Credit: Marvel StudiosThis article contains SPOILERS for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and its mid/post-credit scenes!
There’s been a huge hint dropped by Marvel in the most recent Ant-Man flick.
The Walt Disney Company’s golden goose has for a long time been Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) — especially since its explosive popularity has dominated theaters and home-streaming the world over — for more than a decade at this point. Iron Man (2008) brought Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man/Tony Stark into the limelight, while Joss Whedon’s The Avengers (2012) cemented the now-famous original six heroes of the Avengers team, Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor Odinson), Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton/Hawkeye), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/the Incredible Hulk), brought together by Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), to deal with Tom Hiddleston (Loki Laufeyson/Loki Odinson). Needless to say, the film totally redefined the industry, bringing multiple films together into the same “cinematic universe”.
Now after the dramatic ending of the Infinity Saga’s Phase Three concluded with the Russo Brothers’ Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, audiences (and Marvel fans) have even more to look forward to with this massive future tease in Phase Five’s first foray into the meatier story beats of the Multiverse Saga in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). Now that Phase Four is officially over with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) bidding Chadwick Boseman as King T’Challa/Black Panther farewell, and welcoming Princess Shuri as Wakanda’s Vibranium-covered protector, the plot threads are getting thicker as we head into the big ramp up to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty — the first of the new crop of Avengers movies.
What is the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Fantastic Four connection?
Slated for February 14, 2025, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Fantastic Four movie is the beginning of Phase Six (yes that’s right, Six), moving fast into the new Avengers projects, with Avengers: Secret Wars rounding off the Phase and the Multiverse Saga. So that’s where we’re eventually headed — and Kevin Feige has big (absolutely insane, to be honest) plans for Avengers 5 and Avengers 6 — including using the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four to center the upcoming MCU story, come Phase Six.
So how does Quantumania tie into the Fantastic Four?
This latest reveal comes directly from the mid-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Again, spoilers inbound!
When the Council of Kangs is shown gathering in their epic fortress of Kang-itude, it’s made very clear to the eagle-eyed viewer that the portal being used to transport the Kang variants from across the Multiverse into that same meeting spot — is exactly the same as the one that Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic (John Krasinski) used in the Illuminati scene, when he first meets Doctor Strange/Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch)!
The effect overall is instantly recognizable — as a big square of blue light splits vertically before closing in a “line”, teleporting an individual from a different place — and now likely confirmed, a different universe. It’s a very slick, refined technology that is almost definitely a deliberate move on Marvel Studios’ part. The similarities are absolutely striking. Interestingly, it’s the same blue light that’s seen when America Chavez creates her star-shaped portals — although hers are a touch more chaotic and uncontrollable that the calm, refined tech that Reed Richards (and Kang) use. Could this be that Doctor Doom tech confirmed, as we suspected before?
Re-watch the Reed Richards scene in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) here:
On top of all this, the scene also reveals the Egyptian Pharaoh, Rama-Tut as a key variant of Kang, who also has a huge Fantastic Four connection.
What does this reveal about the upcoming Fantastic Four movie and MCU future?
Now that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige has allegedly planned so far ahead into the future that Phase Seven is in the works, this connection is basically undeniable. This sort of Multiverse-traversing technology could absolutely indicate that Reed Richards in the Doctor Strange scene was being a bit of a hypocrite himself — as he was likely travelling the Multiverse and possibly engaging with other variants of himself — in what is termed in the Marvel Comics as the “Council of Reeds”. This Interdimensional Council of Reeds is much like the Council of Kangs, except this is a grouping of multiple Smartest (Men) Alive trying to presumably do good.
Overall though, a bit rich coming from a man lecturing another about the dangers of travelling the Multiverse.
How does Kang the Conqueror variant, Rama-Tut, tie into Fantastic Four?
Now that the Avengers have been deemed problems by the Council of Kangs, more meddling is likely set to happen down the road. And that includes the Egyptian Pharaoh, Rama-Tut himself, who is rumored to be a villain in Fantastic Four.
Why? Well, Nathaniel Richards (Reed Richards’ father) in the Marvel Comics was a time-traveler who eventually becomes Rama-Tut himself, after embracing his inevitable transformation into Kang the Conqueror. (He might have had a stint as the superhero Iron Lad too, but that’s not super relevant… at the moment). He’s a fairly well known villain who has fought both the Fantastic Four and the Avengers before!
Overall, this brand-new information absolutely sets the wheels in motion for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, as well as the conflict that will inevitably come as a result of all these little events causing huge butterfly effect ripples into the future. With the included tease of Loki (2021) Season 2 in the post-credit scene with another Kang variant, Victor Timely, there’s lots for Marvel fans to be hyped about regarding the MCU’s future.
What do you think about this subtle Fantastic Four secret in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania director Peyton Reed promises pint-sized fun for the whole family on a massive scale, starring Ant-Man/Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), along with partner Hope van Dyne/Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), original Ant-Man and mentor Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), wife and original Wasp, Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) — pushed to their limits by Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) in this new Phase Five kick-off set in the Quantum Realm. Scott Lang’s daughter, Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), also joins the fray, fighting for their livelihoods and others.
We will see more from the MCU’s Phase Five come Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 by director James Gunn releasing May 5, 2023, and Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), as well as Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) in The Marvels, recently moved to November 10, 2023. On Disney+, Secret Invasion makes its debut early 2023, starring the enigmatic Samuel L. Jackson as Director Nick Fury.