A new photo has revealed a scene featuring Hope van Dyne/the Wasp's child was removed from the theatrical release of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.
Ant-Man 3 is finally here, as the MCU finally gives audiences a proper introduction to the Quantum Realm.
Despite the film being a "big [Avengers-level] movie," much has been made of the feeling of the Lang-van Dyne familial unit still being at the heart of this film.
In a recent interview, Ant-Man director Peyton Reed reiterated that those "family dynamics" are key to any Ant-Man story, with the relationship between Paul Rudd's Scott Lang, his daughter Cassie (played by Kathryn Newton), and the van Dynes being intrinsic to everything that happens in the ant-based franchise.
Hope Had a Kid in Ant-Man 3
A newly-posted set of Instagram photos has sent the internet into a frenzy, as it has been revealed Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania originally featured Evangeline Lilly's Hope van Dyne as a mother.
Posted on child actor Lucas Grant's official Instagram page were a set of photos showing the young star standing alongside Ant-Man 3's Evangeline Lilly.
Amongst these were looks at Grant posing with Lilly, on set with what looks to be another child actor, and him enjoying a moment with Ant-Man director Peyton Reed.
The images came with a caption from his real-life mother, noting that "last year Lucas had the supremely cool experience of working on his first movie…and a Marvel movie at that!" She revealed that he was set to "[play] Wasp/Hope’s son in Ant-Man and The Wasp Quantumania:"
"Mom Post: Last year Lucas had the supremely cool experience of working on his first movie…and a Marvel movie at that! He played Wasp/Hope’s son in 'Antman & The Wasp Quantumania', and had so much fun working with Evangeline (sweetest human on earth!). Peyton, the Director, is also incredibly nice and Lucas had an amazing time working with everyone on the film!"
However, "the storyline was changed after [Grant] filmed" so "his scenes did not make it into the final version of the movie:"
"Unfortunately, as it sometimes happens, the storyline was changed after he filmed and his scenes did not make it into the final version of the movie.
Regardless, he is so grateful for the experience! He had the time of his life, and has memories to treasure forever of his first movie!"
Where were The Wasp's Kids in Quantumania?
So, surely these photos are going to raise some eyebrows amongst fans, with many wondering why the idea of Hope van Dyne's children being abandoned at some point in production.
A character becoming a parent to not just one kid, but two feels like a pretty big plot point to leave on the cutting room floor. However, this does not necessarily mean that prime Earth-616 Hope was set to be a mother.
Marvel Studios VP of Production & Development Stephen Broussard previously teased that Quantumania was going to be - in part - about "the headiness of the Multiverse," so maybe this cut scene could have been an alternate reality somewhere.
Seeing as these scenes were shot on a green screen, with Evangeline Lilly sporting an entirely different look from the one she has in the film, some Multiversal shenanigans being at the root of this feels likely.
Some fans have speculated that this could have been from a glimpse into the future shown to Paul Rudd's Ant-Man by the villainous Kang the Conqueror, showing the Avenger the future he could lose if he were to go against Jonathan Majors' universe-hopping big bad.
Another possibility is upon entering the probability storm within Kang's Multiversal Power Core, this sequence could have flashed before Hope's eyes, giving her a peek into an alternate version of herself in some far-off reality.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania is in theaters worldwide.
