Along with all the reveals at Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. This footage hasn’t been made officially public, nor was the cast really able to talk about much on-stage, but it looks to be something quite unique to its predecessors.
Nevertheless, Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang is just as charming and quippy as ever. He could largely be looked at as comedic levity throughout the MCU, but Ant-Man is still very wholesome and incredibly heroic. There are so many great lines from him to highlight, but these specifically perfectly exemplify who he is.
“I’m not going to miss my little girl’s birthday party.”
Ant-Man
The reason mainly behind Scott Lang becoming a world-saving hero is to protect the people he loves – his family and most of all, his daughter, Cassie. He made a righteous mistake before Ant-Man and paid the consequences, serving jail time for burglarizing his corrupt employers. This led to him having controlled access to Cassie, which could’ve severed their connection, but she didn’t let that get in the way of it.
Scott Lang does feel some moral duty to help others, but overall his motivations are tied to his family. It’s quite interesting to think about how his relationship with Cassie will be different since he lost five years with her after being stuck in the Quantum Realm. As shown at Comic-Con, this new dynamic between Scott and Cassie will be an important element in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
“Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?”
Ant-Man
MCU heroes love to be quippy, and Paul Rudd as Ant-Man is one of the best at it. This line is right out of a comic book, and in some contexts, it could come off excessively cheesy, but it still works in Ant-Man.
It does help that it led right into one of the MCU’s best fights as he and Yellowjacket epically battle in Cassie’s bedroom. The line feels like he’s been waiting for the right moment to say it – akin to his catchphrase (perhaps he spent some time working out how to say it like Jane Foster did).
“I’m gonna call him Ant-Thony.”
Ant-Man
Along with his connection to Cassie, Hope, and Hank, Scott develops a relationship with the ants. So much so that he gives them fun names, like Ant-Thony, Ulysses S. Gr-Ant, and Ant-Tonio Banderas. Even though Hank was the person who develops this technology to control ants, and is thus better at it overall, Scott’s personality sets him apart.
Hank is very abrasive and untrusting and views the ants more as servants than teammates. Scott treats them more like pets and is mournful when they don’t make it out alive. In Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, he’ll likely get a new steed and/or the giant ant’s name might get revealed, which could help him become a member of the Pet Avengers if they ever do a project for the team.
“I didn’t steal anything! I was returning something I stole.”
Ant-Man
No matter how intelligent or clever Scott is, he is still very prone to misspeaking. This quote perfectly encapsulates that – after he stole this weird size-changing suit, he broke back into the house to return it, only to then get caught and accidentally incriminate himself. Of course, it’s comedic gold, but it also showcases how impulsive Scott can be.
He does sometimes act before he thinks, which leads to him making these mistakes. Naturally, he’s gotten better and more logical over the years, but Hope coming into his life was really what catalyzed his maturity as a hero. If she hadn’t called the police on him, he would’ve gone on his way and probably avoided anything to do with that house and suit, thus he’d never become Ant-Man.
“As far as I’m concerned, that’s America’s ass.”
Avengers: Endgame
Until Avengers: Endgame when he orchestrated the Time Heist and worked with Cap again.
This line is obviously a joke, but it does show a sense of strange appreciation or reverence that he had for Captain America. Interestingly, the reveal that Scott has his own podcast and now a book in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania means that he probably spoke specifically about this moment, which led to Ms. Marvel.
“Does anyone have any orange slices?”
Captain America: Civil War
Few characters in the MCU are able to break the tension better than Ant-Man. That’s the case in Captain America: Civil War when he is finally taken down by Iron Man and his team and he simply asks for some orange slices like they’re at a soccer game. Again, it’s for comedic effect, yet it shows how Scott was viewing this experience.
It is intriguing to see how this characteristic will translate to his fight with Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, especially since it looks to be taking a darker tone than the previous Ant-Man films.
“So, Back to the Future is a bunch of bulls**t?!”
Avengers: Endgame
Many of Ant-Man’s funniest moments are reactive rather than instigative. While others set up the joke, he gets the punchline. That’s the case here in Avengers: Endgame after Smart Hulk explained the MCU’s confusing time travel rules and Rhodey began listing off all the other time travel movies that say differently – to which Scott hilariously adds Die Hard to the list.
Moments like these just make it fun to have Ant-Man onscreen. Whenever he’s there, audiences know he’ll have something to say, and while it probably won’t be the most helpful or important thing at the moment, it will be funny.
“I do some dumb things, and the people I love the most…they pay the price.”
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Ant-Man’s best ed for his jokes and one-liners, but he has many deep and compelling things to say nevertheless. He learns the hard way how his actions affect the people he cares most about. His intentions are always good, but his methodology and execution can end up hurting the people he cares most about.
This line denotes a classic foundation in many superhero stories and exemplifies his “leap first, think later” approach. It makes for an intriguing dynamic to watch since his main motivations are always to do what he thinks is best for his loved ones.
“Someone peed my pants, but I don’t know if it was baby-me or old-me or just me-me.”
Avengers: Endgame
Out of all Ant-Man’s funniest lines over his four films in the MCU thus far, this one from Avengers: Endgame could take the top prize. It’s obviously helped by the hilarious reactions of Smart Hulk, Natasha, and Steve at the moment. When he was restored to normal he just blurted out the first thing that came to mind, and it just so happened to be about peeing himself.
Even compared to Iron Man or Captain America, Ant-Man was relatively obscure to audiences who weren’t familiar with the comics and the character’s important history in them. Many people didn’t know he was an original Avengers member – though that was Hank Pym in the role, not Scott Lang – nor were they aware of his many great allies and adversaries.
“I ruined the moment, didn’t I?”
Ant-Man
Scott always knows when to insert himself into a situation, and it usually always goes the opposite of how he thinks it will. At this moment in Ant-Man when Hank finally opened up to Hope, Scott did what Scott does best – alleviate the tension for the audience in the wrong way. It’s noteworthy that while it’s a standard joke, there’s a kernel of meaning to it.
He completely misread the situation and thought he would be helpful by commenting on it, but he didn’t have that sort of relationship with Hope or Hank yet to really make his point land.
