With minor teasers showcasing the film’s grand-scale plotline for the future of Marvel’s Phase Five, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’s new trailer reveals a lot about the multiversal mayhem we’ll soon witness, with the inclusion of big characters — especially our next big bag, Kang the Conqueror. 

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp, as the newly-famous heroes find themselves thrust into the Quantum Realm — a dimension hidden away from everyday reality, filled with plenty of strange characters and factions for the pair to meet.  

Together, with Hope’s parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible. 

Along with kickstarting Kang’s storyline after his brief introduction in Loki, the film drew up plenty of interest in existing fan theories about the MCU’s future. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest ones. 

Bill Murray’s Villain & Janet Van Dyne 

Bill Murray’s inclusion in the MCU spurred up outrage from several fans in the wake of the actor’s sexual misconduct allegations, but here’s seemingly here to stay — and also might be more central to the film’s plot than we may first realise. 

Janet van Dyne’s journey is a major plot point in the film. After witnessing her character arc through the last two films, we now get to see exactly what she was up to while in the Quantum Realm, and perhaps not all of her actions were taken lightly by the locals. The trailer shows Janet’s wariness and apprehension about the mysterious dimension and its home city Chronopolis — echoing a storyline from The Avengers’ comic book run, where Janet gets on the wrong side of a crime lord name Lord Guzar — who many think Murray might be playing the role of.

The End of Scott Lang  

Likeable, easy-going, and just ‘nice’, Scott Lang represents a sort of Avengers everyman — a goofy, relaxed individual starkly in contrast to the super soldiers, corporate titans, and otherworldly beings we often find in the MCU. Sadly, his affable persona is rumoured to not last beyond the events of this film. 

While the trailer does show several Ant-Men variants turned into shreds in a couple of glimpses, the biggest warning sign is Ant-Man’s comic book history itself. Like Cap and Tony, Scott also dies in print, at the hands of an explosion — which we see the character running from in the trailer.

Cassie Lang Takes Over 

In line with the previous theory surrounding Scott’s death is the rise of his daughter Cassie, as the latest member of the Young Avengers. The trailer — which is deeply rooted in themes of family and legacy — shows her suited up and even coming up with scientific breakthroughs, teasing that she certainly has more in store for us, as she may take up her comic book superhero persona, Stature, into the MCU. 

The Kang Link With Loki 

The biggest draw for this MCU outing is probably our first big look at Kang the Conqueror in his classic blue-green-purple comic book avatar. While it was cool to see him in this outfit, the brief clip also may confirm a pre-existing fan theory from the character’s introduction in Loki. 

At the end of the 2021 series, Loki himself comes across a massive statue of Kang. This version of Kang, who has seemingly conquered the TVA, is dressed almost exactly as Kang is in this trailer. If both of these characters are the same person, it confirms the theory that the TVA — and all of its tech and plot contrivances — are located within the Quantum Realm. As the easiest places characters have been able to time travel to, this makes a lot of sense. 

So while Kang may be in the Quantum Realm, he also lacks the tech to escape it — which is where he may team up with the Ant-Man family. Sounds cool — until you realise that he’s got the epithet ‘Conqueror’ in his name. 

Ant-Man: Quantumania is scheduled to release on February 17, 2023. 

Lead Image: Marvel Studios