Ant-Man became an unexpected hit when it flew into theaters in 2015. Despite not being one of Marvel’s better known or particularly popular heroes, Scott Lang and his unique story captured the imagination of countless audiences. Paul Rudd brought infectious charm and hilarious comedy to the character, instantly making him one of the most likable characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Featuring the iconic Michael Douglas as Hank Pym and former Lost star Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne also enhanced the film. Rudd, Lilly, and Douglas have a natural chemistry that is believable and highly amusing to watch.

The movie's surprise success opened the door for the sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp, which was released in theaters the summer of 2018. Overall, it did an excellent job of building on the established characters and tone of the first film without simply rehashing the elements that made Ant-Man work. Ant-Man and the Wasp is one of the MCU’s funniest movies, but more importantly, it offered Hope van Dyne a chance to shine as the Wasp.

Behind-the-scenes photos can help audiences appreciate the Ant-Man films even more. These pictures reveal how some of the movies’ best scenes were filmed, including the car chase sequence and Giant-Man scene from Ant-Man and the Wasp. Fans can also see more of the behind-the-scenes dynamics between actors and how these dynamics contrast with their onscreen characters. There are glimpses of how closely the actors worked with director Peyton Reed and also how much of the sets were practically built or created via green or blue screen.

Enter the Quantum Realm with us as we take a look at the 25 Behind-The-Scenes Photos That Completely Change The Ant-Man Movies.

Quantum Entanglement

One of Ant-Man and the Wasp's most emotional, yet hilarious scenes is when Paul Rudd essentially plays Janet van Dyne.

Using their connection made via quantum entanglement, Janet communicates through Scott to tell her husband and daughter what they need to do to find her in the Quantum Realm.

Compared to many of the other movie's visually complicated or choreograph-heavy scenes, this one of Paul Rudd interacting with Evangeline Lilly and Michael Dougas by a computer seems like it should be fairly straightforward. That's not necessarily the case, however, as this photo shows the multi-faceted camera used to film the scene. Despite not being one of the more intricate set pieces, the photo also illustrates that this part of the lab set actually contained some green screen.

Future Director In The Making

Abby Ryder Fortson's performance as Cassie Lang captured the hearts of audiences in both Ant-Man movies. Her unwavering admiration and trust in her father, and her overall compassion and sweetness makes her incredibly endearing.

As if we needed another reason to love her, this photo shows her reviewing footage alongside director Peyton Reed, studying it just as intently and seriously as him while wearing her delightfully pink birthday party costume. Like many actors, perhaps she will one day follow the path of directing. It wouldn't be a surprise given this photo.

Ghost During The Car Chase

Ant-Man and the Wasp culminated in a thrilling car chase where practically every character tried to take possession of Hank Pym's lab. At the point of the chase in this picture, Ghost had possession of the lab.

It's not an easy scene to film, however, as the individual in the Ghost costume has to stand in the door of a moving vehicle while holding the shrunken lab prop. The camera also has to be rigged to stay focused while moving at the same speed as the vehicle. It's a lot to balance, but it ends up looking great and this work contributed well to the chase sequence.

High-Five

Scott Lang spends much of the two Ant-Man movies trying to win Hank Pym's approval. It's a difficult task, as Hank is not an easy guy to please, wary to easily trust others and quickly frustrated by those who don't grasp what he's talking about or fail to follow through on his instructions.

This makes it all the more fun to see a rather different dynamic between Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas. Their behind-the-scenes relationship a stark contrast to that of their characters. Both are pumped to go in for a hearty high-five, something that Hank would never be caught doing with Scott in a million years.

Wasp And Ghost Selfie

Hope van Dyne and Ava Starr aren't exactly on the best of terms for most of Ant-Man and the Wasp. Suited up respectively as the Wasp and Ghost, the two characters fight no holds barred the first time they cross paths and their conflict continues for most of the film.

Behind-the-scenes, the dynamic was entirely different, as Evangeline Lilly and Hannah-John Kamen snapped this selfie together.

The image captured their enormous enthusiasm about working so closely together, not to mention their compliments about one another's looks and their similar hairstyles. They were supportive of one another from the get-go, which created a bond that allowed their scenes to work so well onscreen.

