Phase 4 has been bringing back MCU villains from past phases of the franchise like Iron Man 3's Trevor Slattery and The Incredible Hulk's Abomination, and it looks like the trend will continue in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Directed by Peyton Reed, the upcoming threequel will feature the return of Paul Rudd's Scott Lang alongside Evangeline Lilly's Hope Van Dyne, Michael Douglas' Hank Pym, and Michelle Pfeiffer's Janet Van Dyne. Plot details are still being kept under wraps, but it was confirmed that the MCU heroes will duke it out against Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror.
In addition, the title also suggests that the film will be a full-blown exploration of the mysterious Quantum Realm, and this could potentially hint at major character comebacks. One of the heavily rumored returns is Corey Stoll's Darren Cross.
The evidence came from Lilly's past Instagram post where the actress included a hashtag of Stoll's name alongside the script of the threequel. Now, Stoll has addressed his return in a new interview.
Corey Stoll Is Unsure of Ant-Man 3 Return
Corey Stoll, who portrayed Darren Cross aka Yellowjacket in 2015's Ant-Man, sat down with Inverse to talk about his potential return in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
When asked if he would make his much-awaited MCU comeback in the threequel, Stoll admitted that he "can't answer" the question:
“I just can't answer, sorry. There's just no percentage of me answering any of that.”
Will Yellowjacket Return in Ant-Man 3?
Corey Stoll's latest no-comment about his MCU return could hint that he will indeed make a comeback in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. In a way, the actor's remarks could serve as his way of escaping the question, but hardcore MCU fans should be well aware by now that this denial could be evidence that he will reprise his MCU villain role.
This isn't the first time that a Marvel actor denied their involvement with the studio. In October 2020, Tatiana Maslany claimed that she was not involved with She-Hulk, but it was eventually confirmed by Marvel Studios during Disney Investor's Day in December.
Stoll's return as Yellowjacket makes narrative sense as the villain was last seen being disintegrated straight into the Quantum Realm. Connecting the dots, it's possible that Team Ant-Man's exploration of the mysterious dimension could serve as a lead-in to their reunion with Yellowjacket.
The current state of Yellowjacket is unknown, but there's a strong chance that the strange rules of the Quantum Realm could come into play. Given that time works differently in the realm, it's likely that Cross survived and was trapped within the confines of the dimension.
If Kang the Conqueror was able to find him first, then this could mean that a villainous team-up would be in the cards, spelling trouble for Scott Lang and his allies.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will premiere in theaters on February 17, 2023.
