Ant-Man and the Wasp's Quantum Realm Easter Eggs Tease MCU's Future

Ant-Man & The Wasp will fully explore the Quantum Realm and fans should keep their eyes peeled for some Easter eggs peppered throughout the alternate dimension that could offer clues about the sub-series' and the MCU's future. Directed by Peyton Reed, Marvel Studios is closing out their year by going small - both literally and figuratively with the Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lily-led sequel. That said, don't be fooled, the film may tackle a smaller, self-contained story but it'll apparently have some significant links to the bigger franchise.

First introduced in the first Ant-Man in 2015 after Scott went subatomic, there's not much known about how things operate in Quantum Realm. But as explained by Dr. Hank Pym, it's "a reality where all concepts of time and space become irrelevant as you shrink for all eternity." Team Ant-Man is expected to travel down there in an attempt to rescue Janet van Dyne - Hank's wife, Hope's mother and the original Wasp - who has been trapped there for three decades now.

During Ant-Man & The Wasp's press conference which Screen Rant attended, Marvel boss Kevin Feige teased how the full introduction of the Quantum Realm will affect the MCU moving forward. And while he didn't dive into details, he teased some fun Easter eggs snuck in the microverse that will apparently play a role in the franchise's future.

Without giving anything away, we love, you know, these… they’re all storytelling tools; new places, new things. [...] There are things that you see back there… that Peyton has put in there - where and how they pay off in the near term, in the long term… remains to be seen.

This was backed up by Reed in a separate interview with io9. Comparing to how they set-up some things in the first Ant-Man that eventually pay off in the sequel, he hints that there are several details for fans to discover that may offer some clues as to what lies ahead in the MCU.

“We have definitely laid some groundwork for some stuff down there... similar to what we did in the first movie. [In the first movie,] it was not until really DVD or Blu-ray release when people started freeze-framing it like ‘Wait a second. There’s a reflection. Is that Wasp down there? Is it Janet?’

“The Quantum Realm was daunting because the good news is the bad news. Which is it’s infinite and can be whatever you want it to be.”

Aside from anything other references that could link to other MCU properties, the Quantum Realm is also expected to factor in Brie Larson's Captain Marvel, although it's still unknown how it'll fit in Carol Danvers origins story. Numerous theories also persist that it will pave the way for time travel in the MCU without the need for the Time Stone in Avengers 4 - an assumption corroborated by Scott Lang's supposed significant role in next year's still-untitled ensemble film. Things will more likely get clearer once fans see how the alternate reality operate in Ant-Man & The Wasp which is set to hit theaters by the end of the week.