Ant-Man Quantumania

Jonathan Majors elevates what is otherwise a lower-tier Marvel movie, leaving enough intrigue for what's to come in the MCU.

That said, Kang's motivations are left pretty unclear, surely to be explored further in future appearances (with the upcoming "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty," Marvel has already dedicated a movie's subtitle to the character). It always seemed odd that Kang, the next big bad after Thanos, would make his theatrical debut in the third "Ant-Man" movie (his MCU debut was in the Disney+ series "Loki," a high point of phase four). Janet was previously stuck there for 30 years, leaving her to explain to the rest of the family what exactly the Quantum Realm is, the different civilizations living there and how Kang came to power. Majors as Kang the Conqueror is easily the best thing to happen in the MCU since the victory lap of a credits sequence rolled in "Avengers: Endgame." That was now almost four years ago, and so much since has felt like the Marvel machine spinning its wheels or just churning out content for the sake of content. "Is Jonathan Majors the greatest living actor?"

MODOK began his Marvel Comics life as a formidable foe of the Avengers, but his modern history is full comedy. The character debuts in the MCU in Ant-Man ...

And then there’s the joke of the MODOK variant. His original incarnation is all about playing up his grotesque look as being the consequence of his enhanced intelligence (he’s all brain and no brawn — you get it). It’s just hard getting around the fact that his design looks pretty silly in the art style of today’s comics. And, as MODOK himself bellowed at Captain America in his first appearance, the scientists did their work “too well.” MODOK subsequently took over AIM, and reigned the organization supreme for many years. It seems possible, even likely, that Stoll is still playing Darren Cross in Quantumania, and whatever’s happened to him in the Quantum Realm since last we saw him, it’s turned him into the MCU’s version of MODOK. But now, thanks to Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), we know that if you shrink down far enough you make it to the Quantum Realm, a strange world hidden within the subatomic structures of the universe.

In the first movie, after Cross steals back the Yellowjacket suit, he and Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) get into an epic battle that lands them in the bedroom of six- ...

But now that M.O.D.O.K’s fate seemed certain—he appears to have died in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania—it remains to be seen whether the character will be seen again in the MCU. The character was introduced to the Marvel Universe in a 1967 issue of Tales of Suspense, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Before Cross was stuck in the Quantum Realm, he was the antagonist of the first Ant-Man film. Spoiler alert: he does not take over the world and is eventually taken down by Red Hulk and Red She-Hulk. [second movie](https://time.com/5261529/ant-man-and-the-wasp-trailer-marvel/), even though Hank ( [Michael Douglas](https://time.com/4976137/michael-douglas-ican-nobel-peace-prize/)) manages to go into the Quantum Realm to retrieve Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer), who had been stuck there for 30 years. Once Janet learns they’re sending a signal, she demands they turn it off, but they get sucked in, with Hope ( [Evangeline Lilly](https://time.com/5327169/ant-man-and-the-wasp-review/)), Janet, and Hank getting thrust into one part of the realm and Cassie (Kathryn Newton) and Scott getting spit out into another. breaks Kang’s force field and the ants that Hank unionized are able to stampede Kang and take him away. He also made a shrinking suit called the Yellowjacket, which ultimately became his demise and was the reason he got stuck in the Quantum Realm. Here’s everything you need to know about the character and his comic book origins. This leads Scott and Cross to the Quantum Realm, but only Scott manages to get out. If you watched the first [Ant-Man](https://time.com/5324132/ant-man-and-the-wasp-avengers-infinity-war/) movie, you might recognize the actor who plays M.O.D.O.K.—Corey Stoll—who originally played Darren Cross. [Marvel’s latest release](https://time.com/6171012/marvel-movies-shows-upcoming/), Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, will amuse but might also confuse viewers who lack deep knowledge of the comics.

Jonathan Major's first meeting with Marvel Studios almost saw him walk out because the casting office was taking too long to see him.

