The latest installment in the Ant-Man franchise, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, is another triumph for Scott Lang and his superhero team. However, the film’s ending hints at a more ominous future for the MCU.
Despite their victory over Kang the Conqueror, Scott and his allies remain concerned about the potential consequences of Kang’s defeat. As Kang warned, his reign may never truly be over, and the implications of this statement could be far-reaching and dangerous.
In the film, it is revealed that Kang the Conqueror has created an empire within the MCU’s Quantum Realm by destroying multiple timelines and killing different variants of the Avengers. Despite the odds, Ant-Man and his companions are able to prevent Kang from fleeing to the Earth 616 universe.
However, as we all have gathered by now, the defeat of Kang might not be the end of the story, and Scott Lang is already aware of this possibility. The movie concludes with significant implications for the future of the MCU which is what we’ll be talking about in this article.
But before we begin, here’s your major spoiler alert because if you haven’t already headed to the theaters to catch a show for the film, here’s your cue to do that and then get back here!
1. What happens to Kang at the end of Ant-Man 3?
Kang the Conqueror is an incredibly powerful villain who has the ability to destroy whole timelines and defeat alternate-universe Avengers without breaking a sweat. However, Kang underestimates his opponents, which proves to be his downfall.
In Quantumania, he gains the upper hand against Ant-Man and his family, leaving most of them to die while he captures Janet van Dyne. Despite this setback, Cassie Lang and the Quantum Realm’s Freedom Fighters quickly gather to take down Kang.
The tables turn when Hank Pym and his army of highly intelligent ants, who were also trapped in the Quantum Realm, overwhelm Kang’s shields. Cassie convinces MODOK to revolt, and in a brave act of sacrifice, MODOK blows up Kang’s defenses. The heroes escape to Earth, but Kang almost makes it back too.
To prevent this, Scott Lang destroys the Multiversal engine, seemingly trapping himself and Kang in the Quantum Realm. However, Wasp returns and shoots Kang back into his own machine. It’s unclear if Kang dies or is transported to another universe in the MCU Multiverse, but I guess we’ll soon find out in the upcoming MCU projects.
2. How Cassie Lang’s Quantum Realm Device Turns Out to be a Game-Changer
In Quantumania, the story is set in motion by Cassie Lang’s Quantum Realm device, which she likens to a Quantum version of the Hubble telescope. This innovative device sends signals into the Quantum Realm and interprets them, enabling her to glimpse into the microscopic universe without actually entering it.
Unfortunately, the first signal she sends is intercepted by Kang the Conqueror, who uses it to pull the Ant-Family into the Quantum Realm. However, the technology Kang leaves behind may be useful for developing a safe method of traveling between Realms and avoiding the Quantum Realm’s time-distortion effects.
By using Kang’s knowledge of alternate dimensions, Ant-Man and the Avengers could potentially transform Cassie’s device into a Multiversal portal machine, allowing them to travel through the MCU Multiverse without having to Dreamwalk.
At present, Cassie’s device only grants access to the Quantum Realm, but it may serve as a valuable means of escape if the Avengers ever need to flee their own universe. Furthermore, it could be a crucial step towards creating technology that would enable the Avengers to traverse between multiple universes.
3. Will MODOK return to the MCU?
Now as we all know, MODOK dies at the end of Quantumania, or at least that is what it seems like. However, whether or not Darren Cross can return to the MCU remains to be seen.
In the midst of Darren Cross’s obsession with becoming the ultimate killing machine, his transformation into MODOK retains a shred of humanity that allows him to empathize with Cassie Lang and join forces to fight Kang the Conqueror.
In his final act of rebellion, MODOK sacrifices himself in a self-inflicted explosion that destroys his mechanical body, but his heart monitor doesn’t necessarily signify the end. In fact, it’s possible that MODOK faked his own death to become a martyr, only to repair himself and revert to his previous villainous ways.