Yellowjacket

Ant-Man's first formidable foe was Darren Cross, the Yellowjacket himself. The Yellowjacket was in many ways an evil mirror of Ant-Man, making him an effective enemy to challenge Scott in his first movie. The Yellowjacket ended up looking great onscreen, but it's a less glamorous look behind-the-scenes.

This photo shows what Corey Stoll looked like when wearing the CG suit that cutting-edge technology would later turn into the sleek Yellowjacket suit. He's a ruthless force to be reckoned with in his final fight against Ant-Man, but not so much before technology transforms his look.

Training Scene Preparation

Hope van Dyne provided Scott Lang with much of the training needed to become Ant-Man, especially when it came to hand-to-hand combat. In order to make it look so good, director Peyton Reed showed Evangeline Lilly the physical movements that Hope would undertake in her training with Scott. Every movement from the fists to the legs needed to be exactly right. It's precise work, but Lilly and Reed were clearly having fun doing it.

The photo also offers a neat look at Lilly's stunt double. Her clothing is spot-on and her hair is colored and styled exactly the same as Lilly's, allowing her to seamlessly look like Hope when performing the stunts for the training scenes.

Blue Screen

This photo reveals the extensive amount of blue screen that goes into creating certain scenes in the Ant-Man movies. It's a necessity in order to pull off scenes where characters frequently change physical sizes or traverse the trippy nature of the Quantum Realm.

In scenes such as this one, though, the costumes remain practical and handcrafted.

Wearing the physical Ant-Man suit in all its glory helps ground a scene using so much blue screen. It doesn't look that comfortable to wear, but it sure looks awesome on the big screen.

Quantum Tunnel

Movies about shrinkable heroes naturally require a lot of blue screen and CGI. This is why it's so refreshing and impressive to see that one of the most important sets in Ant-Man and the Wasp was physically constructed in all the intricate detail depicted in the movie.

This set is the Quantum Tunnel that Hank Pym and Hope van Dyne built in order to locate and extricate Janet van Dyne from the Quantum Realm. The Quantum Tunnel and the technology that makes it possible is largely why Hank' slab is desperately sought after by so many characters in the film. These scenes felt more authentic to the actors and now to audiences as well, as we know that the imaginative and beautifully constructed set was rooted in a physical space.

Peggy Carter's Gray Hair

Audiences were in for a treat when Ant-Man opened with a flashback featuring fan-favorite Peggy Carter. The scene takes place in 1989, when Peggy is still an active member of S.H.I.E.L.D., as the organization tries to negotiate with Hank Pym concerning his revolutionary Pym Particles. Also featuring Howard Stark and a de-aged Michael Douglas at a time when S.H.I.E.L.D. was still alive and well, there's a lot to take in with this scene.

This photo isolates one of the best elements of the opening scene and helps audiences better appreciate it. Hayley Atwell nails the older Peggy Carter look just as much as the younger version of the character in Captain America: The First Avenger and the Agent Carter television series.

Costume Designers

The costumes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe tend to look phenomenal, but it takes a lot of work to get there. This behind-the-scenes photo is evidence of this, as it showcases the many helmet designs used during filming.

A lot of heart and detail goes into making Marvel's smallest hero look so great on the big screen.

These talented costume designers make not only the helmets, but also the suits for characters like Ant-Man, Wasp, and Ghost look stunning. They developed the films' unique aesthetic that gives the movies their own unique niche in the MCU.

Trying To Keep It Together

Scott and Hope spent much of Ant-Man and the Wasp rebuilding their relationship. Despite the good place that their relationship was in at the end of the first Ant-Man, Scott's decision to fight alongside Steve Rogers in Captain America: Civil War had negative consequences for Scott and Hope.

The scene pictured here is a touching moment from Ant-Man and the Wasp where Scott and Hope find their relationship rekindled and are back on the same page. It's hard to tell during this take if Evangeline Lilly is just channeling Hope's many emotions or if she's struggling to keep it together as she bursts into laughter. Given how comedic Paul Rudd is, we wouldn't blame her either way.

Luis In The Car Chase

After mostly serving as comic relief in the first movie, Ant-Man and the Wasp allowed Michael Peña's fan-favorite character Luis to take on a greater role. He was still hilarious -- just check out the truth serum scene -- but he also contributed to the story more, especially in the movie's climactic car chase.

