With Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania set to release later this week, there will be plenty to chew on for Marvel enthusiasts and newcomers alike.
We have the Marvel Cinematic Universe's ability to deviate from the comics to thank for keeping this franchise going as long as it has; a one-to-one adaptation from the comics would dispel a ton of speculation and reveal that so much of the franchise's hype is built on; and, let's be honest, where would you begin such a project in a lore as deep and ridiculous as Marvel's?
Quantumania looks to be Marvel Studios' most original concept yet. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to grow into its own beast with each passing film, one has to wonder how many more stories the studio will need to keep going.
Quantumania is a largely original MCU narrative, but it doesn't mean that certain comic book lines will't play into the nuances of the film. And to make matters even more delectable, Quantumania's comics history indicates the possibility of a long-awaited comeo from a non- Avengers team.
Is the storyline in Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania based on a comic?
No, it isn't; Quantumania is, by all accounts, an original MCU storyline. This will be the first time in Marvel's history that Kang has faced Ant-Man solo.
In the comics, Kang and Ant-Man do have a common connection, and that connection also involves the Quantum Realm. So, while Quantumania's story is an original one, it's still entirely possible that a different comic book plot, one that's responsible for Ant-Man's alluded association, might play a role in the film's events, even if it's just a mid-credits scene.
During Quantumania, what comics storyline might be involved?
Scott Lang's first visit to the Quantum Realm in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was merely a result of the commitments he had to go to in order to defeat Yellowjacket, and although it may have only sounded so to us, it was a relatively pleasant first visit.
Scott got up to many more action-packed gags in his first visit to the Quantum Realm (known back then as the Microverse), namely in the form of teaming up with one Ben Grimm (aka The Thing of the Fantastic Four) and battling his way through the Quantum Realm.
Kang, of course, has a special affinity to the Fantastic Four of his own; his true name is Nathaniel Richards, a descendant of Reed Richards (aka Mister Fantastic) in the comics. Although no official confirmation has been given as to whether or not the variant we see in Quantumania is the original Richards, all indicators indicate that it is.
Perhaps it's just a coincidence, but the backdrop of Quantumania and the narrative of this aforementioned Two-In-One issue offer the perfect opportunity to connect the Fantastic Four to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's canon.
Mister Fantastic spends the majority of his time trying to get The Thing out of the Quantum Realm, and recruits Ant-Man to assist him in his quest; an effort that eventually succeeds; however, in Quantumania, success does not appear to be on the cards; fans have been speculating about Ant-Man's imminent death for quite some time.
Ant-Man's defeat, not in the form of death, but in further exile within the Quantum Realm is easily visualized as Scott stumbles upon The Thing, whose colleague, Mister Fantastic, is busy attempting to rescue his friend from the Quantum Realm, a task he does on his own in the MCU canon, thus officially establishing Scott with the MCU's Fantastic Four, which might open the way for more interaction with the rest of the MCU's characters.
It's all speculation, but with the Fantastic Four film set to release in exactly two years, connecting Marvel's first family with the rest of Earth's champions is surely on Marvel's to-do list, and this would be enough of a wink to the comics canon to warm the hearts of long-time Marvel fans as well.