Why Ant-Man and the Wasp Could Provide the Key to Defeating Thanos

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Millions of people are still reeling from the aftermath of Avengers: Infinity War, but if you’re anything like me, you’re already turning your attention to July’s Ant-Man and the Wasp. 2015’s Ant-Man was one of the best surprises of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) so far, and Paul Rudd has proven to be just the guy for the job. So, it stands to reason that this is probably going to be a pretty fun movie.

But, the pacing of the films seems to be important in and of itself. It may seem weird that Ant-Man and the Wasp is first up after the complete and utter emotional drain that was Infinity War. But, the movie is set to explore some things that could prove pretty useful in the battle against Thanos.

Suffice it to say, there be spoilers in this here post. Read at your own risk.

A new trailer dropped at the beginning of May, and sure, I’m plenty late to writing this, but if you haven’t seen it, here it is – BOOM:

We know this movie acts as a sort of prequel to Avengers: Infinity War, and picks up right where Captain America: Civil War left off. I imagine its placement in the MCU timeline is pretty important, too. Between this movie and 2019’s Captain Marvel, we’re probably going to get some information that’ll have us feeling a lot better about the 4th Avengers movie.

Namely, it’s Hank Pym and company’s exploration of the Quantum Realm, which was set up in the first Ant-Man movie. Janet van Dyne went subatomic to disarm a missile and never came back. But, in Ant-Man’s climactic scene, we see Scott Lang survive going subatomic. Presumably, that leaves our heroes in search of a way to master the Quantum Realm, and that figures to be a major storyline in Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Then, we have the villain, Ghost. We learn a little bit more about her abilities, and boy do they sound important as well. Apparently, Ghost possesses technology that can open portals within the Quantum Realm that allow her to move through solid objects. There it is, again…using the Quantum Realm.

So, why is this important?

Well, it damn sure sounds like Ant-Man, the Wasp, and Hank Pym are going to figure out how to traverse the Quantum Realm…a place described by Pym in Ant-Man as a place where time and space are irrelevant. We’ve established that. If time and space are irrelevant, and we’ve already been introduced to the idea of a multi-verse thanks to The Ancient One in Doctor Strange, then perhaps the Quantum Realm can provide a manner of time travel or accessing alternate dimensions (particularly useful if indeed all of our heroes who perished at the end of Avengers: Infinity War were simply moved to a different dimension – shit’s getting weird, I know).

Ant-Man is very powerful. In fact, he may be the most important Avenger left in the battle. Some out there are suggesting Ant-Man may be able to shrink down, grab the Time Stone, and rewind to undo the events of Infinity War. That’s far-fetched even for a guy who loves his wild Marvel theories. I mean, do we really think Scott Lang is powerful enough to hold an Infinity Stone without immediately exploding into a million pieces? No, I think it’s his exploration of this Quantum Realm that makes him invaluable in the fight against Thanos.

I wouldn’t get my hopes up, though. It’s not befitting of Marvel to just give away giant revelations at once. I’m not expecting a huge reveal in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Remember all the wild theories about Black Panther and the Soul Stone? Or, how Adam Warlock was going to show up in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 and tilt the scales in favor of the Avengers in the battle with Thanos? No, it fits within what we’ve seen so far for Marvel to make an entertaining standalone movie with a nugget or two of useful set-up for future movies. Just wanted to dispel that idea real quick.

So, I don’t think the Quantum Realm is going to be this ultimate means by which the Avengers defeat Thanos. Like, all of the Avengers are going to get together, hope through a portal, and then BOOM – down goes Thanos. But, I do think it could be critical to Avengers 4 for a couple of reasons:

1. If the Avengers are going to defeat Thanos, step one would be finding Thanos. Keep in mind, we still don’t even know where Thanos is at the end of Infinity War. So, it’s possible that the Avengers could use the Quantum Realm to locate and travel to Thanos’ current location.

2. Second, and perhaps most importantly, it could offer the Avengers an opportunity to exercise time travel without needing the Time Stone. Let’s face it – Thanos was nearly impossible for the Avengers to defeat BEFORE he acquired all of the Infinity Stones. It’s not like their going to waltz right up and take it back easily. So, maybe the Quantum Realm could be used to travel back into time and undo the events of Avengers: Infinity War.

Now, the big hang-up for a lot of folks here is tying it all in with just why in the world Doctor Strange would save Tony Stark.

I think we may be focusing too much on the wrong side of that happening. It’s possible that it’s not as important that Stark was saved as it was that Thanos acquired the Time Stone. Scenarios are largely contingent upon the choices that individuals make. Think about it – it’s really kind of impossible for Doctor Strange to know and guide the entire universe to a victorious scenario. Maybe the one situation that led to an Avengers victory simply starts with Thanos getting the Time Stone.  Maybe Doctor Strange is essentially throwing up a Hail Mary to stop him. Stark may have nothing to do with the outcome, but the important thing is that the Avengers have the chance to figure things out.

It’s a lot to digest, I know. But, hey – these next two Marvel movies are pretty crucial to the fate of the MCU. Ant-Man and the Wasp hits theaters on July 6. I can’t wait.

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley

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