Ant-Man 3 Director Confirms One Villain That Will Not Return

Director Peyton Reed confirms that Walton Goggins' Sonny Burch will not be making a reappearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. When Marvel Studios released Ant-Man and the Wasp in 2018, the film left audiences with questions relating to the character of Burch and his overall importance to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, particularly his relation to his "benefactor." When the third installment of the Ant-Man films was announced, it became apparent that the story would set Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and his family straight into the Quantum Realm, leaving some to wonder if the plot thread involving Burch was ever going to get answered.

Fans will be disappointed with the update regarding Burch, as Reed sat down with Legado de Marvel to discuss the film and what he has in store. While he admitted that they had thought long and hard about it, stating, "we have our own ideas," once he realized that the Quantum Realm would be a major factor, he chose to focus on that story instead. Numerous films go through the process of deciding what story factors are most important. Seeing that the Quantum Realm and Kang the Conquerer were going to be major factors in the overall MCU, it made sense for Reed to focus on this instead. Read his full comment below:

Well, for that particular question, you may have to wait a little bit longer. I love Sonny Burch, I love Walton Goggins, who I cast in [Ant-Man and the Wasp]. But yes, he was definitely sort of working in service of someone. I don’t know that we’ll answer that in [Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania], because we have a lot of story to tell in the Quantum Realm in this movie. But I love that fans have theories about that.

When Will Sonny Burch Return?

The character of Burch was by no means a major villain in the comic. As a matter of fact, he didn't even last long. In the pages of Iron Man, Burch was a weapons contractor who dreamed of becoming Secretary of Defense for the United States government. Unfortunately, Burch was not a patient or bright man and was constantly creating a mass of blunders for Tony Stark to clean up. After creating one disaster too many, Burch promptly killed himself before he could take responsibility. The MCU creatively reimagines him as a black market arms dealer more closely connected with the Ant-Man family, creating a unique dynamic.

The ending of Ant-Man and the Wasp depicted Burch getting arrested by the authorities, so it would be difficult for him to return. However, seeing as how characters in custody, such as Justin Hammer and Helmut Zemo, have made reappearances, it is not impossible for him to somehow be back on the streets. The upcoming Ironheart series and Armor Wars movie look to be the best places for him to make a comeback, as his black market dealings could play a role in how the technology in the MCU is growing incredibly unstable and out of hand.

While it doesn't look like Burch will be returning any time soon, and Goggins most likely is as in the dark as everyone else, Reed does hold onto hope that audiences will see him somewhere down the line and finally get to know who his benefactor is. Goggins isn't the only person absent from the new film, as it looks like Michael Peña will also be missing in favor of his co-star David Dastmalchian. Marvel has been known to surprise their fans with guest appearances, so while Burch may be severely lacking in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, there are still numerous other MCU projects in which fans can debate his appearance.

Next: Ant-Man & The Wasp Can't Possibly Beat Kang The Conqueror, Right?

Source: Legado de Marvel