The scope of the MCU has become incredibly large over the past few years. Though the franchise has always included powerful folks from all corners of the universe, recent installments in the franchise have begun to explore complicated phenomenons like time travel and multiverse manipulation. They’ve also included superpowered foes with the ability to manipulate the fabric of the universe. However, there is one Avenger who, though he can grow to any size, manages to make the franchise seem smaller in the best ways.
Ant-Man, also known as Scott Lang, is a simple family man. He spent several years in prison and found himself unable to land a job due to his record and, therefore, unable to provide for his family. Due to this, he accidentally steals the super suit that gives him his powers. He quickly became involved with the Avengers and has been a hilarious and often helpful member of the team ever since. The character is portrayed by Paul Rudd, who could very well be the most talented actor in the star-studded MCU lineup.
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Here’s why Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man is a fan-favorite MCU hero.
Scott Lang Was a Petty Thief With a Heart of Gold
Paul Rudd has portrayed characters in nearly every genre of film imaginable and has been showcasing his incredible range for decades. As such, it’s no wonder that MCU fans were delighted when he was first announced as a new addition to the franchise.
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Because Scott Lang spent most of his life uninvolved with superhero fights and quantum kerfuffles, he functions as a much-needed straight man when he appears alongside long-time Avengers. Throughout the past few films that have featured Ant-Man, he has seen some utterly incredible sights, and the character never seems to get comfortable with the aliens and sorcerers. In that sense, he serves as a stand-in for MCU moviegoers, continually surprised by the seemingly endless supply of strange events on screen.
Additionally, Ant-Man is one of the funniest characters in the franchise, which is helpful when a film is trending in a more serious direction. For example, his constant battle of wits with FBI agent Jimmy Woo, portrayed by one of the other funniest character actors in the MCU, Randall Park (Fresh off the Boat, WandaVision), had audiences of the original Ant-Man film rolling with laughter.
Ant-Man’s Versatile Size and Skill Set
Ant-Man can’t create mystical portals that conjure magical beasts or manipulate the fabric of space-time, he doesn’t wield an electric hammer forged by the space-dwelling Dwarves, and he hasn’t once shot lasers from his hands. He didn’t even make his superpowered suit. Nevertheless, Ant-Man’s ability to become any size has proven incredibly useful throughout his many MCU appearances. His skill set might rank him among the most powerful individuals in the MCU.
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In Captain America: Civil War, Ant-Man fought one-on-one with some of the most powerful heroes in the franchise and was able to hold his own. In Avengers: Endgame, he was an essential part of the time-traveling team. Many fans even theorized that he should’ve been the hero that ultimately killed Thanos, though the suggested method of carrying out this assassination was far too… shall we say, invasive… to ultimately be included.
MCU Fan Mania Over Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
One of the first introductions MCU fans had to the concept that the franchise would be expanding (or rather, in this case, shrinking) beyond the parameters of the universe was Ant-Man’s explorations of the Quantum Realm. Essentially, the Quantum Realm is a section of reality that exists in the subatomic space, where time moves much slower than it does in the real world. The science behind the realm is also the genesis for Tony Stark’s invention of time travel in Avengers: Endgame.
The Quantum Realm will be further explored in the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which is set to be released in February next year. It has already been announced that the main villain in the film will be Jonathan Majors’ Kang. He is an alternate reality variation of He Who Remains, the omnipotent who created the Time Variance Authority, or TVA, introduced in Loki. Kang has the ability to manipulate the multiverse. This seems to establish that the Quantum Realm should be viewed as an extension of the multiverse, which puts Ant-Man directly at the center of the MCU’s next phase.
Ant-Man, in an ever-growing MCU, proves that size really doesn’t matter. There is no telling how important the character will be to the future of the franchise, but it is unlikely that Scott Lang is going anywhere anytime soon. Fans cannot get enough of Paul Rudd’s lovable straight man.
