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Marvel’s tiniest hero is set to make his return in Avengers: Doomsday, as Paul Rudd will once again bring Ant-Man to life. The actor has made five previous appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, headlining a trilogy of solo films and playing a supporting role in two crossover events. Audiences last saw Scott Lang in 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which was supposed to be the big coming out party for Multiverse Saga villain Kang the Conqueror. Instead, Quantumania earned mostly negative reviews (46% on Rotten Tomatoes) and underwhelmed at the box office ($476.1 million worldwide against a $330.1 million net budget). Though there’s still a part for Ant-Man to play in Doomsday, his future beyond that is murky.
Speaking with The Direct, Ant-Man franchise star Kathryn Newton (who plays Scott’s daughter Cassie Lang in Quantumania) explained how Ant-Man 4 could come to fruition. “I think that’s not up to me, and it’s up to the fans at the end of the day. I’ve always talked about the power of a fandom, and if you want something, it will happen, no matter what… If you love it, it’s gonna come back around,” she said. “We see it all the time with things being rebooted and sequels after 20 years. If fans want something, we listen. And that’s how I felt about everything I’ve done … So, you think about the fans a lot, and on Marvel specifically, that’s one where the fandom is the biggest fandom I’ve ever been a part of. And I trust their power, and if they want something, they will have it.”
Marvel Fans Are Not Interested In Ant-Man 4
Unfortunately for Newton, it does not appear as if a passionate fan campaign for Ant-Man 4 is going to happen any time soon. Many of the replies on the MCU – The Direct’s X post relaying Newton’s quote are some variation of “we’re good,” indicating that there isn’t much interest in seeing Scott Lang’s solo series continue. “The ship has sailed,” said one X user. Another predicted Ant-Man will die during the events of Avengers: Doomsday, which would make the prospect of Ant-Man 4 moot (unless Cassie was set to follow her father’s footsteps as the next hero).
Some of the responses to Newton’s quote sound harsh when you read them, but the fans’ viewpoint is somewhat understandable. Paul Rudd is always charming and delightful in the role, but Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is widely seen as one of the low points of the MCU. The reception to that film likely killed enthusiasm for future adventures with the Ant-Man. Even when the MCU was at its peak, the Ant-Man movies weren’t as big of a draw when compared to other sub-franchises like Guardians of the Galaxy and Black Panther. The 2015 original earned $519.3 million, the lowest of Phase 3. Ant-Man and the Wasp made $622.6 million, the lowest of Phase 3. Granted, Ant-Man was introducing a new character general audiences weren’t familiar with, but these films didn’t catch on as much as other Marvel titles.
Even if Ant-Man survives Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, there may not be room on Marvel’s schedule for another solo venture. In an effort to get the MCU back on track after an uneven handful of years, Marvel is scaling back on output, minimizing the number of new films and TV shows released annually. We got a taste of their new strategy during San Diego Comic-Con this year. Rather than unveil a whole slate of projects years in advance (as was Marvel tradition), they only announced Ghost Rider starring Ryan Gosling and Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther 3. Both of those projects feel like safe bets from a commercial perspective, banking on the popularity of Gosling as a movie star and Black Panther as a brand. When you factor in the X-Men reboot, as well as more movies about Spider-Man, it seems clear Marvel is going to lean more on their heavy hitters moving forward.
That approach makes a lot of sense for now. There are growing signs that superhero movies based on B- and C-list characters are no longer the draws they were during the 2010s, when the genre was at its peak. However, as the box office projections for Spider-Man: Brand New Day illustrate, general audiences can still get excited about a comic book adaptation when one of the A-listers is on the poster. Ant-Man was able to make a bit of a dent at the box office a decade ago, taking full advantage of the superhero movie boom, but he isn’t on the same level as Spider-Man or the X-Men. Odds are, Ant-Man 4 won’t come to fruition.
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