The Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania early reactions reveal six big details about the movie’s story, the MCU’s future, and the film’s quality.
The Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania early reactions reveal several important details about the new Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. The latest installment of the Ant-Man franchise is right around the corner from hitting theaters. After Phase 4 proved to be a bit more divisive than the Infinity Saga, questions about audiences’ appetites for more of the MCU have arisen. This puts Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in a position of needing to deliver an experience that will once again get viewers eager to invest their time in watching multiple movies and Disney+ shows every year to stay up to date with the franchise.
After the red carpet Hollywood premiere for the movie, the first Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania reactions are rolling in. The film takes viewers on a journey back to the Quantum Realm that is built around a conflict between Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). While official reviews of the film cannot be published, Marvel did allow social media reactions to be posted by those who have seen it. The Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania early reactions reveal details about the film’s tone, how it utilizes its characters, and what audiences can expect in terms of larger MCU connections.
6Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Is A Good (Not Great) Start To Phase 5
The consensus coming out of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania‘s reactions is that the film is a good start to Phase 5 but not a great one. A source of contention among viewers appears to be the film’s tone. The Ant-Man franchise has always been on the sillier side of Marvel’s standard tone, and it sounds like that continues here. Some have cited Ant-Man 3‘s MODOK as an example of the tonal imbalance that exists in the movie. Viewers also noted an underwhelming story and chaotic ending as other negatives about the film.
As the first MCU movie of Phase 5, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania would have hoped to have hit a status similar to Iron Man or Captain America: Civil War in terms of kicking off a Phase. Instead, it would appear that Ant-Man 3 will fall more in line with Iron Man 3 or Black Widow as the first MCU movies of a Phase that have their defenders. While the reactions are not necessarily glowing and crowning Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania as one of the MCU’s best movies, it is also important to note that they are not negative or overly critical.
5Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Is Like Marvel’s Star Wars
One recurring comparison to come from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania‘s reactions is that the movie can be likened to Marvel’s version of Star Wars. The similarities between the Phase 5 MCU movie and Star Wars appear to come from its exploration of the Quantum Realm. This allows director Peyton Reed to explore a world that audiences are unfamiliar with and introduce a wide variety of creatures and characters. It has repeatedly been described as an epic sci-fi story similar to those from George Lucas’ franchise.
The similarities that exist between Ant-Man 3 and Star Wars should not come as too big of a surprise. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is an even bigger fan of Star Wars than he is Marvel, so injecting some of the franchise’s world-building and themes into the MCU was bound to happen eventually. It also comes after Peyton Reed directed episodes of The Mandalorian season 2, including the praised finale. His experience certainly appears to have impacted how he made another Ant-Man movie, including using The Mandalorian‘s Stagecraft technology to bring the Quantum Realm to life.
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4Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror Is A Terrifying New MCU Villain
The return of Jonathan Majors after Loki season 1’s use of He Who Remains was one of the most anticipated elements of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The good news is that the movie did not waste him. The Ant-Man 3 early reactions are overwhelming in their praise for Majors’ performance and how the film introduces Kang the Conqueror as the MCU’s next big bad. Several posts pointed to him taking over the movie upon his arrival and that he is a terrifying threat to the film’s main characters and the multiverse at large.
Audiences believing that Kang the Conqueror is one of the MCU’s best villains is a promising sign for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and the MCU’s future. He has already been confirmed to be the franchise’s next Thanos and the overarching villain of the Multiverse Saga. It is not surprising that Jonathan Majors is such a standout, as Loki season 1 gave viewers an incredible tease of how terrific he would be in the role. Still, Kang is one of the biggest winners from the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania early reactions.
3Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Teases The MCU’s Bigger Story
It sounds like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania does an excellent job teasing the MCU’s bigger story. The lack of a clear direction for the MCU was one of the biggest criticisms of Phase 4, and that was one of the reasons Marvel Studios announced Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars so early on. After watching nearly a dozen MCU movies and TV shows that were only loosely connected, it appears Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the film that starts to put the larger Multiverse Saga story into motion in a more precise way.
The Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania first reactions do not reveal precisely how the MCU Phase 5 film accomplishes this, though. That would involve getting into spoiler territory about how the movie ends and where it leaves individual character arcs. With the various theories about Kang’s connection to Shang-Chi’s Ten Rings or Ms. Marvel’s bangles and the possibility of other Kang variants factoring into the equation, there are plenty of opportunities for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania to connect to the wider MCU and set up future stories for the Multiverse Saga.
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2Michelle Pfeiffer’s Janet Steals Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
A welcomed reveal from the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania early reactions is that it fully utilizes Michelle Pfeiffer, allowing Janet van Dyne to steal the movie. When Marvel Studios originally announced her casting for Ant-Man and the Wasp, there was plenty of excitement about what she would bring to the film. However, she was largely left out of the movie and served as the MacGuffin instead. That was quite frustrating and made it Ant-Man 3‘s responsibility to do Michelle Pfeiffer’s Janet justice. Thankfully, it sounds like she plays an even bigger role than expected.
Due to Janet van Dyne’s past in the Quantum Realm, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania‘s trailers established that she has a history with Kang. This signaled an important role for her in the sequel, and some reactions even say that she essentially becomes the main character for large portions of it. Any fears that the MCU would waste Michelle Pfeiffer again appear to be unnecessary, as it also appears that Janet gets much more involved in the action this time.
1Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Has Two Post-Credits Scenes
The first reactions also confirm that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has two post-credits scenes. This has become a standard practice for Marvel Studios over the years, so the new MCU post-credits scenes are expected on some level. However, the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania early reactions noted that these, in particular, are “cool” and “significant,” with others suggesting that they “will blow your mind” and “change everything.”
Thankfully, there have been no spoilers from these reactions about what Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania‘s post-credits scenes contain. Audiences will soon discover exactly what the end credits scenes reveal about the MCU. Connections to Kang and the multiverse are quite likely, while teases for what comes next for Ant-Man, Wasp, and others could also come. But, it will be best to keep expectations in check and not get over-hyped based on the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania early reactions reveals.
