Summary

• Many Easter eggs in Quantumania reference previous Ant-Man films, the MCU, and Marvel Comics, tying together past and future storylines.
• He Who Remains, Janet's retcon, and Hope's role at PymVanDyne provide depth to the characters' histories in the MCU.
• Scott Lang's evolution into a celebrity, Cassie's growth, and the introduction of various Kang variants set the stage for future MCU films.

Many Easter eggs in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania reference previous Ant-Man films, the MCU as a whole, and Marvel Comics. As Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly's first theatrical appearance as Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne since Avengers: Endgame, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania celebrates the titular heroes' Marvel Studios history while also setting up the MCU’s future. While some of this setup takes place within the main narrative, many Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's MCU teases occur thanks to smaller Easter eggs and references to the wider Marvel Universe.

Given how large the MCU timeline has become, it isn't surprising that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is full of Easter eggs regarding the previous movies and TV shows in the franchise, as well as keying-up important storylines. Peyton Reed's third Ant-Man movie also references classic Marvel Comics panels and characters. Here are all the Easter eggs and references in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

40 He Who Remains Appears In Quantumania’s Marvel Studios Intro

He Who Remains Is An Important Kang Variant

He Who Remains was the first Kang variant that Jonathan Majors portrayed in the MCU, debuting in Phase 4's Loki season 1. Audiences can again catch a glimpse of He Who Remains in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's Marvel Studios logo sequence at the beginning of the film. Interestingly, this marks the first time a villain has been featured in this sequence, providing a small tease at the official debut of Kang the Conqueror during the film - though it's unclear if this will be capitalized on now that Marvel has cut ties with Kang actor Jonathan Majors.

39 Quantumania Reveals That Janet Van Dyne Lied About The Quantum Realm

Janet Van Dyne's Time In The Quantum Realm Has Several Unanswered Questions

Both Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp dealt with Janet van Dyne’s disappearance into the Quantum Realm. According to Janet van Dyne, the MCU's original Wasp, there was nobody else in the Quantum Realm during the 30 years she was trapped there. Michelle Pfeiffer's return in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania comes with a retcon, revealing that Janet was lying, and that there were entire societies in the Quantum Realm consisting of sentient beings. One of those was Kang the Conqueror, who had seemly crashed in the Quantum Realm just like Janet.

38 Hope Van Dyne Is In Charge Of Pym Tech (Now PymVanDyne)

Hope's Business Changes Tease An Unnerving Potential Future Fate

In 2015's Ant-Man, Hank Pym originally planned to pass his company on to his protégé Darren Cross, with Hope van Dyne, his daughter, cast to the side. However, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania revealed that Hope had inherited the family business, with the newly dubbed PymVanDyne now using Pym Particles to help the world. While this is a great development for Evangeline Lilly's character, it could also tease her future as the Red Queen, the villain who Hope becomes in Marvel Comics.

37 Ant-Man Is Now A Celebrity (As Teased During The MCU’s Phase 4)

Ant-Man's Book Also Exists In Real Life

Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang did not appear in any live-action MCU Phase 4 release, but Ant-Man was still referenced a few times. "Rogers: The Musical", first seen in Hawkeye, surprisingly included Ant-Man as a hero during the Battle of New York. Ms. Marvel then revealed that Scott Lang now had a podcast after saving the world in Avengers: Endgame. Meanwhile, Scott Lang's book, Look Out for the Little Guy, appeared among Black Panther: Wakanda Forever's Easter eggs. Now, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania confirms that Ant-Man is indeed a celebrity.

36 Scott Lang Returns To Baskin-Robbins

Scott Lang's Former Place Of Work Appears Once Again In The Series

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is full of callbacks to the original Ant-Man film, released in 2015, including an appearance of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop Scott briefly worked in after being released from prison. This time, Scott returned as a celebrity, visiting the Baskin-Robbins shop as Ant-Man, which is curious given that Scott had been fired from the job after the management found out he had served time in prison. Gregg Turkington, who played Scott’s boss in Ant-Man, returned for a cameo in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

35 Ant-Man & The Wasp & WandaVision’s Jimmy Woo Appears In Quantumania

Jimmy Woo Has Become A More Permanent MCU Character

Randall Park is also part of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's cast, returning as Jimmy Woo after debuting as the character in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Woo was the assigned FBI Agent responsible for keeping an eye on Scott Lang during his house arrest after Captain America: Civil War.