And I was like, ‘I’m supposed to be here, right?’ It got long and I went, ‘I’m just going to go. “I got to the door, but then they said [casting director] Sarah Finn was going to come… I had just gotten out of drama school and I’m running around town and I’m sitting in the office.”

Should you stay after the credits for the latest Marvel movie?

In the review, IGN's Joshua Yehl said, "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has just enough heart, humor, and excellent performances to make up for its more underdeveloped aspects." [how to watch Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania](https://www.ign.com/articles/how-to-watch-ant-man-and-the-wasp-quantumania-paul-rudd), but if you're wondering whether or not it's on Disney+ yet the answer is simple: nope. Let's make this easy: Do you want to know if there’s a post-credits scene in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania?

Once again, Jonathan Majors makes a surprise appearance at the end. Here's how 'Quantumania' sets things up for 'Loki' Season 2.

Remember: The series ended with a reset of the timeline, resulting in Mobius (and maybe the entire MCU) forgetting Loki existed. Either scenario is not good for the MCU, as Kang is here to stay no matter what. Just as he did in Egypt to become Pharoah Rama-Tut, Kang uses his Victor Timely disguise to build Timely Industries and amass power and influence over a more primitive society. Actor Jonathan Majors returns to play a new version of [“He Who Remains,”](https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/loki-kang-the-conqueror-he-who-remains-mcu-scene-stealers-2021) a role that Majors first played in his surprise appearance in the finale of Loki. Victor Timely is yet another one of Kang’s many egos from the comics. But what show is getting the Marvel movie bump?

Loki introduced Jonathan Majors to the MCU, and now Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has brought Kang into the mix. Here's how they connect.

And if we’re also right that Loki season one ended with Kang the Conqueror in charge, that means Victor Timely is the Exile who survived Quantumania. But what might be most important is who Loki thinks this Quantumania credits character is: the new head of the TVA. But if the Exile is alive, and if he currently controls the TVA, when did that scene with the Council take place? But thanks to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, we know why He Who Remains worried about branching. (Note: The only person besides Loki and Sylvie who seemingly will remember about He Who Remains is Ravonna Renslayer. (Which seems to be the same dimension He Who Remains ruled from). The TVA existed outside of time and space, as did the Void of Alioth and the Citadel of He Who Remains. Loki knew to fear more than just one Variant of He Who Remains, though. The Multiversal War created Alioth, a storm-like creature that could “consume time and space.” With his Variants bested, He Who Remains created the Sacred Timeline. Loki recognized the necessary evil of the TVA. But he eventually grew tired and sought a replacement to maintain the Sacred Timeline. [Loki‘s season one finale marked the surprise debut of Jonathan Majors](https://nerdist.com/article/loki-season-1-finale-ending-explained/) in the MCU.

Breaking down the many variants of Kang the Conquerer we meet in the two Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania end-credits scenes.

In a comics storyline, Kang the Conquerer travels to the early 20th century, takes on the name Victor Timely, and founds the city of Timely, Wisconsin. In a mid-credits scene, three different variants of Kang (all played by Majors) meet and discuss the threat of Kang the Conquerer. Presumably, Loki and Mobius are now on the hunt for Kang in order to reverse the effects of what Sylvie did or at least stop him from conquering the entire multiverse. He Who Remains warns that if Loki and Slyvie kill him they will simply unleash many other scarier variants of him, like Kang the Conquerer. destroy) branching timelines that aren’t part of the one “true” timeline and kill variants of characters we’ve met in the MCU. We learn in Quantumania that Kang’s other variants feared him and banished him to the Quantum Realm (essentially the realm where subatomic beings live). He Who Remains managed to defeat the other variants and created the one true timeline to maintain order and prevent future battles among the timelines. [Avengers: Endgame](https://time.com/5576656/avengers-endgame-time-travel/), the MCU introduced the concept of [the multiverse](https://time.com/6174219/doctor-strange-2-mcu-future/)—that there are parallel timelines in which different versions or “variants” of each character can live. The concept has been central to shows like Loki in which Loki (Tom Hiddleston) creates a branching timeline by diverging from his destiny and [Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness](https://time.com/6174104/doctor-strange-2-end-credits/), which features a character named America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) who can travel across the multiverse. We meet another multiversal traveler in Quantumania: Kang the Conquerer (Majors). We get hints of how Kang—or a different version of Kang from a parallel timeline—might return in Quantumania’s mid-credits and post-credits scenes. Here’s a full breakdown of both Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania end-credits scenes.

Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson reprise their "Loki" roles in an end-credits scene that sees them hunting Kang the Conqueror.

The Kang variant that Loki and Sylvie meet is He Who Remains, the founder of the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and keeper of the Sacred Timeline. Loki and Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) encountered one such variant in the After time traveling (and conquering) throughout the multiverse, Kang settles in Wisconsin in 1901, where he founds the town of Timely. [Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania](https://mashable.com/article/ant-man-and-the-wasp-quantumania-marvel-review) gives us, it's Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) — lots and lots of Kang the Conqueror. Quantumania is a veritable Kang fest, from his villainous turn in the main film to the [mid-credits scene, featuring countless Kangs](https://mashable.com/article/ant-man-and-the-wasp-quantumania-mid-credits-explained). Mobius doesn't seem to think that Timely is too dangerous, but Loki is convinced that the man on stage poses a massive threat to the world as we know it.

'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' reactions: Soon after the Paul Rudd and Jonathan Majors-starrer superhero film was released, Twitter users were quick to ...

RECOMMENDED Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania features Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Jonathan Majors, Kathryn Newton, Michelle Pfeiffer, and William Jackson in significant roles. Jonathan Majors is a standout, and I’m obsessed with him as Kang.” Another user said that this film is another mediocre offering from the house of Marvel while adding that it had a slow narration and humour worked only in parts. Another user backed Jonathan Majors for his performance as Kang and tweeted, “Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania is a wild, weird, trippy film. The Ant-Man movies were never the best MCU films, but they were fun. Another Marvel fan said that the Ant-Man movies were never the best MCU films but they were fun to watch. Music is boring. The user wrote, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania: Another mediocre from Marvel. Script is boring. The user further went on and asked whether there is a cohesive story at all. Soon after the Paul Rudd and Jonathan Majors-starrer superhero film was released, Twitter users were quick to share their two cents about the film.

Despite proclamations by Kevin Feige and others overseeing this interconnected film franchise, the Marvel formula has remained mostly consistent, with a few ...

I dared to imagine what the movie would have been like if nor for Rudd, Jonathan Majors, and others in the cast... Reflecting upon what the film would have been like had it not been for the likes of Rudd and Jonathan Majors is a dreadful thought. It is a full-bodied performance that makes the movie less of a chore. and I would not want to live in that timeline. He is a conqueror, but not of land, at least in the lore. The script tries to instill a little goofiness à la Thor: Ragnarok, but it too feels forced, like it was just a half-hearted attempt to fit the movie in the mould of the 'delightfully deranged' side of MCU. Pfeiffer's character is given more room, which is welcome, and Douglas and a couple of cameos are amusing enough. He presents a challenge to the Marvel heroes that is unique in itself. The script is, and I cannot stress this enough, execrable. Even the less exciting installments, like the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the 31st film in this juggernaut of a franchise, are met with raucous laughter and cheers every few minutes. If you have read anything I have written about Marvel in recent times, you would know I got disillusioned long before Thanos faced the Avengers. I began reading comics before I was 10 and have not stopped.

Uh oh. That was my first thought when I saw the review scores rolling in for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, the third Ant-Man movie, but a seemingly ...

