns out that, at one point while she was stranded in the Quantum Realm, she and the man who now goes by “Lord Krylar” were a little more than friends. This leads to a funny argument with a jealous Hank, who goes on to admit that he tried dating once while she was missing, but to no avail.
Formerly Fought Against Kang's Tyranny
In addition to being Janet's one-time lover, Krylar used to fight alongside her as a resistance fighter in opposition of Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors as one of the many variations of his time-traveling Marvel villain) as he began to assume dominance over the Quantum Realm. Unfortunately, as he reveals to Janet shortly after their reunion, he eventually fell prey to the tyrant’s power of persuasion and began working for him, which earned him the title of Axia’s governor. This marks yet another way Murray’s Krylar is similar to his comic book counterpart: his allegiance to power-hungry rulers.
When we see Lord Krylar attacked by some octopus-looking creature, I was uncertain if that would actually be the last we saw of him and almost anticipated a reprise in one of Quantumania’s post-credits scenes, before learning they just revealed more of Kang’s plan for the future. His fate still remains uncertain at the moment, but if his brief moments in the MCU are destined to be his last, at least he can say he was played by an icon like Bill Murray, which is something that most obscure comic book characters cannot claim.
