Despite being a key location in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Phase 2, the Quantum Realm hasn't really been properly explained. The Quantum Realm was introduced into the MCU during Ant-Man, which saw Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) journey into the microscopic world despite dire warnings from his mentor, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). In subsequent MCU projects, Ant-Man and his size-changing crew have seemed to gain control over traveling into and through the Quantum Realm, but while the Quantum Realm is an important location in Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and even Avengers: Endgame, the strange new world remains an incredible mystery.
The Quantum Realm seems to be one of the most important worlds in the MCU, not least because it enabled the Avengers to time travel in Avengers: Endgame and save the universe in the wake of Thanos' attack. In Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the first film in the MCU's Phase 5, Ant-Man and his size-changing crew, now including a teenage Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), find themselves trapped in the Quantum Realm. This brings them face-to-face with new and unusual characters who reside down there and even introduces Kang the Conqueror, the major villain for the MCU's Multiverse Saga. Even so, many questions still surround the MCU's Quantum Realm.
What Exactly The Quantum Realm Is
In the MCU, the Quantum Realm is a microscopic dimension that is described by Hank Pym in Ant-Man as "a reality where all concepts of time and space become irrelevant." Pym also suggests that the Quantum Realm is a largely unexplored world, though this was proposed before his eyes get opened to the true extent of life in the Quantum Realm during Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Marvel Studios producer Stephen Broussard (via Marvel.com) mentioned that the Quantum Realm is "a world unto itself not unlike Asgard or Wakanda," suggesting that the Quantum Realm is a massive world to explore in the MCU, despite being too small to perceive.
Hank Pym is the first known human to discover the existence of the Quantum Realm through the use of his Pym Particles that allow him, and subsequent Ant-Men and Wasps, to shrink to incredibly small sizes. The Quantum Realm is a dimension that is housed in the spaces between atoms, so while it is minuscule compared to the surface world, the inside of the Quantum Realm has many different regions, housing all manner of strange creatures and even being home to entire civilizations. It also seems as though the Quantum Realm makes for the perfect prison, as Kang the Conqueror finds himself trapped inside with no means of escape.
Every MCU Movie That Includes The Quantum Realm
Though the concept of the Quantum Realm was initially introduced to the MCU during 2015's Ant-Man, several subsequent projects have included the dimension in their own stories. Even so, the Quantum Realm has always been directly associated with Peyton Reed's Ant-Man franchise in the MCU, seen for the first time during Ant-Man, but developed further in Ant-Man and the Wasp, as the heroes design a Quantum Tunnel to allow them to travel freely into the Quantum Realm and retrieve a trapped Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer). Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania uncovers even more mysteries of the Quantum Realm as the whole team becomes trapped inside.
Outside the Ant-Man film series, however, other MCU projects have explored aspects of the Quantum Realm. Doctor Strange saw the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) send Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) through many dimensions in the multiverse, one of which was the Quantum Realm, though he doesn't truly understand what he's seeing. The Quantum Realm is a key plot point during Avengers: Endgame, as Scott Lang realizes the Avengers could use the Quantum Realm's time vortexes and portals to travel back in time and collect the Infinity Stones for themselves. The Quantum Realm also appears in What If...? and receives a mention during Ms. Marvel.
How The Quantum Realm Is Different In The Comics (& What It's Called There)
The MCU's Quantum Realm is an amalgamation of two different locations in Marvel Comics, the Quantum Zone, the realm where all the energy of the universe comes from, and the Microverse, housing many subatomic dimensions. These realities have been explored many times in their long Marvel Comics runs, with the Microverse notably being home to the superhero team, the Micronauts. The Micronauts film rights lie with Paramount Pictures, which means that Marvel Studios was unable to use the term Microverse when introducing the Quantum Realm into the MCU, but the Quantum Realm does seem to share many similarities with its comic counterpart nonetheless.
Marvel Comics' Quantum Zone is a more mysterious location, but perhaps even more important, as it is the source of all the energy in the universe and also what gives the Quantum Bands their power. There is speculation that Quasar could debut in Ant-Man 3, perhaps adding more weight to the idea of Quantum Bands in the MCU, and he could join the likes of the MCU's version of the Micronauts as the Quantum Realm's own Avengers-style team. In the comics, the Microverse is actually a sentient system of worlds, which could be an interesting development to introduce into the MCU.