I do wonder if a few more reviews may sink Quantumania below Eternals, though I will say in the middle to bottom ranking order of MCU movies by critic scores, I think they got a long wrong. That’s obviously something DC can’t say, as the DCEU boasts a number of films under that mark, and early on often split between high audience scores for Snyder-era films and low critic scores. Taking place almost entirely in the Quantum Zone, the film is in turn almost completely CGI, and even in the trailers it looked like that could be a problem. Second, since the movie is actually out now, user scores are in and they are not just higher than critics, which you might expect, but much higher, currently at an 84%. That’s a dismal score for an MCU feature, and marks only the second time that an MCU movie has had a “rotten” (below 60%) score on the site, the first time being Eternals in 2021. The thrill isn't just gone, it's been buried beneath a swarm of plot contrivances and truly hideous CGI.” [Whynow](https://whynow.co.uk/read/ant-man-and-the-wasp-quantumania-review): “Visually, the film is messy and flat; the CGI is shockingly poor and the action looks muddled. It says something that out of 30+ MCU features in a decade and a half, that there are literally only two with sub 60% scores. Of course, many MCU fans may wait and see what audience scores are like. But I would be surprised if this was a huge disparity as this always seemed like a pretty risky film. What’s wrong with the movie? We know there’s currently a visual effects shortage in Hollywood, in part because of the demands of places like Marvel, and perhaps this was too much work given not enough time and the end result is just…not very good. They were never really considered top-tier Marvel movies but this is a huge drop.

Rooney Mara, Judith Ivey, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Frances McDormand and Ben Whishaw lead the cast. The film is up for two Oscars at next month's ceremony – ...

[Women Talking](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/women-talking-toronto-review/5174281.article) in 209 cinemas, and animation [Marcel The Shell With Shoes On](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/marcel-the-shell-with-shoes-on-telluride-review/5162909.article) in 368 sites. [The Son](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-son-venice-review/5174199.article) premiered in competition at Venice Film Festival last September, with Jackman nominated for best actor in a drama at the Golden Globes. [The Son](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-son-venice-review/5174199.article) starring Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern, Zen McGrath, Vanessa Kirby and Anthony Hopkins, in 196 cinemas. [Black Panther: Wakanda Forever](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/black-panther-wakanda-forever-review/5175977.article), £37.5m with last summer’s [Thor: Love And Thunder](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/thor-love-and-thunder-review/5172187.article), and £42m with [Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/doctor-strange-in-the-multiverse-of-madness-review/5170025.article) in the spring, suggesting that big totals are still achievable for Marvel sequels. The duo collaborated to success on [Women Talking](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/women-talking-toronto-review/5174281.article) started previews last weekend, taking £78,319 from 43 predominantly independent sites. [Quantumania](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/ant-man-and-the-wasp-quantumania-review/5179126.article) is the first title in Phase Five of the MCU; it will be followed by James Gunn’s Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. Rooney Mara, Judith Ivey, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Frances McDormand and Ben Whishaw lead the cast. [Women Talking](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/women-talking-toronto-review/5174281.article), the film premiered at Telluride, although [Marcel](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/marcel-the-shell-with-shoes-on-telluride-review/5162909.article)’s debut was in 2021 and [Women Talking](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/women-talking-toronto-review/5174281.article) in 2022. Peyton Reed returns as director having made the first two films. Based on Miriam Toews’ 2018 novel, the film centres on a group of women in an isolated religious community who are grappling with a brutal reality of sexual abuse. [Ant-Man And The Wasp](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/ant-man-and-the-wasp-review/5130411.article), which started with £5m in August 2018 and ended on £17.8m.

Disney has been stretching out the time that films spend exclusively theaters, which means they're taking longer and longer to hit Disney Plus.

Disney didn't mention any connection in the timing, but it's possible the film's wait to start streaming was drawn out so its availability coincided with an opportunity to celebrate Black culture. While Disney has been much more aggressive than Paramount in putting its movies onto its streaming service quickly, Disney's trend for Marvel movies has been to hold them back longer in theaters as well. The Black Panther sequel marked the longest wait for a Marvel movie to start streaming since the company resumed theatrical exclusives in 2021.

