Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will take full advantage of the Quantum Realm and could hint at the MCU's future in the process. As seen by the trailers for the first MCU Phase 5 movie, the titular heroes of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will spend plenty of time in the Quantum Realm alongside Cassie Lang, Hank Pym, and Janet van Dyne. After being sucked into the Quantum Realm, the group encounters Kang the Conqueror, who will play a huge MCU role in the future.
One thing that the MCU has established about the Quantum Realm is how it can distort the laws of physics. From the subatomic sections at the end of Ant-Man to the establishment of a society of sorts in Ant-Man and the Wasp and the time travel elements of Avengers: Endgame, the Quantum Realm is one of the MCU's most intriguing concepts. This is expected to be fully explored in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in a way that could reveal one timeline in the MCU's future.
How Does Time Work In The Quantum Realm?
The main way Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's ending could reveal the MCU's future is through exploring how time works in the Quantum Realm. As explored briefly in Avengers: Endgame, time works differently in the subatomic universe. At the end of Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scott was trapped in the Quantum Realm by the fallout of Thanos's snap in Avengers: Infinity War. Scott was released five years later, only to reveal that in his mind he only spent five hours in the Quantum Realm. This means that time in the Quantum Realm is unstable and could make five minutes feel like five hours or potentially vice versa.
If the time travel rules from Avengers: Endgame are adhered to, Scott, Hope, and the rest could spend the movie in the Quantum Realm and emerge far in the future at the end, as with Scott between Ant-Man and the Wasp and Avengers: Endgame. This would emulate Kang's MCU introduction in Loki where Loki emerged from the Citadel at the End of Time to see that Kang has conquered the TVA. Depending on how much Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will tie into Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, the movie could see its heroes leave the Quantum Realm to be stuck in a very bleak MCU future already ruled by Kang.
What Do We Know Of The MCU's Future?
That idea could tie into the one brief detail that is known about the MCU's future through the title of the fifth Avengers movie. The next ensemble MCU movie will be called Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, which obviously hints at Kang the Conqueror living up to his title and conquering the MCU to an extent in order to form his own dynasty. With Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania being the first movie to officially introduce Kang after Loki debuted his more benevolent variant, He Who Remains, it would make sense for the sequel to set up Kang's next known appearance in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.
This could be done by having Scott emerge another five years into the MCU's future in which Kang already rules. This would massively change the status quo for the character and could create a nonlinear storyline for the MCU's Phases 5 and 6. After being potentially hinted at through the ending of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the rest of the MCU projects between its release and Avengers: The Kang Dynasty could be about slowly setting up this bleak future in which Kang rules. The main storyline and the other Avengers would then eventually catch up to Scott and Hope by the time Avengers: The Kang Dynasty releases.
