Ant-Man & the Wasp Are ‘Very Much Partners’ in Marvel Sequel

Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man and Evangeline Lilly’s soon-to-debut superhero, The Wasp, will be equals and partners in Ant-Man And The Wasp. Despite not much press yet for the upcoming Marvel sequel – which makes sense given that Marvel Studios is still focused on next month’s Black Panther, followed by May’s Avengers: Infinity War – the Ant-Man sequel is expected to be very pivotal when it comes to the narrative direction of the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward.

Last to roll out during Marvel’s 10th anniversary year, the sequel will see the return of director Peyton Reed at the helm for what we presume is another contained story much like the original Ant-Man film. That being said, the sequel is getting a bigger cast, this time with additions such as Laurence Fishburne who will play Dr. Bill Foster, Hannah John-Kamen taking on the role of Ghost, Randall Park as Jimmy Woo and Walton Goggins as Sonny Burch. Michelle Pfeiffer is also on board, playing the Pym matriarch, Janet van Dyne, and the original Wasp, who is presumed to have been lost in the Quantum Realm decades ago. Her introduction will kickstart a new mission for Michael Douglas’ Hank, Scott, and Hope as they attempt to bring her back into the real world.

Sitting down with Variety while promoting his latest film, The Catcher Was A Spy, during Sundance, Rudd briefly talked about what fans can expect from his second solo outing as a Marvel superhero in this summer’s Ant-Man And The Wasp. He particularly hinted at the dynamic between his character and Lilly’s Hope, saying that they’re “very much partners in the film.” The actress is slated to suit up as another hero after operating behind-the-scenes in Ant-Man and assuming the title of the contemporary version of the Wasp.

It has been established early on that Hope was every bit as capable (maybe even more worthy) to don the Ant-Man suit as the easily rattled Scott. But the circumstances that her father had to endure regarding the loss of her mother basically blocked her chances of becoming a hero herself – an understandable choice considering what the Pym patriarch has gone through. That said, she continued to play a very significant role in carrying out the mission to stop villain Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) from taking advantage of the shrinking technology. In the end, Hank realizes that her daughter is a strong woman and if there’s someone who is deserving to suit up as the next iteration of the Wasp, it’s her.

Lilly’s The Wasp may not be the first female superhero character that Marvel Studios has introduced on the big screen (Scarlett Johansson’s deadly spy, Black Widow holds that title), but she is the first one to co-headline a film. She debuts almost a year before Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel enters the MCU and long before Johansson’s Black Widow movie that has recently moved forward due to the hiring of writer Jac Schaeffer to pen the project’s screenplay.

Source: Variety