STACK #169 Nov 2018

FILM FEATURE

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Ant-Man and theWasp is a groundbreaking film for the Marvel Cinematic Universe in that it introduces the studio’s first superheroine in the form of HopeVan Dyne, aka theWasp. Words: Adam Colby WHAT’S THAT BUZZ?

DIDYOU KNOW?

Ant-Man and the Wasp was the 20th film to be released by Marvel Studios for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and is set in Chapter Eight of Phase Three in the MCU. The Wasp is the second superhero title in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to be passed from parent to child. The first was Black Panther. Director Peyton Reed was inspired by the films After Hours , Midnight Run and What's Up, Doc? for the look and feel of Ant-Man and the Wasp . The origins of the villain, Ghost, lie within the Marvel Comics canon (Iron Man #219) as a male character shrouded in secrecy. Ghost has never fought Ant-Man in the comics.

anymore. But the challenges and obstacles that await her in Ant- Man and the Wasp necessitate a partnership with him. “[The sequel] is a two-hander between Hope Van Dyne and Scott Lang,” explains Feige. “You could see in Ant-Man that Hope was frankly more capable than Scott at being a superhero, and her father, because of the loss of her mother, emotionally didn’t want her to do this. “Now we get to see her take the gloves off and become a superhero. So that changes their whole dynamic together, and we get to see whether they will be able to act as a unified team, as Ant-Man and the Wasp.” Ant-Man and the Wasp is still as much of an action-comedy as its predecessor, and while it ups the ante on both counts, and the stakes are higher, it remains grounded in the smaller, more intimate details of the Ant-Man universe. “It’s not taking place in outer space or Asgard; it’s the real mundane, normal world,” says Reed. “But • Ant-Man and the Wasp is out on Nov 14 we get to experience it from these weird, radically different perspectives. That’s what really fun about the Ant-Man films. There’s something really childlike about Ant-Man’s power set because it puts you down on the floor where kids play with action figures.”

A nt-Man and the Wasp promises to be an exciting experience for Marvel movie fans. As well as getting a look at the Wasp in action, it’s a sequel to two films in the MCU, being a follow-up to Ant-Man while also exploring the aftermath of the events of Captain America: Civil War . “There’s a tremendous amount of excitement when you’re able to tell stories like this and combine characters from their origin movies and then layer in their appearances

characters in Ant-Man and the Wasp . “The one thing the audience knows is that Scott Lang is in a prison somewhere, but there’s the hint that Captain America busts them out. So one of the big challenges was that, for the little amount of time that Scott Lang is in Civil War , we had to take into account what that meant for these characters going forward.” For Feige and the Marvel team, the reveal of the Wasp’s suit in Ant-Man was one of their favourite endings of any of the studio’s films, being the introduction of the MCU’s first superheroine. “The biggest thrill is to introduce the Wasp to audiences and see Hope Van Dyne as a fully formed superhero with an amazing power set,” says Reed. “To reveal the rapport between her and Scott Lang and

from other movies,” says Marvel Studios President and producer Kevin Feige. “Because of this strategy, Ant-Man post- Civil War has now been exposed to a much bigger audience.”

[The sequel] is a two-hander between Hope Van Dyne and Scott Lang

Director Peyton Reed returns for the sequel, in which Scott Lang/Ant- Man is juggling home life and fatherhood with his superhero duties when he’s called upon to uncover secrets from the past with the help of the Wasp. According to Reed, there was much discussion regarding the point of entry for the

to show how she fits in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is, frankly, a fun process for me and even a bit awe inspiring.” In the two years since audiences last saw her, Hope Van Dyne has honed her

considerable skills and doesn’t really need Ant-Man

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NOVEMBER 2018

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