Randall Park reprised his role of Jimmy Woo in WandaVision, in which the character, along with Monica Rambeau and Darcy Lewis, help to figure out the complexities of the Scarlet Witch's Westview Hex. Jimmy Woo appears in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, having lunch with Scott Lang - which the pair joked about in Ant-Man and the Wasp.

34 Cassie Lang’s First Scene In Quantumania Is An Ant-Man Callback

Cassie Has Been In The MCU Since The First Ant-Man Movie

Paul Rudd’s introduction as Scott Lang in 2015's Ant-Man saw the character moments from being released from prison. In Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Cassie Lang’s first scene plays out similarly. Cassie was arrested after trying to help a settlement of people who had lost their homes after the five-year Blip, and while Scott and Hope were not necessarily mad at her, they did have to bail Cassie out of jail. As such, Cassie Lang’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania journey starts out by mirroring her father's original MCU story.

33 The Blip Still Has Lasting Consequences In The MCU

The MCU's Biggest Event Continues To Affect The Timeline Years Later

Cassie Lang's introduction in jail in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania proves that the Blip and its after-effects are still a major narrative for the MCU, as she was arrested for helping those displaced by the Blip. Thanos' snap in Avengers: Infinity War sent the universe into five years of turmoil, but it could be argued that the Hulk's snap in Avengers: Endgame did the same, as he brought everyone back after the world had all but recovered. Thousands of people would have been left homeless, as proven by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, so the Blip is still a huge MCU event.

32 Cassie Recalls Ant-Man’s Yellowjacket Fight

Yellowjacket Was The Villain Of Ant-Man

The final battle of 2015's Ant-Man is one of the most unique fights in the MCU to date, and Cassie Lang recalls it during her opening moments of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. When Scott tells Cassie that he wants her to have a normal life, Cassie points out that Darren Cross, a.k.a. Yellowjacket tried to kill her when she was six - though she was actually eight during the first film. In addition to being an Ant-Man callback, Cassie Lang recalling the “bee guy” was a setup for Darren Cross’s return as MODOK in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

31 Scott Lang “Fought Captain America”

Scott Lang "Fought" Steve Rogers In Captain America: Civil War

During Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the events of Captain America: Civil War are recalled, when it's mentioned how Scott Lang "fought Captain America." Scott makes a point of correcting the statement, noting how he fought with Captain America during the Avengers' battle in Germany. According to Scott Lang, nobody would want to fight Captain America - perhaps referencing how Steve Rogers managed to beat even Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, during the pair's final battle in Siberia.

30 Ant-Man Is Mistaken For Spider-Man

Ant-Man's Spider-Man Mixup Proves He's Still Not That Famous

One of the MCU's many running gags is that Ant-Man and Spider-Man constantly get compared, since both their names from insects. Ruben Rabasa appears as a coffee shop owner in the opening moments of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and states to Scott Lang that he is the hero's biggest fan. Even so, he still refers to Scott as Spider-Man as he leaves the shop - though Scott thankfully gets his coffee for free thanks to his heroism.

29 Ant-Man Poster On A Backpack

Marvel Hero Merch Exists In The MCU

During the opening montage of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Scott Lang walks joyfully down the street and passes many who recognize him as a prominent superhero. One fan, a kid, is shown owning an Ant-Man backpack, which uses art taken from the real-world promotional material of 2015's Ant-Man. This trick has been pulled before, as Avengers: Infinity War used a photo of the real-world Robert Downey Jr. to portray Tony Stark.

28 Ant-Man Recalls Avengers: Endgame’s Hulk-Created Baby Scott Lang

Avengers: Endgame Was Scott Lang's Most Important MCU Role Yet

Scott Lang’s book, Look Out for the Little Guy, which he listens to in his car when bringing Cassie home from jail at the beginning of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, references Avengers: Endgame’s difficult time travel technology tests. Scott recalls how the Hulk turned him into a baby, a consequence of the non-blipped Avengers trying to create a time machine without Tony Stark’s help. Scott questions himself if he was “Hulk’s baby” in a hilarious moment.

