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Ant-Man Is The MCU's Worst Franchise (So Why Is It Getting A Trilogy?)
As fun as Ant-Man’s appearances on the big screen have been, his solo adventures haven’t quite been at the level of the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe – so why is he getting a third film? The MCU is preparing for a new era after the Infinity saga reached its peak with Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, culminating with Spider-Man: Far From Home. The new wave of MCU films will begin with Black Widow in May, 2020 and will more forward with new characters a few months later with The Eternals and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
The MCU will reunite later on with the Sorcerer Supreme in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Spider-Man in his third solo film, the God of Thunder once more in Thor: Love and Thunder, and T’Challa and company in Black Panther II. However, there was a name missing in those announcements: Ant-Man, who has only had two standalone films so far. It took a (long) while, but Ant-Man 3 has now been confirmed to happen (though it doesn’t have a projected release date yet).
When Ant-Man 3 wasn’t announced at San Diego Comic-Con nor at D23, fans wondered if Scott Lang was going to be the first Marvel hero to not get a trilogy, which wouldn’t have been that much surprising as the Ant-Man series has performed on the low end of the MCU's recent box office trends. Still, it makes sense that Marvel would at least want to give Scott a complete trilogy.
ANT-MAN IS THE MCU’S WEAKEST SERIES
Scott Lang/Ant-Man made his debut in the MCU in 2015 with his first solo film, followed by an appearance in Captain America: Civil War as part of Team Captain America. He came back alongside Hope van Dyne in Ant-Man and the Wasp and joined the rest of the heroes in the MCU in Avengers: Endgame. Thanks to Paul Rudd, Ant-Man has brought a generous amount of humor, but his solo adventures haven’t been especially memorable. The first film is one of the funniest ones in the MCU, and Ant-Man and the Wasp was a sort of set-up for Avengers: Endgame so that the latter could justify its use of time traveling. And, more importantly for Disney, the Ant-Man movies aren't massive box office hits like other MCU franchises. The Ant-Man series hasn’t really established itself as its own thing in the MCU - but that could change with the third film, if done correctly.
WHY ANT-MAN IS GETTING A TRILOGY
Perhaps what surprised fans the most about Ant-Man 3 not being announced right away is the fact that every other superhero (and team) has gotten at least three films - so why shouldn’t Scott Lang get the same treatment? Even if his solo films haven’t been the most memorable or outstanding, Scott Lang’s presence in other films has had a bigger impact, and he works well with others. Marvel might have some bigger plans for him in this new era, maybe even having him team up with other superheroes as he did in Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame. A third Ant-Man film is also another opportunity for the studio to truly develop the Quantum Realm, which is the best they can do now that they have teased it so much - especially after Avengers: Endgame. Ant-Man 3 may be Marvel’s last chance to make a strong Ant-Man film that stands on its own two (tiny) feet.
Black Widow (2020) release date: May 01, 2020
Eternals (2020) release date: Nov 06, 2020
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) release date: Feb 12, 2021
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2021) release date: May 07, 2021
Spider-Man: Homecoming 3 (2021) release date: Jul 16, 2021
Thor: Love and Thunder (2021) release date: Nov 05, 2021
Black Panther 2 (2022) release date: May 06, 2022
