Judy Greer's original idea for her Ant-Man franchise actor has also revealed her original vision.
Instead of focusing on a small-scale story, such as the battle against Darren Cross' Yellowjacket or the confrontation with Ghost, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania brought Paul Rudd's Scott Lang and his size-changing family face-to-face with the MCU's biggest new threat. Kang the Conqueror's inclusion in Quantumania was then considered the strongest part of the movie, but Jonathan Majors' massive role changed Ant-Man's place in the MCU too much for many. One actor's original idea for Quantumania would have been a far stronger and more Ant-Man-appropriate story.
Judy Greer Wanted Maggie To Have Superpowers In Ant-Man 3
Judy Greer Has Played Maggie, Scott Lang's Ex-Wife, Since 2015's Ant-Man
While Kathryn Newton's MCU casting allowed Cassie Lang, grown up after Avengers: Endgame's time-jump, to have a much more central role as a bona fide hero in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, there was one very noticeable absence from her story. Quantumania developed Cassie's relationship with her father, but completely ignored her bond with her mother, Judy Greer's Maggie. In a recent interview with The Direct, Judy Greer revealed that she was surprised she wasn't included in Quantumania, and noted that she'd urged Peyton Reed to let her get superpowers in the Ant-Man sequel.
I was in the last Guardians [of the Galaxy] as War Hog. War Pig, I believe, was my name in the last Guardians, but in the first two Ant-Man movies, I don't... There's been a lot of movies. But the reason, I don't know why I wasn't in Quantumania, by the way, but I went to the movie theater and saw it. I don't know why they didn't put me in it, but I really wanted to be in it. It's so much fun... I was begging Peyton Reed for a superpower. I was like, 'Please, please, can I, like, run into someone on the street and get a superpower? Please, please, please?' And him and Paul [Rudd] would laugh at me, and then they never gave me one.
While Maggie has never been a huge character in the Ant-Man franchise, she has always been central to Scott Lang's story. Judy Greer appeared as Maggie in Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp, with the latter developing her closer bond with her ex-husband following him being outed as a superhero in 2016's Captain America: Civil War. Maggie's absence from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was unusual, especially since Cassie Lang got so much attention, and Judy Greer's idea for Maggie to gain superpowers would have been a great story for the sequel.
Removing Ant-Man’s Other ing Characters Was A Mistake In Quantumania
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania Ignored Some Of The Franchise's Best Characters
One of the biggest criticisms aimed at Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was that it seemed to completely forget the movies that had come before it. Many fan-favorite characters who had been mainstays in the Ant-Man franchise were omitted from the Phase 5 movie, including the likes of Maggie and Paxton, as well as Scott Lang's popular X-Con friends, Luis, Kurt and Dave. Michael Peña's Luis became famous for his long-winded and fast-paced monologs, and many sorely missed this being repeated in Quantumania.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania also seemed to move on too quickly from the events of its 2018 predecessor. Ant-Man and the Wasp ended with Janet Van Dyne gaining powers in the Quantum Realm, and the team continuing to harvest quantum energy to help Ava Starr, a.k.a. Ghost. None of this was mentioned in Quantumania, and even the inclusion of Laurence Fishburne's Bill Foster or another character from Hank Pym's past would have been beneficial. It was a huge mistake for all these characters and stories to be forgotten, as there was little connection to Ant-Man's MCU history in Quantumania.
Maggie With Superpowers Would Have Been Great For Ant-Man 3
Maggie Getting Superpowers Would Have Made Ant-Man 3 Very Different
In Marvel Comics, Cassie Lang's mother, Peggy Rae, never receives superpowers, and, in fact, loathes the superhuman community and constantly fears for her daughter's life. This means that Maggie getting superpowers in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania would have been a completely original story for the MCU, but this could have been just what Quantumania needed. Having Maggie get superpowers would have restricted the amount of time the Ant-Man team spent in the Quantum Realm, which would have allowed the Phase 5 movie to feel much more like an Ant-Man film.
MCU Ant-Man Movie |
Release Date |
Box Office |
|---|---|---|
Ant-Man |
July 17, 2015 |
$519.3 million |
Ant-Man and the Wasp |
July 6, 2018 |
$622.7 million |
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania |
February 17, 2023 |
$476.1 million |
Instead of having multiverse-reaching consequences, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania could have retained a personal, stripped-back and intimate storyline had the focus been on Maggie becoming empowered. Previous Ant-Man movies have been described as "palate cleansers" following major Avengers crossover projects, and it would have been great if Quantumania had also filled this role. This could have debuted a brand-new hero, or perhaps superpowered villain, in the MCU, and would have given Scott Lang the perfect grounded story for his trilogy-capper, rather than being too ambitious and forgetting the franchise's roots.
Judy Greer Deserves A Bigger MCU Role After Ant-Man & Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
Judy Greer Had A Double-Role In The MCU's Phase 5
Judy Greer is an incredibly talented and hilarious actor, and her skills have arguably been wasted in her role of Maggie in the Ant-Man franchise. 2023's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 showed off more of her talents, as she voiced War Pig, a member of the High Evolutionary's genetically-engineered Hell Spawn army. War Pig was killed by Will Poulter's Adam Warlock while tracking down Rocket, ending Judy Greer's second role in the MCU before it had really even taken off, so the brilliant actor certainly deserves more.
Every MCU Species The High Evolutionary Is Confirmed To Have Created
The High Evolutionary is the MCU's newest villain in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, having created close to 100 species in his quest for perfection.
Since Judy Greer did not get a more substantial role as Maggie in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, it would be great to see her be utilized better as Cassie Lang's mother in projects, or be recast as someone new. Kathryn Newton is expected to have a key role as Cassie Lang in the MCU's rumored Young Avengers projects, so Maggie Lang could also make appearances here. This could give her more hefty stories in the MCU's future, perhaps even with her being empowered, which would finally fulfill Judy Greer's Phase 5 wish.
Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania
- Release Date
- February 17, 2023
- Runtime
- 125 minutes
- Director
- Peyton Reed
Cast
Scott Lang / Ant-Man
Hope Van Dyne / The Wasp
WHERE TO WATCH
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania follows Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne, ed by Janet van Dyne, Hank Pym, and Cassie Lang, as they navigate the Quantum Realm. Their journey introduces them to peculiar creatures and challenges their understanding of reality, pushing their abilities to new extremes.
- Writers
- Jeff Loveness
Your comment has not been saved