Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne, accompanied by Hank Pym, Janet van Dyne, and Scott's daughter Cassie, are accidentally sucked into the vast and dangerous Quantum Realm. Separated and lost in a world at war, they discover a civilization ruled by Kang the Conqueror, a time-traveling tyrant with a mysterious connection to Janet's past and plans that threaten the entire multiverse.
Information |
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|---|---|
Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
February 17, 2023 |
Running time |
124 minutes |
Genre |
Action Adventure Comedy Sci-Fi Mystery |
Budget |
$200,000,000 |
Box Office |
$476,071,180 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
Peyton Reed |
Produced by |
Kevin Feige Stephen Broussard |
Written by |
Jeff Loveness |
Music by |
Christophe Beck |
Cinematography |
Bill Pope |
Edited by |
Adam Gerstel Laura Jennings |
Production Co. |
Marvel Studios |
Distributed by |
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Official Trailer
The Plot
The Hero of San Francisco
Following the monumental battle to save the universe from Thanos, Scott Lang is basking in the glow of a peaceful, successful life. He has become a local celebrity in San Francisco, respected by the public and enjoying the fame that comes with being an Avenger. He has even authored a best-selling memoir, "Look Out for the Little Guy." His relationship with Hope van Dyne is flourishing, as she now heads the Pym van Dyne Foundation, utilizing Pym Particles for humanitarian aid. Her parents, Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, are happily reunited after Janet’s rescue from thirty years of imprisonment in the Quantum Realm, though Janet remains visibly guarded and refuses to discuss the details of her survival there.
The only source of friction in Scott's life is his teenage daughter, Cassie Lang. Now an ardent political activist, Cassie is frequently arrested for her participation in protests, forcing Scott and Hope to bail her out. During a ride home from the police station, a mild argument ensues; Cassie accuses her father of resting on his laurels and ignoring the world's injustices now that the immediate threat of Thanos is gone. In the heat of the moment, she accidentally reveals that she has been tinkering with Pym technology, implying she has constructed a suit of her own, though she quickly deflects Scott’s concerned inquiries.
The Signal to the Subatomic
The group gathers for a family dinner at the Pym residence, where the conversation shifts to Cassie’s scientific endeavors. With Hank’s secret mentorship, Cassie reveals she has constructed a "Quantum Satellite"—a device capable of sending a signal down into the Quantum Realm to map it and establish communication. Upon seeing the device activate, Janet is overcome with sheer terror. She demands they shut it down immediately, fearing that "something" might hear them. Her warning comes too late; the device receives a return signal and malfunctions, creating a powerful vortex. The implosion sucks Scott, Cassie, Hope, Hank, and Janet—along with a terrarium of ants Hank had been experimenting on to increase their intelligence—down into the microscopic universe.
Separation and the Quantum Wilds
During the chaotic descent, the family is separated. Scott and Cassie land in a vibrant, alien landscape that resembles a biological jungle, filled with strange flora and dangerous fauna. They are quickly surrounded by local inhabitants, a tribe of Freedom Fighters displaced from their homes. Among them are the warrior leader Jentorra, the telepath Quaz, and a gelatinous entity named Veb. To communicate, Scott and Cassie are forced to drink a red "ooze" produced by Veb, which acts as a universal translator.
Meanwhile, Hope, Hank, and Janet land in a sprawling, futuristic metropolis that defies the laws of physics. Janet, now forced to confront her past, leads them through the city to find transport. She reveals that during her exile, she was not alone; she is recognized by the denizens of this world, many of whom fear or resent her. To secure passage, they visit a lavish lounge owned by Lord Krylar, an old acquaintance and former lover of Janet’s. While initially welcoming, the meeting turns sour when Krylar reveals he has sworn allegiance to the realm's new tyrannical ruler. He betrays them, summoning the ruler's guards to arrest the trio. A fight breaks out, and the Pym-Van Dyne family barely escapes, stealing Krylar’s yacht to flee into the skies.
The Exile's Secret
Safe for the moment, Janet finally confesses the truth to Hope and Hank. Years ago, she discovered a crashed traveler in the Quantum Realm—a scientist named Kang. Kang claimed he was stranded and needed help repairing his "Time Chair" (his ship’s Multiversal Power Core) to return home. Believing him, Janet worked side-by-side with him to rebuild the core. However, upon connecting the core to his ship, Janet’s mind was flooded with neuro-kinetic visions from the ship's logs. She saw that Kang was a monster who had annihilated entire timelines and killed trillions. Realizing that he was not stranded but exiled by others who feared him, she used her Pym discs to enlarge the power core to an impossible size, rendering it useless and trapping Kang there with her. In the years since she left, Kang has conquered the realm, built an empire, and is now hunting for Pym Particles to shrink his core and escape.
