Ant-Man 3 could be the most important movie ahead of Avengers 5

Marvel has a full slate of movies in its Phase 4 calendar (assuming production ever resumes), but Ant-Man 3 is mysteriously missing from that schedule. Michael Douglas even teased some news coming "pretty soon" back in May, but since then we haven't heard a peep. However, one new report from a reliable Marvel leaker could reveal when Ant-Man 3 will be released, while also giving fans a big clue at how it could connect directly to Avengers 5.

Charles Murphy (an anonymous Marvel movie leaker with a proven track record) recently shared some news on the Ant-Man 3 release date, noting that while we still might not have a public release date, that doesn't mean it's not happening at all. On his website, Murphy's Multiverse, he writes that "rescheduled to begin production in June of 2021 in Atlanta" before concluding that the movie could be in theaters by "late 2022 or early 2023."

Along the way, Murphy notes that Marvel wants to "give the film some room to breathe" for two big reasons. First, there's a new writer for Ant-Man 3. And second, Marvel apparently has "big plans for the film." This article doesn't go into any more detail on what those plans might be, but an earlier piece published by Murphy in late 2019 provides some very interesting clues that we may have overlooked at the time.

In that article, Murphy shares a rumor he heard from a source that "Ant-Man 3 may serve as the platform on which the Young Avengers assemble." This makes sense when you remember that Scott Lang's daughter Cassie grows up to become a superhero and a member of the Young Avengers. Ant-Man director Peyton Reed also told Inverse in 2018 that he's used the movies to "plant these little seeds" about Cassie's future.

Elsewhere in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Phase 4 seems to be planting more seeds for the Young Avengers. Hawkeye's Disney+ spinoff will introduce his protégé Kate Bishop. There's also a Ms. Marvel series in the works, giving the MCU the beginnings of a new superhero team that could take form in Ant-Man 3 and Avengers 5.

This also makes sense from a scheduling perspective. Ant-Man 3 is allegedly due in late 2022 or early 2023. As for Avengers 5, we still don't know when that could happen, though Murphy previously hinted at a May 2024 release. If that's still the plan, Ant-Man 3 could basically serve as the Captain America: Civil War of Marvel's Phase 5, setting up new stakes and allegiances that won't pay off until a year later in a big Avengers-style crossover.

For now, the entire MCU schedule remains in flux and at the mercy of the coronavirus pandemic, but Marvel's always played the long game with these movies. It would be ridiculous to think the studio isn't already planning for Avengers 5, and it seems like those plans could revolve heavily around Ant-Man 3.