WARNING: This review contains FULL SPOILERS from the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Make sure you’ve seen the movie in theaters before reading on.
The Ant-Man movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have always been part of their own little world. 2015’s Ant-Man was more of a comedic heist movie than a superhero movie. And its 2018 sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, was a rewarding follow-up with similar themes. This time, however, Marvel has thrown everything at Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and it’s not all working out.
Perhaps the biggest offender in the whole picture was MODOK, the mechanized organism designed only to kill. The grotesque character is quickly revealed to be Darren Cross from the first Ant-Man movie, but Kang warps him and saves him with futuristic technology. The CGI appearance of him is not only jarring but completely ridiculous. It got to the point where every time he appeared on the screen, the movie audience laughed at him, not because of him. Plus, the inclusion of him felt like nothing more than an over-the-top callback to the first movie. Tying up a loose end that no one cared to notice in the first place.
Sadly, MODOK wasn’t the only character wasted in the movie. Cassie Lang is the young successor to Ant-Man in name only. Despite quickly establishing herself as a freedom fighter and an overall good egg, she doesn’t really do much in the movie. Aside from being the only reason Scott continued to get involved in the film’s shenanigans, Cassie felt really lost. With no memorable dialogue or fight scenes, poor Kathryn Newton felt lost.
In that sense, however, the fight scenes in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania are a lot of fun. Between Scott and the Wasp changing size to pummel their enemies, and Kang destroying hordes of innocent people with terrifying death rays, the action (oddly enough for an Ant-Man movie) is where some of the film’s strengths lie.
Speaking of Kang: Jonathan Majors is brilliant. He is harrowing as The Conquerer. Despite the dialogue and script surrounding his revelation, Majors embodies a divine being who will force everyone to do his bidding. On screen he is menacing, powerful and downright terrifying. Fans will fall in love with Majors from the first arrival of him, so it’s a shame he’s getting killed off so soon.
After the promotional campaign made Kang such a daunting character, it seems absurd that he was thwarted so quickly, and by no less than a horde of ants (or, perhaps, this is the perfect way Ant-Man could defeat the worst). enemy they’ve already faced?) Either way, the post-credits scenes showed the true power of Kang’s abilities.
The first post-credits scene featured countless Kangs gathering to discuss their next move, much like the plot of Rick and Morty’s Citadel of Ricks. While it ultimately amounted to creating an imminent threat for the following movies, it was great to see Majors create so many different characters in a wild and rabid way. I can’t wait to see what he does with the next batch of Kang villains.
The second post-credits scene had people jumping out of their seats. Another variant of Kang was shown, but this time it was a Victorian scientist named Victor Timely. Loki made a brief appearance alongside Owen Wilson’s Mobius, no doubt teasing the upcoming second season of Loki. Will Loki be the key to taking down Kang once and for all? Probably, but we still have half a dozen movies to go before we can even sniff out Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, which hits theaters in 2025.
Until then, while Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is mostly a “misfire,” Kang’s incredible portrayal in Majors may just make it worthwhile.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is now in theaters.
Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp are available to watch on Disney Plus now.
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