The Hunter and the Deal
Back in the wildlands, Kang’s forces launch a brutal assault on the Freedom Fighters to capture the "interlopers." Leading the charge is M.O.D.O.K., a cybernetic weapon featuring a massive head and tiny limbs housed in a hover-chair. During the skirmish, Scott discovers to his horror that M.O.D.O.K. is actually Darren Cross, his former nemesis "Yellowjacket." Cross survived being crushed into the subatomic level but was left hideously deformed, later found and weaponized by Kang. Cross captures Scott and Cassie, taking them to Kang’s citadel in the heart of the city, Axia.
Scott is brought face-to-face with Kang the Conqueror. The Conqueror, calm and menacing, offers Scott a cruel ultimatum: retrieve the Multiversal Power Core from the center of a "probability storm"—a place where space and time are unstable—or watch Cassie die. Kang needs Scott because only a thief skilled with shrinking technology can navigate the storm. With no other choice, Scott accepts the mission.
The Probability Storm
Scott enters the core’s chamber, shrinking down to reach the engine. The environment is a chaotic flux of realities; every decision Scott makes spawns a variant of himself, creating thousands of Ant-Men. The swarm of duplicates begins to overwhelm him, burying him under a mountain of his own variants. Just as he is about to be crushed, Hope arrives. She helps Scott focus, and together they coordinate the millions of Ant-Man variants to form a bridge. They reach the gargantuan power core and use Pym Particles to shrink it back to its original, portable size.
Betrayal and Revolution
With the core repaired, Kang reneges on his deal. He seizes the engine, captures Janet, and blasts Hank, leaving him to fall into the abyss while M.O.D.O.K. attacks the ship. Kang plans to drag his entire empire into the waking world to exact revenge on the multiverse. However, Hank is saved by a massive, futuristic aircraft piloted by his ants. The ants, having fallen into a time dilation field within the Quantum Realm, lived through thousands of years in a matter of hours, evolving into a Type II civilization with advanced technology and socialism. They rescue Scott and Hope, and the group mobilizes for a final assault.
Simultaneously, Cassie escapes her imprisonment inside the fortress. She frees Jentorra and the other rebels, hijacking Kang's communication system to broadcast a message across the realm, urging the oppressed citizens to rise up against the Conqueror. The city of Axia erupts into civil war as the Freedom Fighters and the evolved ants attack Kang’s citadel.
The Fall of the Conqueror
Scott turns into Giant-Man, tearing through the city's defenses to reach the central spire. As chaos reigns, Cassie confronts M.O.D.O.K. once more. Instead of fighting him with hatred, she appeals to his lost humanity, telling Darren that it's never too late to stop being a "dick." Moved by her words, Cross turns against his master. He sacrifices himself to disable Kang's impenetrable force field, dying as a self-proclaimed Avenger.
With the shields down, the evolved ants swarm Kang, overwhelming him with their sheer numbers and technology. Believing the battle won, Janet creates a portal back to Earth using Kang’s power core. Hope, Hank, Janet, and Cassie pass through, but as Scott attempts to leave, a battered but furious Kang emerges from the wreckage. Determined to escape or kill Scott, Kang engages him in a brutal hand-to-hand fight. Scott, outmatched, resolves to destroy the power core to trap Kang, even if it means trapping himself. Just as Kang gains the upper hand, Hope returns through the portal, blasting Kang back. Together, Scott and Hope utilize Pym Particles to destroy the core's stability. The engine implodes, dragging Kang into a violent oblivion of probability.
Epilogue and Uncertainties
Scott and Hope manage to escape through the portal back to San Francisco just as it closes. Life seems to return to normal; the family celebrates a "fake" birthday for Cassie to make up for the ones Scott missed during the Blip. However, as Scott walks down the street, his internal monologue betrays a lingering anxiety. He recalls Kang’s warning: that his death would open the door for his variants, and that "bad things" are coming to destroy the multiverse. Scott tries to shrug off the existential dread, telling himself it’s probably fine, and rejoins his family for dinner.
The Council of Kangs
In a mid-credits scene, three high-ranking variants of Kang—Immortus, Rama-Tut, and the Scarlet Centurion—convene in a pocket dimension. They discuss the death of the "Exiled One" at the hands of the Avengers. Concerned that the heroes of Earth-616 are beginning to touch the multiverse and threaten their dynasty, Immortus summons the Council of Kangs. The scene pulls back to reveal a colosseum filled with countless cheering variants of Kang, all preparing for a multiversal war.
In a post-credits scene, Loki and Mobius M. Mobius are seen in the year 1893 (or early 1900s) at a presentation given by Victor Timely, another variant of Kang. While Mobius appears skeptical of the nervous inventor on stage, a terrified Loki confirms that this is the man they are looking for, setting the stage for future conflicts.
Top Cast
- Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man
- Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne / Wasp
- Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror
- Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang
- Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne
- Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym
- Corey Stoll as M.O.D.O.K.
- Bill Murray as Lord Krylar
- Katy O'Brian as Jentorra
- William Jackson Harper as Quaz
- David Dastmalchian as Veb
Movie Collection
- Ant-Man (2015)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