As exciting as it looked, this photo depicts how the car Luis drove in the chase sequence was actually stationary for much of the filming. His surroundings were also largely made up of green screen and were not the streets of San Francisco while filming. The car still has the same design and Michael Peña is having a blast, exhibiting an infectious enthusiasm that is a trademark of Luis.

World's Greatest Grandma

Leave it to Scott Lang to make house arrest look fun. His first scene in Ant-Man and the Wasp plunged audiences into a highly imaginative indoor quest he created for his daughter Cassie, culminating in finding the coveted World's Greatest Grandma trophy.

Paul Rudd really got down there on the floor with Abby Ryder Fortson to film this scene.

It may seem obvious or insignificant, but it's a detail that makes their onscreen father-daughter bond feel even more special. Filming at this angle above them also helped create the hands-on nature of their home-bound adventure.

Director Magic

Peyton Reed's directing helped save Ant-Man and turn it into an unexpected hit. His success meant a well-deserved return to the director's chair for Ant-Man and the Wasp.

This behind-the-scenes photo shows him hard at work on the sequel, determined to make it just as good if not better than the first Ant-Man movie. Here he is on the set of Hank Pym's lab, the surroundings giving a fair idea of how much of the set was practically built versus created by green screen, a balance of which was necessary to making Ant-Man and the Wasp work so well.

Wasp Kick

For all of the strengths of the first Ant-Man, many fans were left dissatisfied that Hope hadn't suited up as the Wasp. She was already knowledgeable and highly trained when it came to her father's technology and how to fight with it, not to mention the fact that she had a strong moral compass and conviction. A post-credits scene unveiling a prototype suit teased her becoming the Wasp and thankfully the sequel delivered on this promise.

All this anticipation made it important that the official entrance of the Wasp was epic. It didn't disappoint, as she took on Sonny Burch, his goons, and then Ghost with her skills now better serviced than ever by her father's tech. Mastering this kick was part of nailing such a phenomenal entrance.

Quantum Phasing

Ant-Man and the Wasp humanized Ghost by going into her tragic backstory as Ava Starr, a child who fell victim to quantum phasing after a tragic incident. Her on-the-surface villainy is all about trying to survive and minimize the extreme pain caused by her affliction.

One of the only ways she could slightly manage her condition was by using the containment chamber pictured here.

This photo offers fans a better look at how the containment chamber was intricately designed and the camera angles that were used to show Ava attempting to manage her condition.

Scaling A Wall

Desperate to have money to pay for child support and prove that he could hold his weight as Cassie's father, Ant-Man showed ex-convict Scott Lang joining his pal Luis in a robbery. It's later revealed that the robbery was actually a test on behalf of Hank Pym to see if Scott had what it took to break into a secure building and become Ant-Man.

Scaling the wall of Hank's house wasn't just daunting in the movie, though. This behind-the-scenes photo offers a glimpse at how the individual pictured here really climbed the wall on set while rigged up to a harness. Both in the movie and behind-the-scenes, it looks like a scary task.

Role Reversal

Scott and Hope tend to have a positive relationship. They work well together and care deeply for one another. Like many relationships that work well, their personalities are rather different, though. Hope tends to be the more serious and intense one. Scott's heart is usually in the right place, but he's goofier and more outwardly affectionate.

This photo captures almost a reverse dynamic between the actors, as Evangeline Lilly affectionately rests her head on Paul Rudd's shoulder as he stares into the camera rather seriously. It makes us want to see more of these kinds of moments in the future not just between the actors, but in the relationship of Scott and Hope.

Scott's Drums

Playing on the drums was part of Scott's daily routine while on house arrest. When one of Hank Pym's ants wearing Scott's ankle monitor took his place to make the FBI think that Scott was still following his house arrest, the ant could be seen playing the drums. Most importantly, the ant is still playing the drums in a post-credits scene after Thanos' snap, one of the MCU's only glimpses at the universe after Thanos' devastating move.

Despite the sunny view that fans saw from the window behind the drums, this photo reveals that the outside glimpse through the window was actually created with a blue screen.

Somehow it makes Scott's house arrest seem more depressing knowing that the outside wasn't really behind that door.