One of the bigger announcements at Comic-Con this weekend was Kevin Feige‘s explanation of how Marvel Studios‘s Phase 5 and Phase 6 programming would shake out. To the surprise of many, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” would be the official kickoff to Phase 5, moving the studio to what they’ve officially dubbed “The Multiverse Saga.” But while the first trailer for ‘Quantumania’ might’ve been a Comic-Con exclusive, we are able to provide a brief description of what we saw in the trailer.
The “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania” footage opens with an extended sequence of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) at a live book-reading for his autobiography, “Looking Out for the Little Guy”. Lang chronicles his heroic exploits in “Avengers: Endgame” in characteristically grandiose fashion to an enraptured audience. However, this ego-trip is interrupted by a call from the police, where we learn that Scott’s now-teenage daughter, Cassie (Kathryn Newton), has been arrested. We get the sense Scott has been unwittingly driving a wedge between himself and his family due to his excessive pride in his super-heroics.
The trailer then quickly switches gears from the family drama the series has become known for to zany sci-fi adventure when Scott, Cassie, Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) are sucked into the Quantum Realm. Janet, who has survived in this subatomic world before, takes charge and leads them to an as-yet-unknown denizen of this surreal space, played by Bill Murray.
What follows is a flurry of cosmic, Jack Kirby-esque images (including a brief look at what appears to be the villainous M.O.D.O.K.) in which we see the Ant-Man family navigate the Quantum Realm. These images are paired with the dulcet tones of Jonathan Majors’s Kang the Conquerer, who reveals that he is in fact the big bad of the film.
Kang’s narration carries us through the second half of the trailer, culminating in an ominous threat to Lang: “You’re an Avenger? Have I killed you before?”
“Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania,” directed Peyton Reed, will open February 17, 2023.