You thought that Thanos was a mighty foe? Pah. As Kang The Conqueror takes centre stage in Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, the MCU's titchiest hero is about to face an epic threat.
Read an extract from our world-exclusive March 2023 issue cover feature below, or read the full article here.
Who is the most important hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? It’s a question that could prompt the kind of discussion you’d expect to rage for ages around an office water-cooler (the work can wait), or over a round of drinks, or with the person sitting next to you on a bus (NB: this is a foolproof method of making sure that nobody wants to sit next to you on the bus). Is it Tony Stark, the rock on which the MCU was built? Or maybe the indefatigable Steve Rogers? How about Thor, or Black Widow, or Captain Marvel, or Black Panther, or Doctor Strange?
The answer is none of the above. The most important hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a guy without whom none of the events of Avengers: Endgame — Steve wielding Thor’s hammer, Tony reducing Thanos to dust — would even have happened. A brave and noble soul who emerged from exile in a strange dimension to kickstart the Avengers’ fightback after five years of them moping around the place. A regular man who just happens to be able to assume the size of an ant. An Ant-Man, if you will.
So Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang, aka the Ant-Man, deserves not only respect and the praise of a grateful universe, but an upgrade in cinematic terms after two fun but fairly low-key outings. And with Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, the first film of Phase Five of the MCU, he’s getting it. “We wanted to kick off Phase Five with Ant-Man because he’d earned that position,” says producer Kevin Feige, who as president is actually the most important person in the MCU. “To not simply be the back-up or the comic relief, but to take his position at the front of the podium of the MCU.”
The little guy is about to get his big shot.
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