Although the Ant-Man and the Wasp, a whole 10 years after the MCU began. Still, The Wasp has been relegated to the status of a side character in the Ant-Man series, and the MCU needs to take this opportunity to give the character the respect that she deserves.
While it has gotten better over time, the MCU has always had a problem highlighting female superheroes. The MCU didn't get a female-led superhero movie until 2019's Captain Marvel, and there have only been a handful of others since then. Black Widow, who was a founding member of the MCU's Avengers team, didn't even get her own movie until 2021, highlighting this issue. The Wasp's sidelining in the MCU may have been a product of this oversight, given her comic counterpart was tied to the Avengers. Luckily, with the Multiverse Saga bringing about all kinds of major MCU changes, Marvel finally has the opportunity to fix it.
Wasp Help Found The Original Avengers In Marvel Comics
In Marvel Comics, Wasp was not only more prominently featured, but she was even a founding member of the Avengers. The Wasp first appeared in Tales to Astonish #44 before going on to appear in The Avengers #1 only a few months later. In the comics, The Wasp actually named the Avengers, instantly making her one of Marvel's most influential characters. On top of that, Wasp is also the team's longest-running member besides Captain America, with her constantly appearing in Avengers stories throughout her extensive comic book run.
While Wasp is clearly important to the comic Avengers, she has hardly played a role in the MCU's team. While she did work with the Avengers in Avengers: Endgame, almost every MCU hero did. She hasn't really been seen contributing to the team's dynamic, with the closest she's gotten being the zombie episode in What If...?. While Wasp is at least in the MCU, Scott Lang's Ant-Man has actually taken on this role as a member of the Avengers, working with the team in Captain America: Civil War and staying at the Avengers Compound in Avengers: Endgame. On the plus, the setup of the Multiverse can allow the MCU Wasp to potentially adapt her comic role by helping form the next Avengers.
Wasp Can Help Form The New MCU Avengers Team
Although Wasp wasn't a member of the original Avengers in the MCU, the series could do her justice by having her play a role in forming the MCU's new Avengers. With two more Avengers movies on the way, the team will undoubtedly have to form again to take on the next cosmic threat. However, three of the original six are dead, including team leaders Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, meaning that someone else will have to fill their shoes. Considering Wasp's role in the comics and her as-of-now minimal role in the MCU, forming the new Avengers would be the perfect way to honor Wasp's legacy.
Kang the Conqueror is set to be the villain in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, and because of this, Wasp is the best choice to form the new team. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, meaning that Wasp will be one of the first heroes to have experience with the multiversal villain. If Scott Lang dies in the film, as many have theorized he will, Wasp will not only have the experience to form the new Avengers, but also the emotional motivation. Because of this, the Multiverse Saga is the perfect opportunity to finally put Wasp in the spotlight.
Why Wasp Wasn't In The Original MCU Avengers
Although it didn't come to , Wasp was almost in 2012's The Avengers - but as a completely different version. Director Joss Whedon wanted Scarlett Johannsen's Black Widow in the film, but she was almost replaced by a version of The Wasp played by Zooey Deschanel. This would have completely changed the structure of the MCU, making Wasp the first member of the Ant-Man series to the franchise, but it would have also given Wasp the spot on the team that she deserves. However, Whedon was able to fit Black Widow into the film and cut The Wasp, who wouldn't enter the MCU until Ant-Man three years later.
