It's no coincidence Marvel is releasing Ant-Man & the Wasp and Captain Marvel before the as-yet-untitled Avengers 4. When the studio originally announced their Phase 3 slate, it was assumed that the films released between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4 would take place between the epic two-parter. As time has passed, however it's become clear that they won't; instead, they both seem to be set before the events of Infinity War.

On the face of it, that may seem like an odd decision on Marvel's part, but it actually fits with their usual modus operandi. The reveals of both Captain Marvel and the Wasp have been saved for their solo films, with these two major heroes then expected to join the Avengers in the battle against Thanos. But rather than a simple change of pace from the deep and dour MCU culmination, these two movies have long been cited as essential to their story.

The post-credits scene for Avengers: Infinity War was all about setting up Captain Marvel's present-day debut, hinting at the resolution of next year's origin story. Meanwhile, the Russo brothers have already suggested that Ant-Man & the Wasp is the film most strongly connected to Infinity War. Clearly, it's all connected. But how?

What Ant-Man 2 and Captain Marvel Both Have in Common

Both Ant-Man & the Wasp and Captain Marvel are essentially origin stories, but have clear wider connections. Captain Marvel will introduce its titular hero, who promises to play an important role in Avengers 4; the tease in the end-credits scene suggests Carol Danvers will be a key player. Ant-Man & the Wasp, meanwhile, will introduce not one but two iterations of the Wasp also set to appear: Janet Van Dyne's arc in the sequel is one of the film's most closely-guarded secrets but Marvel Studios executive producer Victoria Alonso did tease that Pfeiffer was actually on the set of Avengers 4; Evangeline Lilly, for her part, has cautioned that her own version of the Wasp only plays a minor role in the film.

The pair are also both prequels - almost by necessity thanks to Avengers: Infinity War's ending - although they're set in very different time periods. Captain Marvel is set in the '90s, a move that suggests Carol Danvers has been an active superhero for decades and leaving a big question of where Captain Marvel's been for the last 30 years or so. Meanwhile, the precise timeline placement of Ant-Man & the Wasp is uncertain. It's definitely set after Captain America: Civil War, but other than that is an unknown. When Marvel released the latest trailer, they teased that it would reveal where Ant-Man and the Wasp had been "during Infinity War."

These traits show that Ant-Man 2 and Captain Marvel are clearly being made with Avengers 4 in mind. However, there is one other common thread between Ant-Man & the Wasp and Captain Marvel, though. Both films involve the Quantum Realm.

Page 2 of 2: What The Quantum Realm Means For Avengers 4

What is the Quantum Realm?

The first Ant-Man film explored the concept of the Quantum Realm, described as "a reality where all concepts of time and space become irrelevant." This mysterious plane of existence is only accessible through two means; magic (Doctor Strange briefly traveled through it in his solo film) and through shrinking beyond subatomic size. Hank Pym discovered the Quantum Realm while working on the Pym Particles, and believed anyone who entered the Quantum Realm would be trapped there, "as you shrink for all eternity." Tragically, Pym's wife Janet Van Dyne became trapped in the Quantum Realm. Pym spent the next decade researching this dimension, to no avail. He believed her dead - until the events of Ant-Man, which saw Scott Lang successfully escape the Quantum Realm.

In the aftermath of Ant-Man, Pym has devoted himself to entering the Quantum Realm in an attempt to rescue his long-missing wife. The trailers have already teased that he's built an experimental craft, a size-changing vessel with which he can explore the Quantum Realm. It's all but certain Pym will succeed in finding Janet, with set photos teasing she successfully escapes to our reality.

Evangeline Lilly has hinted she believes the Quantum Realm will be an essential part of the MCU. "We are hitting that [Lost] Season 4 space where everything’s about to shift, and you’re about to lose the solid ground underneath you. And [Ant-Man and the Wasp], of course, will play a part in that," she explained. "If we do succeed in Ant-Man and the Wasp, then that does open a whole entire new multi-verse to enter into and play around in."

Further tying the threads together, the Quantum Realm is confirmed to appear in Captain Marvel too. Quantum Physicist Dr. Spiros Michalakis, one of Marvel's consultants, teased that the Quantum Realm will give "a better understanding of Carol Danvers and her place in the MCU." Looking beyond that, he confirmed that he believed the Quantum Realm would be a key part of the MCU's future going forward:

"This is exciting for the future. There are different ways that some of these ideas appear on-screen in a few years. Not just for Ant-Man, but also for Captain Marvel and all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe."

The common thread of the Quantum Realm clearly ties together Ant-Man & the Wasp and Captain Marvel - which may well make the Quantum Realm important to Avengers 4 too. But how could that be the case?

The Quantum Realm May Enable Time-Travel

Ant-Man in the Quantum Realm

It's generally believed that Avengers 4 will see Earth's Mightiest Heroes attempt to use time-travel against Thanos, or otherwise explore some sort of alternate dimension in a bid to reverse his finger snap. Set photos have shown the Avengers wearing the classic outfits from the Battle of New York, with Chris Evans donning that "old-fashioned costume" again, while long-dead characters, such as Frank Grillo's Crossbones and Maximiliano Hernandez's Agent Sitwell, seem set to return. Finally, in a surprising twist, some set photos actually showed Chris Evans's Captain America on set with Paul Rudd's Ant-Man. The scene appeared to be set during the Battle of New York, a time long before Lang suited up as a superhero. Combine all this with Carol Danvers's mysterious decades-long absence from the MCU, and it really does look as though Avengers 4 is a time-travel film.

The big question, though, is how time travel can come to the MCU without the Time Stone. Fortunately, we have one method pre-made. According to Hank Pym, the Quantum Real is a dimension "where all concepts of time and space become irrelevant." It's quite possible the Quantum Realm could be used as a sort of "gateway", a way of traveling through time in order to rewrite history. That would mean both Ant-Man & the Wasp and Captain Marvel are important for setting in place the concepts and ideas that will ultimately defeat Thanos. The two films may ultimately even be used to set in place the "rules" for time-travel in the MCU, allowing Avengers 4 to simply pick up the ideas and run with them.

All this said, Marvel movies are ultimately standalone. For this level of interlinking to occur requires a lot of preassumed knowledge going into Avengers 4, so the intricacies may be sanded down or we'll perhaps see things shifted entirely, with time travel instead more magical or linked to Tony Stark.

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One thing's for certain; both Ant-Man & the Wasp are a crucial part of Marvel's buildup to the MCU's big finale. There's a narrative reason for Marvel's decision to release these two films in between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4, suggesting they introduce both key characters and important concepts for Avengers 4. So far, the only confirmed plot thread these two films have in common is the Quantum Realm and, if that were to be used for time-travel, it would dovetail perfectly with the little we know from set photos. But with Marvel's secrecy, you never know.

More: The Marvel Cinematic Universe's Biggest Course Corrections

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