What a New Visual Template Might Mean for the Third Ant-Man Movie

By Michael Austin

​Upon its 2015 release, Ant-Man became the sleeper hit movie of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. No one assumed the film would be as entertaining as it turned out. It’s sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, built upon that success by delving deeper into the characters and ramping up the action.
 
During a recent interview on The Jess Cagle Show, director, Petyon Reed revealed some fascinating insights on what to expect from the third installment of the Ant-Man franchise.
 
In terms of concrete details, Reed wasn’t allowed to share much. This should come at no surprise given how Marvel is notorious for having the stars and filmmakers sign stringent non-disclosure agreements. What he did reveal, however, is enough to get fans eagerly excited for this new installment to the franchise.
 
“There’s some really really really exciting things in store, none of which of course I could speak to you about right now, as is the Marvel way… I think the third Ant-Man movie is going to be a much bigger, more sprawling movie than the first two. It’s going to have a very different visual template,” Reed said.
 
“Much bigger,” “more sprawling” and a “very different visual template” are all important clues that suggest where Ant-Man, Wasp and the rest of the gang are headed for the third movie – in the Quantum Realm.
 
While audiences were given a chance to see a little bit of the mysterious dimension during both Ant-Man and the Wasp and Avengers: Endgame, a whole movie set within the otherworldly plane of existence would finally reveal the Quantum Realm’s many mysteries.
 
The previous two Ant-Man films were relatively grounded. Both movies centered around close family relationships and reconciliation with loved ones. Taking those characters out of their comfort zone and placing them in the Quantum Realm for the majority of a film would be a considerable departure from previous installments that would really shake up the franchise.
 
This tracks with what we know about Marvel -- the third installments in their franchises often change things up in a drastic way:
 
Captain America: Civil War saw Cap face off against Iron Man and lose his shield before becoming an outlaw.
 
Thor: Ragnarok had the titular Nordic hero roaming around the galaxy in a spaceship before forever losing his beloved hammer Mjolnir.
 
Even Iron Man 3 saw Tony Stark finally removing the shrapnel from his chest and becoming something new.
 
The Ant-Man and the Wasp sequel will likely follow this pattern of threequels by placing its characters in new situations to change them forever.
 
Following the prolonged shutdown of theaters in light of the coronavirus pandemic, Disney recently released their new movie release schedule for all of the MCU Phase 4 films. The Ant-Man film was not among those listed, so fans will likely have to wait until at least late 2022.
 
That all being said, if the movie pays off the promises made by Reed, it will surely be worth the wait.