Bill Murray is set to join the cast of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and a recent ad may indicate that his MCU role is bigger than initially expected.
The story for Ant-Man 3 is set to blow the roof off the MCU narrative as fans jump into the franchise's first project in Phase 5. And while excitement is certainly building to see what the plot will bring with Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror as the main villain, other big names like Bill Murray will fill out one of the biggest supporting casts in MCU history.
Murray's involvement in Ant-Man 3 has been a hot topic of conversation, as the movie's cast and crew avoided even confirming his involvement when it first hit the news stream in late 2021. This led most fans to believe that he would have a relatively small role, with the main Ant-team and Kang taking center stage throughout the course of this vitally important outing.
But now, a new piece of promotional material seems to put Murray more into the spotlight for Ant-Man 3 than anybody first thought.
Bill Murray In For Expanded Ant-Man 3 Role?
The theater standee poster for Marvel Studios' Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which releases in February 2023, has been released by marketing agency Drissi Advertising.
The poster standee reveals the first official listing of the sequel's main cast billing, including the seven actors in the following order:
- Paul Rudd
- Evangeline Lilly
- Jonathan Majors
- Kathryn Newton
- Bill Murray
- With Michelle Pfieffer
- And Michael Douglas
Bill Murray's name in this primary billing is a strong indication that he'll have substantial screentime in Quantumania, following fans originally speculating that Murray's role would be limited to a cameo.
How Important is Bill Murray's MCU Role?
All signs prior to this post seemed to tell fans not to expect a ton of Bill Murray in this new MCU outing, which he even admitted will likely be his only one.
The acting legend was seen for a split second in the first Ant-Man 3 trailer, donning a bright blue costume in the Quantum Realm, although he hasn't offered any dialogue yet. It's also been rumored that he's playing Krylar, a little-known character with only one appearance in Marvel Comics, although Marvel certainly has made big names out of little-known heroes and actors alike throughout the MCU's history.
While Murray is certainly worthy of being listed with Ant-Man 3's core cast based on name-recognition alone, Marvel using his name on the poster most likely means that he'll be an important part of the plot as a whole. There's a chance he could be a secondary villain underneath Kang the Conqueror, although another trailer from San Diego Comic-Con teased that he'll be an important piece of Janet Van Dyne's history in the Quantum Realm at the very least.
No matter what that role turns out to be, it's clear that Murray will be no small player in one of the MCU's biggest solo movies of the Multiverse Saga.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will premiere in theaters on February 17, 2023.