Kang the Conqueror is coming, are the MCU heroes ready to face the time-traveling menace? Kathryn Newton, Paul Rudd, Jonathan Majors, Evangeline Lily, and ...

David Dastmalchian, who has appeared in Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp movies as Kurt Goreshter, the cybercriminal friend of Scott Lang, Luis, and Dave, will return but in a completely unrecognizable avatar in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. He has also appeared in films and shows such as Midsommar, Love Life Season 2, The Resort, and The Underground Railroad. In the comics, Jentorra is the niece of Queen Jarella, leader of the planet K'ai. However, he will be returning as another supervillain in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, as the hyper-intelligent menace M.O.D.O.K. Krylar is a relatively minor character from the comics and his only appearance was in an issue of The Incredible Hulk from back in 1972. [played He Who Remains in the Loki TV series](https://collider.com/kang-he-who-remains-loki-season-1-finale/), and he teased the cunning time-traveling villain. His daughter Cassie is the latest to join the crew, showing a similar interest in electronics and the Quantum realm as her father. However, in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, it seems his family is once again in danger, along with him, after they get trapped in the Quantum realm after the accident at his lab. Hope and Scott are still very much in love, as she takes part in every sphere of his life, from sharing the limelight with him on the red carpet to co-parenting his daughter, Cassie. He is also known for his work with filmmaker Judd Apatow, having appeared in several of his films including The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, and This Is 40. Scott Lang aka the Ant-Man has always been one of the most underrated and underappreciated heroes in the MCU. This is director Peyton Reed’s third film in the Ant-Man film series, becoming only the second MCU director to complete a trilogy after Jon Watts' work on the Spider-Man movies, and he'll soon be followed by James Gunn with his work on the Guardians of the Galaxy films.

In Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly return as Marvel's tiniest titans. With their extended family in tow, they get shrunk ...

These are the most high stakes post-credits scenes Marvel has had in awhile. Here's what they tease for Phase 5 going forward.

In Quantumania, the Council of Kangs looks to be governed by three distinctive versions of Kang: Rama-Tut (the Egyptian Pharaoh), Immortus (the older, bearded version), and the Scarlet Centurion. Part of that involves creating the Council of Kangs to determine which variants of Kang were too dangerous to exist. In fact, the final image in the movie is a direct recreation of We then cut to a stadium full of gathered Kangs for the MCU’s debut introduction of the Council of Kangs. The first stinger opens in an undisclosed location as we see a gathered triumvirate of Kang variants discussing the fallout of Kang the Conqueror's demise. The previous two Ant-Man movies arrived( in 2015 and 2018 respectively) as digestifs to substantial MCU entries—the first film released after Age of Ultron and the sequel hit after Infinity War.

How does Paul Rudd's new Marvel movie set up Kang, MODOK and phase 5 of the MCU?

In the meantime, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. And indeed, it turns out Kang the exile may have been the one person who stood against the combined might of his multiple selves. Hope spent most of the movie trailing around after Janet trying to get her mom to explain this whole quantum realm deal, and aside from a bit of fighting is criminally under-used. That led to a showdown with Scott in Cassie's bedroom when the poor kid was just six. In the real world, of course, foreign policy decisions about "regime change" in other lands are rarely so straightforward. He and Kang throw down in a brutal final punch-up that leaves Scott bloodied and bruised. To stop him, Cassie gives an impassioned speech to the downtrodden people of the quantum realm, who rise up against Kang. So she's none too happy when the whole family is sucked in and shrunk down, lost in the quantum realm and facing the chillingly soft-spoken dictator Kang (Jonathan Majors). Janet is horrified when her husband Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) helps Cassie sends a signal to the quantum realm, a plane of reality teenier than an atom. The insurgents are reinforced by an army of high-tech ants who evolved from Hank's experiments thanks to time fast-forwarding. [Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania](/culture/entertainment/ant-man-and-the-wasp-quantumania-review-a-breezy-bizarro-mcu-blunder/) is more than the latest Marvel movie. But how does the end of the movie set up this new beginning for the MCU, in movies on the big screen and TV shows on [Disney Plus](/tech/services-and-software/when-will-ant-man-quantumania-stream-on-disney-plus-not-soon-sorry/)?

