Ant-Man 2: The Quantum Realm May Have Altered Janet

After 30 years stuck in the Quantum Realm, Janet van Dyne may not be the same as when she went in. Ant-Man & the Wasp will naturally see Hope van Dyne finally step up as a superhero, but she won't be the only one trying to save the day. With a mission to rescue Janet from the Quantum Realm, and the mysterious new villain Ghost coming after something the team has, Hope, Hank, and Scott will have their hands full. The Wasp will be born, Giant Man will return, and Dr. Bill Foster may even step out of retirement as Goliath.

The other exciting addition to the Ant-Man sequel is Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne, aka the original Wasp. Audiences saw a tease of the superhero in the first film, but they'll soon finally learn more about her and what it's been like being in the Quantum Realm for all these years. With the actor cast and Janet getting an Ant-Man 2 poster, it's no surprise that the team will interact with her. But with Marvel fond of giving the audience a big twist, the heroes may not get back the same person they lost.

During Screen Rant's set visit to Ant-Man & the Wasp, executive producer Stephen Broussard was asked what exactly it's been like for Janet over the past few decades in the Quantum Realm. And, while there are plenty of logistical concerns to ponder, the bigger question is, how has she changed after all this time?

Will you explain how she's been aging? How did she eat? How did she stay alive?

Stephen Broussard: We will definitely get into all those questions. That’s part of the questions that our heroes have. It’s such a -- the mission, so to speak, is kind of this wing and a prayer, this mission of faith, that they’re hoping she’s down there kind of thing as they go on it. And they have those same questions. What has life been like for her, you know?

Is she all there? She’s been alone for 30 years.

Stephen Broussard: Excellent questions. [Laughs]

In the comics, the all-new Wasp is contemporaneous to the original. But, since the MCU actually lets heroes age, that's not the case in the films. Interestingly, being in the Quantum Realm clearly hasn't stopped Janet from aging alongside her husband and daughter, but she seems to have grown in other ways as well. The costume she wears in her character poster not only features additional garb from what she had on when she entered, but a seemingly updated Wasp suit. That means she's been active in the Quantum Realm and there's access to materials—or perhaps another civilization.

The Quantum Realm seems to function like the Microverse on the page, something the new Ant-Man & the Wasp comic is exploring with Scott Lang and Nadia van Dyne. That realm features other sentient beings, so perhaps one of the big surprises in Ant-Man 2 will be another society of living organisms that Janet has been living amongst. Of course, an even bigger twist could be that Janet's time in the mysterious dimension has changed her, given her new abilities, or even seen her become a villain. Whatever the case may be, the reveal will be an exciting one when Ant-Man & the Wasp hits theaters.