Writer Jeff Loveness Talks ‘Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania,’ Figuring Out Kang & The Challenge Of ‘Avengers 5’ [The Playlist Podcast]

Prior to “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” writer Jeff Loveness worked in the realm of TV for a while and had never written the script for a feature film. Then, he was picked by Marvel Studios to not only write the third ‘Ant-Man’ film but to also write the next ‘Avengers’ film. Needless to say, Loveness has a lot on his plate. Thankfully, he took the time out to talk to The Playlist Podcast about his new film and the pressure of writing the follow-up to one of the biggest films of all time. 

LISTEN: ‘Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania’: Phase 5 Begins With A Whimper And Not A Kang Bang [The Playlist Podcast]

“Ant-man and the Wasp: Quantumania” is the third film in the ‘Ant-Man’ franchise and is perhaps best known right now as the film that really introduces Jonathan Majors as the next big Marvel bad guy, Kang the Conquerer. In addition to ‘Quantumania,’ Loveness is also already hard at work on his next Marvel project, the script for “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,” which is expected to arrive in 2025. Not so bad for a guy who wrote for “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “Rick & Morty.” 

In our interview, we cover quite a bit about ‘Quantumania.’ I will warn you, there are spoilers that are discussed, but anyone who is worried about spoilers has had a couple of weeks to check out the film, so that’s on you. We spend a lot of time talking about the villains of the film, specifically, Kang the Conquerer, and how Loveness came to figure out the best way to introduce a character who is best known for having a million variants and living across various timelines and multiverses. 

“We really just wanted to focus on the character,” explained Loveness. “Who is this actual guy? Before we get to big multiverse things, Avengers murders, cameos, and time-travel stuff. The idea of him being this exile or prisoner… Doing that for a guy named Kang the Conquerer seemed kinda interesting. And to make it feel like he had all of this backstory that we haven’t heard. And to make it feel like he’s in the middle of something we don’t know yet.”

LISTEN: Christopher Landon Talks ‘We Have A Ghost,’ Why ‘Happy Death Day 3’ Isn’t Happening, ‘Arachnophobia’ & More [The Playlist Podcast]

He added that the casting of Majors made a huge difference in how he approached the character, “Some of my very first whacks at the character—and I think this was before Jonathan was cast—was a bit more worldly, a bit more casual, a bit more modernized. And there was decent stuff in there… It felt like you had to rise to the occasion when Jonathan Majors is cast. And that made me excited and bolder. And I think it’s going to service the character better.”

Kang isn’t the only highly-anticipated villain ‘Quantumania’ introduced. Loveness also had the opportunity to bring MODOK to life, which has been one of the more polarizing aspects of the film. When thinking of inspiration for MODOK (a character with a massive head and tiny limbs, who floats around and murders people with his forehead beam), Loveness looked at a classic comedy.

“For MODOK, I went with Kevin Kline, from ‘A Fish Called Wanda,’” he said. “He’s such an idiot, and he’s so insecure. And yet, he’s really good at killing people. [Laughs] So, you gotta be on edge around that guy. There’s this ‘Simpsons’ episode with Frank Grimes [also].”

Loveness also talked a bit about some extra stuff from ‘Quantumania’ that ended up not making the finished film, which he thinks could have been fun.

“There was one scene in the probability storm, I was going to have it more psychedelic and more in the mind. There was this giant Werner Herzog-voiced ant that was almost animatronic…and he was going to be there for the adventure,” said Loveness. “Hank was going to live in a hive-mind of ants, at one point. That was fun… I played a henchman that was killed by MODOK. That was a cruel cut. [Laughs]” 

Of course, this interview took place after all of the reviews and box office news surrounding ‘Quantumania’ was seen. The film currently stands at 48% on Rotten Tomatoes (one of the lowest in Marvel history). It also experienced the worst second-weekend box office drop in Marvel’s long history. That said, Loveness isn’t defeated.

LISTEN: James Gunn’s DC Slate Is Ambitious & Interesting But Is That Enough? [The Playlist Podcast]

“I’m taking it in stride. It’s fun to have a divisive movie,” he said. “But I like the movie, and it’s been so lovely to see people who get it, get it and really be down for the ride and laugh at the jokes and digging what Jonathan has been building with the character. So yeah, I’m having a good time with it.”

As for what’s next, the writer can’t share details about “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty,” but he did talk about the pressure of writing the first ‘Avengers’ film since ‘Endgame’ broke records and seemed to be the high-water mark for superhero team-up films. 

“It’s the biggest challenge in the world. It’s comedic how big this challenge is,” he explained. “Literally, there’s no bigger pressure, no bigger movie, no bigger canvas, no bigger fanbase, no bigger expectations. The enormity of that isn’t lost on me. But I also feel like this is insane and wonderful, and I get the chance to take the biggest swing at the biggest movie in the world.”

“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” is in theaters now. You can hear our full discussion below:

The Playlist Podcast is part of The Playlist Podcast Network, which includes Bingeworthy, Deep Focus, The Fourth Wall, and The Discourse. We can be heard on iTunes, AnchorFM, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, and most places where podcasts are found. You can stream the podcast via the Spotify embed within the article or click on the lead image at the top page. Follow us on iTunes, and you’ll get this podcast and our other shows regularly. Be sure to subscribe and drop us a comment or a rating, as we greatly appreciate it. Thank you for listening.