MCU Report Reveals A Surprisingly Complicated Answer to the Question: Do Fans Actually Want Ant-Man 4?
Since the original Iron Man premiered back in 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown exponentially to include a wide range of characters, many of whom have headlined their own film series. One of the unlikeliest movie stars to emerge from the shared universe is Ant-Man, who has a trilogy to his name. Unfortunately, third installment Ant-Man and the Wap: Quantumania is one of the MCU’s worst-received efforts, earning negative reviews and struggling at the box office. That seemingly killed any momentum on an Ant-Man 4, but according to star Kathryn Newton, another solo Ant-Man movie could happen if there’s enough fan demand. So, that raises the question: Do Marvel fans actually want Ant-Man 4?
On the official ComicBook X account, we posted a poll asking followers if they’d be interested in seeing Ant-Man 4. In contrast from fan reactions to Newton’s quote (which were virtually unanimous along the lines of “no thank you”), the results of our poll paint a more complicated picture. At the time of this writing, “No. Not interested” is the No. 1 answer with 39.3% of the votes, but 29.3% of voters want Ant-Man 4 “ASAP,” and 31.3% are open to it down the line:
Could Ant-Man 4 Happen?
What’s interesting about this poll results is that over 60% of responders would be up to see Ant-Man 4 at some point in time. Granted, as of this writing, there have been 399 votes cast, which is a very small sample size when compared to the larger Marvel fandom. However, this shows that Scott Lang still has some people in his corner despite the various ups and downs his individual film series has experienced. Quantumania was much more than just a standalone Ant-Man movie. It was designed to be the grand introduction of the MCU’s new big bad Kang the Conqueror, and it didn’t land as intended. Even before Jonathan Majors’ arrest and conviction, the fact that Kang was defeated by Ant-Man left a sour taste in fans’ mouths.
Reception to Quantumania is likely the main reason for most of the “No. Not interested” votes. After three solo movies plus multiple appearances in crossovers like Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Doomsday, some might feel that Ant-Man has had his time to shine and it’s time to let other characters get their moment in the spotlight. If the response to Quantumania had been more enthusiastic, then perhaps there’d be more interest in seeing Ant-Man’s adventures continue on the big screen. But even when the MCU was at its peak, the Ant-Man films weren’t as popular as other Marvel titles, and now Marvel Studios seems to be slowing things down to a point where only the signature brands (or a signature leading man like Ryan Gosling) get movies.
All that said, the first two Ant-Man movies were solid, entertaining MCU entries (in particular, the first was an amusing riff on heist films), so perhaps with a tighter focus and a story far removed from Kang setup, the Ant-Man franchise could deliver a strong fourth outing. In particular, it would be nice to see Paul Rudd potentially bow out on a high note. He’s always been a charming presence in the MCU films, leaning into his likable screen presence and comedic timing. Time will tell how Scott Lang’s story unfolds in Doomsday, but assuming he survives the showdown against Doctor Doom, it would be a shame if Rudd’s last time headlining an MCU movie was Quantumania. Doing Ant-Man 4 could hopefully provide a satisfying resolution to Scott’s arc, allowing Rudd to ride off into the sunset on a high note.
Of course, adding a further complication to the Ant-Man 4 debate is the fact that Wasp actress Evangeline Lilly has retired from acting. X user Donn Scott mentioned this as a factor for why they weren’t interested in Ant-Man 4, which makes sense. Scott’s dynamic with Hope van Dyne is an integral component of the Ant-Man movies, so Lilly’s absence would definitely be felt. Ant-Man 4 wouldn’t be the same without her. At the time of her retirement announcement, Lilly left the door open for a possible return down the line, but earlier this year she revealed her brain damage diagnosis after suffering a traumatic head injury. Recovering from that obviously takes precedence over starring in another Marvel movie, so if Lilly is unavailable to return, Marvel could pull the plug on the Ant-Man series. The filmmakers could always make Cassie Lang the main focus, having her follow Scott’s footsteps, but selling one of these movies without Rudd as the primary draw could prove difficult.
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