The Sporting Life: quANTuMANia Edition
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania from Marvel Studios is an epic sci-fi adventure filled with twists, turns and action-packed excitement. It is the third film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) directed by superheroes Scott Lang / Ant-Man (played by Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne / The Wasp (Evangeline Lilly). This is a must-read for MCU fans as it sets the stage for most of Marvel’s next big things for years to come and really introduces us to Kang. The visual effects are mind-blowing and Kang is nothing short of terrifying and amazing, and one of the most intriguing characters in the MCU, played by one of the most captivating actors working today.
Scott Lang is an ordinary guy who accidentally became a superhero – an avenger, no less, who literally saved the world. Life in San Francisco is good as Scott enjoys promoting his book and cherishing his relationship with Hope, enjoying time together on the Golden Gate Bridge as Ant-Man and The Wasp, and hanging out with Hope’s parents Hank (Michael Douglas) and Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer). Above all, Scott wants to make up for lost time with his daughter Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), who is now 18. “He missed half her life,” says screenwriter Jeff Loveness.
“One of the funniest things about ‘Quantumania’ is that the first two ‘Ant-Man’ [movies] are basically earthbound – San Francisco,” says director Peyton Reed. “They’re really fun and you can compare the shrinking and growing to what we know around us. But what happens when we take these familiar characters and throw them into this environment that is totally alien to them?”
“While maintaining the intimacy of the family history, we decided we really wanted to make it big,” says director Peyton Reed. “And to do that, we needed a world-class villain in a movie like this. As a kid who grew up reading all comics, I always loved Kang the Conqueror. He was one of the big antagonists in the comics.”
Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) is possibly the greatest threat the MCU has ever faced, with multiple versions of the villain – each more terrifying than the one before. Time, it seems, is Kang’s secret weapon, and he intends to use his unique understanding of it to conquer worlds far beyond the quantum realm.
Kang is able to experience past, present and future simultaneously. Known as the He Who Remains in “Loki”, this new and deeply dangerous version of Kang intends to up his game and sparks a concerted effort from Scott, Hope, Janet, Hank and Cassie to stop him before it is too late.
“I think the film is ultimately about our relationship with time as people and how time plays out in our relationships,” says Majors. “Love, friendship, legacy: that’s what the story and every character from Hank to Janet to Scott is all about – we’re all touched by it and deal differently with the threat or promise of time.”