The superhero sequel is currently playing in such major territories as Mexico, South Korea, Germany, Brazil and Australia. It debuts in China on Friday. Paul ...

One of the biggest draws of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” is Jonathan Majors’ supervillain Kang the Conqueror. The original “Ant-Man” in 2015 debuted to just $57 million domestically after earning $6.4 million in Thursday previews. The biggest problem for the film may be word of mouth. Internationally, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” has opened in more than 40 international markets, earning an estimated $23.8 million in its first two days of release. Critics haven’t been kind to “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” handing it a 49% “rotten” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a low mark for Marvel. [Paul Rudd](https://variety.com/t/paul-rudd/)’s latest Marvel adventure is expected to bring in $95 million to $100 million domestically in its opening weekend.

How Marvel created the “dizzying” and “bonkers” Quantum Realm in the new sequel.

“It allowed us to create a wide and varied world.” The plot easily adjusted to embrace such a disparate mishmash. “He’d conquered their people, and maybe they were the last survivors, and they’ve all banded together to resist.” And there’s oppression down there.” The oppression comes courtesy of That was, conceptually, the kind of bonkers idea.” “It had to feel different than outer space in Guardians of the Galaxy or Asgard in the Thor movies. And what’s the history of this?

The Marvel Cinematic Universe film is headed for a $100 million opening. It's the MCU movie debut of Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror, the next overarching ...

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. "Quantumania" is one of only two MCU films to generate a "rotten" rating on the review aggregator. Disney also announced Friday that it is postponing the release of "The Marvels," a film centered on Captain Marvel, Ms. The film had previous been set to debut on July 28. "Quantumania's" Thursday numbers are on pace with 2017's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. Hype surrounding the big screen debut of Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) is likely to help drive foot traffic to theaters this weekend.

Marvel Studios' littlest heroes have big roles to play in kickstarting Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Now playing in theaters around the ...

But in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, “It’s exciting for Ant-Man to take center stage after being a huge part of the storytelling so far, with the events in Endgame and Civil War. We really liked the idea of making this Ant-Man film as important and integral to the MCU going forward.” Majors will also star in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (opening May 2, 2025) and says he sees a “limitless” future for Kang in the MCU. For this movie, we liked the idea of uprooting that dynamic and making it a completely different kind of movie, where the people you might least expect to go up against Kang suddenly find themselves as the only people who are going up against Kang.” Furthermore, Kevin Feige, producer and President of Marvel Studios, says, “Phase 4 was about introducing a lot of new characters and new heroes to the world. “To be the film that kicks that off is fantastic.”

The estimated overseas gross of $23.8M through Thursday does not include any China numbers. The movie started in midnights there on Thursday, and through Friday ...

Germany was 47% ahead of Ant-Man and the Wasp and 126% ahead of Ant-Man. France‘s opening on Wednesday came in 16% ahead of Ant-Man and the Wasp and 128% ahead of Ant-Man. [Quantumania](https://deadline.com/tag/quantumania/) opened No. The movie started in midnights there on Thursday, and through Friday is at about $6.3M with an opening day at No. The Peyton Reed-directed pic has an 8.8 on Maoyan, on par with the previous films. With domestic’s strong $17.5M [previews](https://deadline.com/2023/02/box-office-ant-man-and-the-wasp-quantumania-opening-1235263086/), that lifts the global cume to a running $41.3M.

Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the third entry in the Ant-Man franchise, stars Paul Rudd, Jonathan Majors, Evangeline Lilly, Michelle Pfeiffer, ...

(It’s funny the first two times it eagerly says “holes,” but eventually you start to live in fear of another “holes” line.) The problem isn’t that such bits aren’t funny — they sometimes are — but that they reveal a noxious carelessness beneath the slipshod filmmaking. But it’s all executed with such little commitment (by otherwise talented actors) that the end result is numb alienation, which is probably not a thing you’re supposed to want from a superhero flick. At a time when MCU films seemed to be leaning further toward overarching story lines and portentous mythology (all in an effort to build up to the final Avengers pictures, at least one of which was terrific), it came like a breath of fresh air. The first Ant-Man, one of the high points of the whole Marvel cinematic project, was distinguished by its goofy humor and smaller-scale story. More importantly, it fails to make you feel anything, which is odd since part of the story involves Ant-Man’s desperate attempts to save his daughter, as ostensibly relatable and immediate a character motivation as one can imagine. You keep waiting for the menace or the grandiosity or the vengefulness to ratchet up — we’re told that Kang is a terrifying, nearly omnipotent being who needs to be prevented from ever escaping the Quantum Realm, lest he destroy the universe — but aside from a few unconvincing, late-inning battle sequences, there really doesn’t seem to be much to Kang. Quantumania makes you appreciate even more the achievement of something like the Avatar films. What does any of this have to do with Ant-Man or the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly)? Within what feels like the first 15 or so minutes of the movie, our heroes wind up getting sucked into the Quantum Realm (alongside Janet and her husband Hank Pym, played again by Michael Douglas) when Scott’s daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) begins sending signals into this world in an effort to map it. Now, she reveals that she wasn’t alone down there — that a whole universe of beings exists in the Quantum Realm, elaborate and diverse alien tribes in seemingly constant conflict. Maybe director Peyton Reed and his collaborators thought they were making a Star Wars movie; the protagonists’ adventures in the Quantum Realm at times look like they were meant to be a knockoff version of George Lucas’s space operas, albeit in compressed form. Save for a relatively brief, breezy opening section set in the Marvel present, where Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) has written a memoir about his eventful life as Ant-Man and his experiences saving the world in the wake of the Thanos Snap and the ensuing battles, the vast majority of Quantumania takes place in the Quantum Realm, that deadly microworld that you fall into if you shrink so much that you find yourself slipping between subatomic particles.

Paul Rudd, Jonathan Majors, Kevin Feige, and director Peyton Reed give the lowdown on the movie that kicks off Phase Five in Marvel's cinematic universe.

This subatomic world has all this stuff going on in the fabric of spacetime outside of space and time but in the quantum realm.” “In terms of the Ant-Man trilogy, there is a flashback in the first film to the Wasp, the original Wasp, Janet van Dyne, but we don't see her face. “Many great artists would paint the covers for these things, and they would be on a newsstand, and that cover had to grab you, and many of them were creating these bizarre worlds. The first Ant-Man movie was mainly about meeting the characters and the origin story, but we got a taste of it at the very end, which is what led to where we took it in Endgame.” The culture of the play and the story is all there, but it's really changing, so you really have to be very clear about what it is you're doing and who your character is, what he's about, what she's about, what they're going after, and the rest of it, you play hard. The look was in the works for three and a half years.” The theme of family is a constant in the movies.” The quick answer is that Kang is a time-traveling supervillain who is also a nexus being, leading to this idea of variants. “When we start this movie, it is the present day, and the events of Endgame have already transpired. Things act very differently at the quantum level, and Paul talked about the amount of storytelling, imagination, and fun you could have there. In Quantumania, one of the things we've done is broaden that story and start talking about the secrets the family members keep from each other.” Now, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania lands in theaters and is expected to dominate Presidents Day weekend.