There were a lot of Marvel heroes packed into Avengers: Infinity War, but absent from the fray was Scott Lang, a.k.a. Ant-Man played by Paul Rudd. However, it won’t be long until Ant-Man and the Wasp hits theaters in July. And hopefully, a new trailer that premieres on Tuesday will answer exactly where Ant-Man was during Thanos’s big, scary invasion, because Ant-Man and the Wasp pretty much has to take place before the events of Infinity War.
On Monday, Marvel actress Evangeline Lily, who stars as Hope van Dyne, a.k.a. the Wasp, tweeted the film’s newest poster that predominantly features herself and Rudd as the heroic duo, Ant-Man and the Wasp. In the same tweet, Lily revealed that a new trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp will premiere online tomorrow. The trailer’s announcement arrives just hours into Marvel’s weekend box office victory lap, in which the studio earned over $630 million worldwide from Avengers: Infinity War. Who says they’re tired of superhero movies?
The previous trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp played before Infinity War in theaters, which only made Ant-Man’s absence even more glaring. There’s a line that explains Scott’s whereabouts — he’s under house arrest — but it’s easy to miss given the film’s long running time. Also, the ending of Infinity War is so cataclysmic, one wonders if the new Ant-Man film takes place before or after Infinity War. Based on the synopsis, it’s before.
The synopsis for Ant-Man and the Wasp confirms it takes place “in the aftermath of Captain America: Civil War.” Like Black Panther, the film’s events are tied to Civil War, but there’s still a two-year gap until anything related to Thanos begins. While the end of Ant-Man might have some connective tissue, especially in the post-credits, it isn’t a “sequel,” and neither is 2019’s Captain Marvel, Marvel’s second period film, set in the Nineties.
Ant-Man, along with missing Avenger Hawkeye, are definitely on board for the next Avengers movie which continues the Infinity War storyline — he just wasn’t in Infinity War. Which is fine. Imagine if Thanos got to Scott Lang before he even had a chance to be useful.
Ant-Man and the Wasp will be released in theaters July 6.
