FEATURE: Five Stories to Consider for ANT-MAN 3
Marvel’s Ant-Man and The Wasp is out in just a few days, and unsurprisingly, the sequel is already generating hype. Early reviews have been positive, while the film is on track for a solid box office opening. Naturally, this leads to speculation on a third Ant-Man movie.
There are plenty of storylines in Ant-Man lore who need to join the movies. Below, we list five storylines that we’d like to see adapted in Ant-Man 3 or a future sequel.
The Astonishing Ant-Man
A recent comic book series by Nick Spencer, The Astonishing Ant-Man doubles down on Scott Lang’s humor and bad luck – both of which have been prominent in the movies. Lang is now head of a security business in Miami, where he works with “reformed” villains like Grizzly and Machinesmith. Meanwhile, despite being a hero, Lang struggles with the lure of returning to his old life of crime.
Recent Marvel comics have aimed to align themselves with the movies, and it’s no different here with Ant-Man. Spencer’s humor and Lang’s constant misadventures are already staples of the film franchise, while bringing Lang to Miami would be a unique setting. Also, seeing Grizzly in a live action movie would be too funny.
The Irredeemable Ant-Man
This comic book series stars Eric O’Grady, the third person in the comics to take on the Ant-Man mantle. A low-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, O’Grady used the Ant-Man costume to fulfill his own selfish wishes. He was willing to lie, cheat, and steal his way through his missions. Despite this, O’Grady went on to be redeemed and embrace a desire to become a proper hero.
Going this route in Ant-Man 3 would be interesting. The first movie focused on Hank Pym passing the Ant-Man suit down to Scott Lang, and having Lang pass it down to someone else could bring the trilogy full circle. Have Lang clash with O’Grady in training, and then ultimately have O’Grady be redeemed and worthy of the mantle. Then, you could have O’Grady headline future Ant-Man films. But, that would depend on how committed Paul Rudd is to the role long-term.
A Journey to the Center of the Android
This short Avengers story shows Ant-Man shrinking down and traveling inside of The Vision, in an attempt to revive the android. What follows is a Fantastic Voyage-esque adventure that explores Vision’s body. Ant-Man saves the day, and the Avengers continue about their mission.
In the MCU, Vision is kind of dead after Avengers: Infinity War, and there’s no word on if he’ll ever come back. So, it’d be tricky to faithfully adapt this story. However, it’d be cool to just use the basic concept: Ant-Man must save the day by travelling inside of someone’s body, be it a human, an alien, or another robot. It could create some cool visuals and a new setting for the Tiniest Avenger. This may not need to take up the whole movie, but it’d make a good extended set piece.
Astonishing Origins
This comic is a full-blown origin story for the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym. We see how he became a superhero, his inner demons, and his genius. We’ve seen parts of Pym’s past in the two Ant-Man movies so far, but only in flashback sequences. A full movie dedicated to this could be interesting.
Michael Douglas recently expressed interest in playing a young Hank Pym in his own movie, bringing back the de-aging technology in the first film. Doing a full movie prequel would be a lot of fun, and it’d help us know Pym better before he became the genius mentor to Scott Lang. Also, more period pieces in the MCU is never a bad thing.
Natural Enemy
And finally, we have an original novel starring Scott Lang. In this story, Lang and his daughter Cassie settle down in a brand new city, only for a criminal from Lang’s past to gun for them…or is he really after the Ant-Man suit? Either way, Lang must determine how far he’d go to protect his daughter.
This definitely sounds a bit darker than your usual Ant-Man story, but it could work as a movie. Scott’s relationship with Cassie has been a big part of the films so far, and testing that bond could make for an engaging story. It could also touch on Scott’s legacy; specifically, how his previous life of crime has consequences for the present day.
Which storyline(s) do you want to see in Ant-Man 3?
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