One major MCU theory suggests that Scott Lang is already facing his death at the start of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Many have been speculating that Paul Rudd's Ant-Man will meet his unfortunate demise in Marvel Studios' Phase 5 project, made even more popular because of the inclusion of Kang the Conqueror as Quantumania's primary antagonist. The MCU's first Phase 5 film will see Scott Lang, Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton) and their team enter the Quantum Realm and come face-to-face with the Multiverse Saga's all-powerful villain, Kang the Conqueror, and could detail a story that will end in catastrophe for the heroes.
As soon as Jonathan Majors was confirmed to be featured as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's villain, reprising a variant of his Loki role, He Who Remains, questions arose about Scott Lang's ability to actually battle the supervillain. Ant-Man is often seen as one of the less-powerful Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, but one theory takes this idea one step further.
Quantumania's Trailers Have Strongly Set Up Ant-Man's Death
Speculation surrounding Scott Lang's death in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania started after the first trailer was released for the film. The Quantumania trailers have given viewers glimpses at a much darker Scott Lang's MCU career, as well as revealing that Kang the Conqueror has already taken on Avengers, and even killed several of their , suggesting this could be Ant-Man's fate.
The most recent trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, released on January 10, 2023, seems to massively hint at Scott Lang's death at the hands of Kang the Conqueror. Scenes such as Scott being swallowed in an ocean of Ant-Men, and detailing his hand-to-hand fight with Kang in which he proclaims "I don't have to win, we both just have to lose" suggests that there could be a sacrifice on the cards for Scott Lang. Ant-Man's power-set is far from a match for Kang's ferocity, which is proven in the battles seen in the Quantumania trailers, so it's possible that Ant-Man could die in Quantumania.
Ant-Man Already Dying Would Better Explain His Quantumania Story
One theory suggests that Scott Lang might already be dying at the start of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which could explain a lot of his motivation in the film. The Quantumania trailers reveal that Scott Lang enters a deal with Kang, who promises the Avenger more time, while referencing the time he lost with his daughter, Cassie, over the five-year gap in Avengers: Endgame. While Cassie was a child when the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Ant-Man and the Wasp took place, Scott returned from being trapped in the Quantum Realm to find his daughter now in her teenage years, having missed out on five years of her growing up.
Scott striking a deal with Kang the Conqueror is strange, since Cassie is still alive, so Scott must be desperate to get back the lost time, rather than just moving on in their new normal like the rest of the universe. His deal with Kang makes considerably more sense if Scott knows that he is close to death since he would do anything to get a second chance to watch his daughter grow up. This would make Scott's death even more poignant, and incredibly tragic, especially since his death would mean he will never get the lost time back, but would instead sacrifice himself to save his family.
Ant-Man's Death Makes Sense For Quantumania (& The MCU's Future)
Quantumania is the final film in the Ant-Man trilogy, so Scott's death would perfectly close this chapter and kick off the next story. Scott's knowledge of his death, perhaps from some sort of terminal illness, or even a side effect of being trapped in the Quantum Realm, gives his deal with Kang more weight, as it wouldn't just be about getting back the lost time during Avengers: Endgame, but also about getting a second chance at life itself. This would also make Scott's sacrifice even more impactful, since he would give his own life to spare the lives of his family, a theme demonstrated prominently in previous Marvel Studios projects.
As well as being a tragic and emotional ending to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Scott Lang's death would help to set up his daughter's own journey as a superhero in the MCU. In Marvel Comics, Cassie Lang operates as Stature (and later Stinger), with size-changing abilities similar to her father. The Quantumania trailers have revealed that Cassie will be taking up a role as Marvel Studios' newest superhero in the film, and Scott's death would perfectly lay the foundations for Cassie Lang's MCU future as Stature.
Marvel Studios has been dropping huge hints towards a potential team-up of the Young Avengers in the MCU, particularly in Phase 4 projects that have introduced the likes of Kate Bishop, a.k.a. Hawkeye, America Chavez, the Maximoff twins, Billy and Tommy, and Kamala Khan, a.k.a. Ms. Marvel. In Marvel Comics, one of the Young Avengers' most prominent is Cassie Lang, operating as Stature, and the team is even led by a variant of Kang, Nathaniel Richards, a.k.a. Iron Lad. Cassie's comic counterpart only gains her powers after her father's death, so Scott's death in Quantumania would be the perfect catalyst to kick off her superhero story.
In previous Quantumania trailers, Kang the Conqueror has confirmed that he has killed many Avengers during his time as a time-traveling supervillain, but to really ram this point home, Marvel Studios needs to actually show proof of this. The villain's first full appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania can introduce him to the MCU as the most formidable adversary to the Avengers, perhaps even more of a threat than Thanos in the Infinity Saga. By causing Scott Lang's death at the start of the MCU's Phase 5, Kang the Conqueror will be primed to take on even more powerful Avengers in some epic projects.
