The first reactions to Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania have arrived, and here are some of the reasons why the reviews are so mixed. The Marvel Cinematic Universe keeps expanding now with its Multiverse Saga, and launching Phase 5 is the return of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, directed by Peyton Reed. Ant-Man’s third “solo” adventure will take him back into the Quantum Realm, where he will face the Multiverse Saga’s main villain, Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), perhaps the most powerful enemy the MCU has seen so far.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will see Scott, Hope, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Scott’s daughter, Cassie (Kathryn Newton), unintentionally traveling to the Quantum Realm and being trapped in it, where some secrets and dark truths, not just from this realm but from Janet’s past as well, will be revealed. There they will meet Kang, a time-traveling, multiversal adversary who mustn’t be freed from the Quantum realm. At the time of writing, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has received mixed reviews, and here are some of the reasons why.
1 Jonathan Majors’ Kang Is A Great MCU Villain
The most praised element from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is Jonathan Majors’ Kang. Although Majors had already debuted as a variant of Kang, known as He Who Remains, in the TV series Loki (which ended with a look at a statue of Kang), Quantumania is the proper, official introduction of Kang the Conqueror, and it’s an exciting first adventure. While He Who Remains was a bit more playful, Kang the Conqueror is the opposite, and Majors makes sure to make those differences very clear, bringing a charismatic, calculating, and ultimately terrifying villain who manages to steal the spotlight from Ant-Man, for better or for worse.
While some critics find Majors’ outstanding performance as Kang the Conqueror as a positive element not only for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania but for the future of the Multiverse Saga as well, others felt Kang shouldn’t have overshadowed Scott, especially as Quantumania was finally seizing Ant-Man’s potential, while others felt Kang was underutilized and wasn’t given enough time to show what he’s truly capable of. However, Kang still has the rest of the Multiverse Saga to show his power, so as an introduction to the character, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania succeeded.
“For what it's worth, as the set-up for where this universe is going, Quantumania is largely a success, as it's hard to walk away from this and not focus primarily on what Majors is doing. But it's easy to forget that this wasn't his story, that this was supposed to be about Scott, his family, and his loved ones. There's a fascinating world to explore here, and Ant-Man finally gets close to the full realization of the potential of his character and this concept, but it all, unfortunately, gets overtaken by the Conquerer.”
2 Quantumania Succeeds In Setting Up The MCU’s Future
The MCU has expanded so much as a connected universe that every movie is now expected to link to past movies and help set up the MCU’s future, even if slightly. Due to Quantumania finally exploring the Quantum Realm and introducing Kang, Ant-Man’s new movie has been teased to be key in setting up the rest of the Multiverse Saga… and it certainly does. Whether he was underutilized or not and if Quantumania didn’t show the full extent of his powers, truth is that Ant-Man 3 succeeds at setting Kang and his future adventures up. After watching Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the audience will have an idea of what’s to come in Phases 5 and 6 with Kang as the villain to defeat, as well as where the movie’s heroes will be when the time comes to save the universe from Kang in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars.
As such, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a must-see for Marvel fans, not only because it's a genuinely entertaining addition to the MCU, but because it's important to the overarching story of Phase 5 and the Multiverse Saga. That said, though there are aspects of Quantumania that are best enjoyed by those who have seen the previous Ant-Man movies, they aren't necessarily required viewing to understand this film. As with many MCU movies, Quantumania is most rewarding to those who have invested in the franchise, but is enjoyable enough even for casual viewers.
3 Quantumania Lacks The Fun & Humor Of Past Ant-Man Movies
Due to its setting and villain, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was inevitably going to go through a shift of tone. The first two Ant-Man movies were too comedy-oriented, and while that wasn’t bad at first, Ant-Man and the Wasp’s jokes and humor weren’t well-received by the audience and were some of the most criticized elements of the movie. Although Quantumania does have comedic moments (it’s an Ant-Man movie, after all), critics have pointed out that it lacks the fun and humor of its predecessors, which ends up hurting Scott Lang as he’s known for his comedy bits.
