There is no telling who could be hiding in the Quantum Realm when Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters next February. The Paul Rudd-led threequel has a lot going for it. It has already been teased as the biggest Ant-Man film, with the likes of Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror, Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang, and even Bill Murray.
It will be a Mutlviersal adventure for the ages, and one that could spell the end for Rudd's pint-sized protector. But with a deep dive into the Quantum Realm coming anything could happen, as evidenced by some of the insane visuals present in the film's debut trailer.
But who else could be hiding in this "hard left turn" for the Ant-Man franchise? New reports suggest that a familiar face for fans of The Good Place may be a part of this MCU epic.
William Jackson Harper Joins the MCU
According to The Disinsider, The Good Place actor William Jackson Harper will appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania as “the leader of the rebels group inside the QR that fight against Kang.”
Variety corroborates that Harper has joined the MCU, however, they couldn't confirm the actor's role.
The Good Place star was a fan-favorite choice to take on the MCU's Reed Richards, appearing among the likes of Penn Badgley and Glenn Howerton in fan-castings online.
Harper has commented on the idea of joining Marvel's super-powered franchise in the past, directly responding to fan hopes that he would portray Mr. Fantastic. Opining about the idea of fans putting him in the conversation to play Reed Richards, Harper told NME that “Twitter doesn’t cast movies.”
However, Harper did note that he wasn't opposed to a superhero role, saying, "I’d be really happy if Marvel was listening, but they haven’t called me and I’m not going to be in Fantastic Four."
“I’d be really happy if Marvel was listening, but they haven’t called me and I’m not going to be in Fantastic Four. As far as I know: maybe they have something [in mind] up the docket, but no one’s reached out to me.”
But the star of The Good Place didn't seem too phased about not being on the list for the Mr. Fantastic role, admitting that "There are people whose careers are far exceeding mine" that are probably being looked at:
“There are people whose careers are far exceeding mine, and I’m completely unbothered by that. Like, fucking go for it.”
Harper has been open to the idea of joining a comic book universe for quite some time though. Back in July, speaking with Comicbook.com, the actor said that he'd be "down to get involved with any of those things," but it's "up to those people making those decisions:"
““There was this comic I did read when I was, I want to say like early middle school, called ShadowHawk that I liked a lot, and it was dark as hell. And I really, really enjoyed it. Look, I’m down to get involved with any of those things, but it’s like, that’s up to those people making those decisions. It’s certainly not the internet. But yeah, I think 'ShadowHawk' would probably be the one that I’m really into.”
Quantumania Seemingly Debunks Mr. Fantastic Hopes
It is still not 100% clear who William Jackson Harper will be playing in Quantumania, but it's seeming highly unlikely that he will be the MCU's Mr. Fantastic, much to the disappointment of many fans. The best bet audiences have for right now is this report about him being some sort of rebel leader within the Quantum Realm.
Surely, Harper will fit right in with some of the other comic powerhouses found within the Ant-Man franchise, so that is going to be no problem. The potential pairing of him, star Paul Rudd, and comedy vet Bill Murray could spell some of the funniest moments in MCU history.
It will be interesting to see if Harper will be anything more than a small part alongside the movie's main stars, or will this rebel leader role prove to be one of the "surprising faces" that have been teased to show up in the film?
There is still the very slim possibility that he could be playing Reed Richards, even though he has denied any link to the upcoming Fantastic Four film, It does sound awfully like the famed Marvel scientist to be experimenting in a place like the Quantum Realm, perhaps getting stuck and becoming a leader of a rebel cell.
But he could just as well simply be a fun side character who shows ups, gets some laughs off, takes part in a few action scenes, and then is sent on his merry way.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania comes to theaters on February 17, 2023.