As a rogue agent no longer working for Kang, MODOK could potentially attempt to eliminate the Quantum Realm’s Freedom Fighters or enlist them for his own purposes. While it appears that MODOK is gone for good, there remains a possibility that he could make a return in the future.
4. What happens to Quantum Realm?
After the heroic efforts of the Quantum Realm’s Freedom Fighters, Kang the Conqueror was defeated and his empire was destroyed. But what comes next for the brave group of rebels and the Realm itself? It seems that the Freedom Fighters will have the opportunity to build a new, better society in the Quantum Realm, possibly with the leadership of Jentorra, Quaz, and Veb.
With access to Kang’s technology and a newfound sense of unity, the Freedom Fighters will surely be prepared to protect their realm from future threats. And, should the Ant-Family ever return, they can count on the support of their allies in the Quantum Realm.
Of course, not everyone will be welcome in the new utopia. Those who betrayed the Freedom Fighters, such as Krylar, can expect to face justice for their actions. As for Krylar himself, rumors abound that he may have met a particularly unsavory fate, possibly ending up in an enlarged digestive system of an octopus or stranded in the Quantum Realm.
With Kang presumably dead, the future looks bright for the Quantum Realm’s Freedom Fighters, at least as of now, or perhaps until Kang returns.
5. Quantumania Lays the Foundation for Loki S2 & Avengers 5
The aftermath of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is poised to have a major impact on the MCU’s future, setting the stage for both Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Loki season 2.
Now no MCU movie is complete without post-credit scenes, and Ant-Man 3 is no different. Both the mid-credit and the end-credit scenes in Quantumania sets the stage for The Kang Dynasty and Loki season 2 respectively.
The mid-credits scene features the Council of Kangs, a group of Kang variants, assembling to hunt down the heroes who defeated their biggest threat. This teaser suggests that Avengers: The Kang Dynasty will pit the Avengers against a multitude of Kangs, with the fate of the multiverse at stake.
Meanwhile, the post-credits scene introduces Victor Timely, a Kang variant played by Jonathan Majors, and sets up the upcoming Loki season 2. It appears that Tom Hiddleston’s Loki and Owen Wilson’s Mobius will team up to stop Kang’s rise, unaware of the Council of Kangs’ existence but aware of the existence of more Kang variants spread throughout the multiverse. With the introduction of Victor Timely, we can expect Loki season 2 to be a wild ride through time and space, as Loki and Mobius attempt to stop Kang’s machinations and preserve the timeline.
6. Cassie Lang Could be a Part of the Young Avengers
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania may have just introduced the newest member of the MCU’s next superhero team, the Young Avengers. Cassie Lang has already shown her mettle as a member of the Ant-Family, but now she’s back home and ready to take on injustice as a fully-fledged superhero.
It’s time to wait for the moment when Cassie assumes her superhero alias, and with her experience fighting alongside the likes of Ant-Man and the Wasp, she is sure to be a formidable addition to the team.
As Stature, Cassie could cross paths with other Young Avengers such as Ms. Marvel and Kate Bishop, and help to form a new generation of superheroes to take on the challenges facing the MCU.
With the formation of the Young Avengers already teased in other Marvel projects, such as the Disney+ series Hawkeye, Cassie’s debut as a hero is a promising sign for the team’s future. Moreover, the experience she gained while helping Ant-Man defeat a villain as formidable as Kang the Conqueror will help Cassie become a key asset for the Young Avengers whenever they assemble.
7. About Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is an American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics characters Scott Lang / Ant-Man and Hope van Dyne / Wasp. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Motion Pictures, it is intended to continue the story of Ant-Man after Ant-Man (2015) and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) as a part of the MCU.
Directed by Peyton Reed, it was released on February 17, 2023. Filming began in early February 2021 in Turkey and was also shot in Atlanta, London, and Los Angeles.
It is the thirty-second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the first instalment of the MCU’s Phase V. The movie follows Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne, along with Hank Pym, Janet Van Dyne and Cassie Lang, battling against the evil time traveler Kang the Conqueror.
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