How the comedy of the Ant-Man movies is perceived depends on each viewer, and while many loved the lighter tone of the first two movies, others were tired of it (similar to what’s happening with Thor) and hoping for Quantumania to be darker and more serious, which is fitting due to the themes and characters it addresses. Quantumania’s sense of humor can be a hit-or-miss depending on each viewer’s individual experience, but the movie seems to have failed in the transition from comedic Scott Lang to drama Scott Lang.
“Rudd’s charm is dimmed by largely stripping him of comedy bits and there’s no fun to be had with Ant-Man’s changes in size. There’s too much man, not enough ant.”
“The goofy little adventures that Ant-Man gets himself into in those films aren’t dependent on intertextuality with a dozen other films, allowing their visual playfulness—namely in regard to the shrinking and blowing up of objects—to be enjoyable for its own sake. But with Reed’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, it’s as if the suits at Marvel wondered what would happen if they not only made the film the flagship entry of yet another “phase” in the MCU, but ditched nearly everything that was remotely unique about the first two Ant-Man films.”
4 Quantumania’s Script Lacks Emotional Arc
Another weakness of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania that is being pointed out is that the story lacks an emotional arc, which wouldn’t be a big problem if the movie didn’t set up some emotional and deep moments between Scott and Cassie. The trailers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania have focused on the relationship between Scott and Cassie, with the former apparently led into a deal with Kang for the safety of his daughter, so it’s disappointing that the final product doesn’t pay this off and doesn’t have a strong emotional arc.
The last time the audience saw Scott and Cassie, they reunited after Scott escaped the Quantum Realm five years after Thanos’ snap and following the Mad Titan’s defeat and Iron Man’s funeral, so they have a lot to catch up with. In addition to that, Scott has already lost valuable time with Cassie when he was in prison, and with Cassie now a teenager, there’s a lot of potential for the emotional side of Scott and Cassie’s relationship – unfortunately, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania seems to not have seized all this setup.
“What's ultimately the most frustrating element of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is the script. The movie fails to present a strong emotional arc. There's plenty of promising setup in the film's first act, with Scott and Cassie's relationship troubles quietly mirroring the lingering drama between the Pyms. There's potential for Scott to seek out the years he'd lost without his daughter, a bittersweet desire he shares with Jan. But none of that is paid anything beyond minor lip service as the film progresses and leans heavily into the sci-fi-tinted adventures within the Quantum Realm.”
5 Quantumania’s Story Is Saturated & Feels Rushed
Most of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s negative reviews point out that the script is what hurts the final product, and among the main reasons for that are that too many things happen and there’s not enough time for everything, the characters are underdeveloped, and the story ends up feeling rushed. Quantumania sets many things up (like Scott and Cassie making up for lost time) to be addressed and developed within the movie’s time frame, but the time constraints don’t allow these to pay off and the story’s biggest moments aren’t given enough time to be enjoyed and processed, while other important details in the characters' individual stories are simply forgotten after a couple of minutes. Quantumania’s script seems to be as saturated as the Quantum Realm itself, leaving the rest of the Multiverse Saga with even more questions to answer and loose threads to address at some point.
“Unfortunately, regardless of the many promisingly poignant seeds planted as potential talking points early in the movie, much of what could have become a weighted payoff seems to dissipate by the time of the film’s conclusion. This can probably be attributed to Quantumania‘s high-speed script, which barely gives even its most tragic moments room to breathe. Cassie is a character who cares deeply about humanity, and many of her concerns are raised briefly and then never subsequently addressed. Michelle Pfieffer‘s Janet van Dyne is finally given something tangible to do but is vastly overshadowed by the rise of Kang and pacing that feels eager for the plot to end.”
“Still, most characters are underutilized, underdeveloped, or set into contrived circumstances. Major plot moments and character developments feel undercooked, and there are relevant moments where the story logic is lacking.”
Like most of the MCU’s movies since Phase 4, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania struggles with keeping up with the extensive MCU as it has to connect to previous movies and set up the Multiverse Saga’s future as well, but, at least, it seems to succeed at the latter. Quantumania is also dealing with similar criticism as previous Ant-Man movies even if its tone and focus have changed, and in the end, the general audience’s reactions will be key in determining if Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is a hit for the MCU or if it will join the list of underwhelming releases.
Key Release Dates
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Ant-Man and 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