How Time Passes Differently In The Quantum Realm
Ant-Man and the Wasp revealed that Janet van Dyne had been trapped inside the Quantum Realm for thirty years and had been shown to have aged thirty years also. However, when Scott Lang found himself trapped in the Quantum Realm in the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp, only to be released five years later in Avengers: Endgame, only five hours had passed for him. The fact that not much is understood about the concept of time inside the Quantum Realm lends itself heavily to Hank Pym's comments in Ant-Man, suggesting that time becomes irrelevant, and Scott himself states that the Quantum Realm is completely unpredictable.
Warnings from Janet van Dyne about the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man and the Wasp included ensuring Scott wouldn't get sucked into any time vortexes. This suggests that time works differently in different areas of the Quantum Realm, so while Scott was trapped there for five years, and it felt like five hours, Janet was stuck for thirty years and lived every moment of thirty years. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is set to reveal that Kang has been imprisoned in the Quantum Realm for years, but this could have been longer from his perspective, giving him plenty of time to amass his army and plan his attack.
How The Quantum Realm Is Used For Time Travel
While the concept of time in the Quantum Realm might seem truly terrifying, it's these time vortexes that gave the Avengers the opportunity to time travel in Avengers: Endgame, entering the Quantum Realm at one point in time and traveling through a vortex to exit at another point. Interestingly, the Quantum Realm also enables the traveling across timelines, since Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) returns from his retirement to pass Captain America's shield on to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), despite living his life in a separate timeline. It's possible that there are further undiscovered ways to use the Quantum Realm for time travel, which could be revealed in future MCU projects.
Is The Quantum Realm Connected To The MCU's Multiverse?
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania writer Jeff Loveness (via Marvel.com) has confirmed that the Quantum Realm is a separate reality in the MCU's multiverse, in fact donning it the "basement of the multiverse." This means that multiversal travel has actually been a key plot point long before the MCU's Multiverse Saga and the introduction of America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. This also makes Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania the perfect film to kick off Phase 5 in the Multiverse Saga, and could even mean that the Quantum Realm has been affected by Loki and Sylvie's actions in the Loki season 1 finale.
What The Quantum Realm's Rules Are
Any concepts that humans are aware of on the surface become unpredictable and perhaps incomprehensible when entering the Quantum Realm. However, it's known that human bodies still go through the same wear-and-tear, as Janet ages per her time in the Quantum Realm, but the world also allows her to evolve and gain incredible abilities with Quantum energy. It also seems impossible to pinpoint an exact place to travel into the Quantum Realm without help from inside, as Janet possesses Scott during Ant-Man and the Wasp to provide aid to her family in finding her. This unpredictability makes the Quantum Realm an incredibly dangerous MCU setting.
Why The Quantum Realm Is So Dangerous
Aside from getting sucked into a time vortex or eaten by minuscule monsters, the Quantum Realm has many other dangerous features that mean getting stuck inside is a potentially fatal risk. Phase 4's What If...? displayed an alternate reality where a Quantum virus had infected Janet van Dyne during her time in the Quantum Realm, leading to the zombie infestation on the surface world when she and Hank return. On top of that, the fact that a supervillain such as Kang the Conqueror resides inside the Quantum Realm means that there is danger not only from the wild environments, but also from the inhabitants of the Quantum Realm.
Why The Quantum Realm Is Crucial To The MCU
However dangerous a threat he might pose, the introduction of Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania marks a massive leap forward for the MCU's Multiverse Saga as it builds up to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. The fact that the Quantum Realm has managed to trap Kang suggests that the tiny dimension is more powerful than viewers had been led to believe, so could even play a hand in defeating Kang the Conqueror. It's also likely that the more dangerous aspects of the Quantum Realm will be explored further, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe seems to be heading in a much darker direction for Phase 5 and beyond.
Key Release Dates
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Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania
Release Date:2023-02-17 -
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Release Date:2023-05-05 -
The Marvels
Release Date:2023-11-10 -
Captain America: Brave New World
Release Date:2024-05-03 -
Marvel's Thunderbolts
Release Date:2024-12-20 -
Blade (2025)
Release Date:2025-02-14 -
Deadpool 3
Release Date:2024-05-03 -
Marvel's Fantastic Four
Release Date:2025-05-02 -
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
Release Date:2026-05-01 -
Avengers: Secret Wars
Release Date:2027-05-01
