Ant-Man (June 2015)
Primary Characters
Times viewed: around 5
- Scott Lang/Ant-Man
- Hank Pym
- Hope Pym
- Darren Cross/Yellowjacket
- Cassie Lang
Secondary Characters
- Luis, Dave, and Kurt
- Maggie Lang
- Jim Paxton
- Sam Wilson/Falcon
- Mitchell Carson
- Howard Stark
- Peggy Carter
Notable Story Elements
- Pym Particles
- The Quantum Realm
- Avengers Compound
- SHIELD
- Hydra
- Original theatrical release
- A couple viewings on Netflix and TV
- Friday Family Movie Night sometime in the past year
- 23 Days of Marvel - March 30th, 2020
Easter Eggs
- Cassie Lang was a long-time Avengers supporting character, and as a teenager, used Pym Particles to enlarge herself and join the Young Avengers as the heroine Stature (and she would die, and - surprise - be revived, and now uses the identity Stinger)
- The Wiggles' Hot Poppin' Popcorn is playing at Cassie's party... which is not so much an Easter egg as something forever ingrained into my psyche by a solid 6 years of our kids cycling through all things Wiggles
- Hank Pym (Ant-Man) and Janet van Dyne (Wasp) were founding members of the Avengers, along with Iron Man, Thor, and Hulk, and based in a three-story townhouse owned by the Stark family; Pym's Queen Anne-style home may be a nod to Avengers Mansion
- Darren Cross describes the Ant-Man's missions as "tales to astonish"; this is the name of the '50s and '60s comic in which Ant-Man and Wasp debuted
- Hope warns Darren that his serum is affecting his brain chemistry; in the comics, this happens to Hank Pym, and - after first having been Ant-Man, Giant-Man, and Goliath - he adopts the Yellowjacket identity (one of my favorite costume designs when I was a kid)
The MCU Machine hit high gear at this time, with Ant-Man debuting only a couple months after Age of Ultron.
I was lukewarm on it then, probably due to watching it right after a tiring school year teaching a new grade level. It's been more enjoyable with every subsequent viewing.
Scott Lang is established early on as a likable scoundrel with the requisite physical and technical skills for superheroics. His "days of breaking into places and stealing shit" are over until he faces the harsh realities of life outside prison, and he's drawn into corporate cloak-and-dagger involving Hydra. They just don't go away, to they? His relationship with daughter Cassie is set up here, developed further in the sequel, and pays tremendous emotional dividends in Endgame.
By the time I started collecting comics, Hank Pym was mostly out of the spandex game. He was instead a gadgeteer with pockets full of useful and unusual items that he could enlarge and shrink as needed. Doctor Pym was more MacGyver than Ant-Man, and one of my favorite West Coast Avengers. Michael Douglas is perfect in this role.
Hope Pym is one of the strongest female characters in the MCU, too, and the end credit scene promising her return as the Wasp is tantalizing. The online criticism of her resolute posture in Ant-Man and the Wasp pre-release promotional material is some of the weakest fanboy form I've seen.
Darren Cross remains a weaker point, even after repeated viewings. Yes, he's menacing as he disintegrates critics and lambs. He also follows a long string of techno-villains, including thousands of Ultron drones just weeks earlier in theaters. There's not enough to differentiate him from Obadiah Stane and non-volcanic Aldrich Killian.
On the other hand, while there are numerous non-powered "wo/men in the chair" who give logistical support to the MCU's heroes -from Nick Fury to humble Ned - the most entertaining are Luis, Dave, and Kurt. Our kids laughed out loud at the giant Thomas toy's lolling eyes, but will not stop talking about Luis. "Daddy, his stories are so funny!" I know I am not the only one who would pay full admission for a Luis Cut of the MCU, with him simply narrating and doing voice-overs of all the films.
I'm pleasantly surprised by just how high Ant-Man is in my current ranking of favorites. Heavy-hitters are on the horizon, though.
Scott Lang is established early on as a likable scoundrel with the requisite physical and technical skills for superheroics. His "days of breaking into places and stealing shit" are over until he faces the harsh realities of life outside prison, and he's drawn into corporate cloak-and-dagger involving Hydra. They just don't go away, to they? His relationship with daughter Cassie is set up here, developed further in the sequel, and pays tremendous emotional dividends in Endgame.
By the time I started collecting comics, Hank Pym was mostly out of the spandex game. He was instead a gadgeteer with pockets full of useful and unusual items that he could enlarge and shrink as needed. Doctor Pym was more MacGyver than Ant-Man, and one of my favorite West Coast Avengers. Michael Douglas is perfect in this role.
Hope Pym is one of the strongest female characters in the MCU, too, and the end credit scene promising her return as the Wasp is tantalizing. The online criticism of her resolute posture in Ant-Man and the Wasp pre-release promotional material is some of the weakest fanboy form I've seen.
Darren Cross remains a weaker point, even after repeated viewings. Yes, he's menacing as he disintegrates critics and lambs. He also follows a long string of techno-villains, including thousands of Ultron drones just weeks earlier in theaters. There's not enough to differentiate him from Obadiah Stane and non-volcanic Aldrich Killian.
On the other hand, while there are numerous non-powered "wo/men in the chair" who give logistical support to the MCU's heroes -from Nick Fury to humble Ned - the most entertaining are Luis, Dave, and Kurt. Our kids laughed out loud at the giant Thomas toy's lolling eyes, but will not stop talking about Luis. "Daddy, his stories are so funny!" I know I am not the only one who would pay full admission for a Luis Cut of the MCU, with him simply narrating and doing voice-overs of all the films.
I'm pleasantly surprised by just how high Ant-Man is in my current ranking of favorites. Heavy-hitters are on the horizon, though.
Ranking
- The Avengers
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Iron Man
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
- Ant-Man
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Iron Man 3
- Iron Man 2
- Captain Marvel
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- Thor
- Thor: The Dark World
- The Incredible Hulk
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