One of the biggest Marvel Studios projects of next year is undoubtedly Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The third film in the series will see the entire cast return as they have to stand up against Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror. Not only is he the villain of the film, but he’s set to become the big bad of the entire Multiverse Saga—needless to say, Ant-Man and Wasp are going to have their hands full.
While the world has seen a lot of Ant-Man, Wasp is still relatively new to the superhero scene. She put on her suit in the second movie but didn’t get much time after her debut to use it, seeing as Hope was snapped away in The Blip.
Thankfully, she did get a few moments to shine in Avengers: Endgame. But was it enough to prepare her for the threat that both Kang and MODOK will pose in the upcoming movie?
The actress under the character’s wings now commented on Hope’s past development and what fans should expect to see going into this third adventure.
How Wasp Will be Different in Ant-Man 3
In a couple of interviews for her upcoming appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Evangeline Lilly commented on how The Wasp's journey in Quantumania will be different than her role in previous movies:
While talking with Variety, the actress noted how “the second film is all about how powerful she is,” and the third “is about her vulnerabilities.”
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, the actress explained how she loved that her character’s debut didn’t include the “fumbling around that you see in a lot of” superhero origins and that “she always seem[ed] to have the answer:”
“Well, we got introduced to Hope as a pretty capable, kick-ass woman from the get-go. And even her inception story as a superhero, there was none of the, sort of, fumbling around that you see in a lot of inception stories. She was fully prepared to do anything that was needed, and she always seems to have the answer, and she always seems to be on top of everything.”
In this third film, Lilly teased how she is “excited to have a chance to show a side of her where she would make mistakes:”
“And so I was really really excited to have an opportunity in this third film where she’s gone from a caged-off woman to a woman who has opened her heart three separate times. One, her heart to Scott, and then her reparations with her father, and then bringing her mother back from the Quantum Realm. So, she was sort of like the Grinch. Her heart had grown three times as big, which makes it three times more vulnerable. So I was really excited to have a chance to show a side of her where she would make mistakes, she would be fragile, and she wouldn’t always have the right answer.”
While talking with ET Canada, the actress elaborated on that train of thought, sharing how she “[thinks that] little girls need to know that it’s okay to stumble and fall:”
“… I think little girls need to know that it’s okay to stumble and fall, and make mistakes, and to cry, and to not know what to do sometimes. And that you can still be powerful and amazing. And actually, [it] makes you more powerful and amazing when you feel those things and then you overcome them. That’s really where the heroism is.”
How Will Wasp Continue To Evolve in the MCU?
Evangeline Lilly is understandably excited about sharing those messages with the audience. Knowing it's okay to make mistakes and fall down is an important life lesson that's easy to forget while watching superheroes be the best at what they do.
Hopefully, the character gets plenty to do not only in Quantumania but also within the upcoming story of the Multiverse Saga. Ant-Man got to save the world in Avengers: Endgame, so maybe it’s time Hope gets the chance.
While Hope seems to be notably developing in the upcoming movie, Scott Lang’s daughter will also be joining the fray this time around. Portrayed by Kathryn Newton, Cassie will finally become her superhero self in Quantumania. Given Lilly’s comments above, one has to ask, will her ascension to heroism be a rocky one or smooth sailing?
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters next year on February 17, 2023.