27 MCU Continues Its Back To The Future References

Ant-Man 3 Contains Another Back To The Future Reference

During Avengers: Endgame, Scott Lang referenced 1985's Back to the Future multiple times while discussing the concept of time travel with the other Avengers. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania includes a brilliant reference to the classic film, as during Back to the Future, a dehydrated pizza is cooked in seconds, and a similar thing occurs when Hank drops a few Pym Particles on a tiny pizza in Quantumania. The pizza sizes up almost instantly, forming a much larger pizza that the Lang-Pym-van Dyne family sits down to eat together.

26 Janet Van Dyne References Sub-Atomica

Sub-Atomica Is A Marvel Comics Setting

Sub-Atomica is a star system in the Microverse in Marvel Comics - which the MCU's Quantum Realm is based on - comprised of five planets, first seen in 1963's Fantastic Four #16. In Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Janet van Dyne refers to the area in which the group finds themselves in the Quantum Realm as Sub-Atomica. This is a direct reference to the Marvel Comics location, and various other characters from the Microverse show up during Quantumania, though they can't be named so due to rights issues.

25 Bill Murray's Krylar Is An Obscure Marvel Character

Ant-Man 3 Was Bill Murray's First MCU Appearance

Bill Murray plays Lord Krylar in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, one of Janet van Dyne’s friends from her time trapped in the Quantum Realm. Krylar was a freedom fighter that originally helped Janet protect the Quantum Realm from Kang the Conqueror, though has since fallen into the villain's employ. In Marvel Comics, Krylar lived in the subatomic world of K’ai, although the character himself wasn’t too important and died almost immediately.

24 Ant-Man’s David Dastmalchian Returns (As A Completely Different Character)

Veb Is One Of The MCU's More Eccentric Characters

David Dastmalchian previously portrayed Kurt in Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp, but returns in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania as a completely different character. Dastmalchian voiced Veb, the “creature without holes” from the Quantum Realm who Scott and Cassie meet almost immediately after entering the subatomic world. It's Veb's "ooze" that enables Scott Lang and his crew to understand the language of the Quantum Realm.

23 Quantumania Briefly Referenced The Infinity Stones' Importance In The MCU

The MCU Stones Still Hold Significance In The MCU

When Scott Lang and Cassie are brought to the freedom fighters' settlement, they become surrounded by sentient beings who reside within the Quantum Realm. Several of these characters are nods to Marvel Comics and the MCU's history, including a group of beings whose heads correspond perfectly to the colors of five of the MCU's Infinity Stones. Red for the Reality Stone, orange for the Soul Stone, green for the Time Stone, yellow for the Mind Stone, and purple for the Power Stone. Perhaps Thanos' atomization of the Infinity Stones in Avengers: Endgame sent them hurling into the Quantum Realm.

22 Jentorra Is A Character In Marvel Comics

Jentorra Is Also A Marvel Comics Character

Katy O'Brien debuted as Jentorra in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, one of the leaders of the freedom fighters working to bring Kang the Conqueror's reign to an end. In Marvel Comics, Jentorra is actually the Queen of a planet in the Microverse who ends up being displaced into the surface world. She helms from K'ai similarly to Bill Murray's Marvel Comics counterpart, Krylar.

21 Ant-Man’s Yellowjacket Returns In Quantumania… As MODOK

Darren Cross Reappeared As Another MCU Villain In The Movie

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania introduces the MCU’s version of MODOK, but with a twist. Instead of George Tarleton, head of Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM) in Marvel Comics, Darren Cross - the villain from 2015's Ant-Man - became MODOK in the MCU. While Ant-Man implied that Yellowjacket hadn't survived, Quantumania revealed that Cross had survived, but was sent to the Quantum Realm. Cross’ body shrunk unevenly, leaving him deformed, but with the help of Kang the Conqueror, the Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing, “M.O.D.O.K”, was created.