Credit: Marvel StudiosA not-so-super superhero in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)?
Marvel has always been one to be creative with their superpowers. While there are still generically superpowered heroes like Captain America or Captain Marvel, characters like Spider-Man or Daredevil brought new powers to the comics and subsequently to the screen. It may be that creativity caused some confusion in early screenings of Quantumania, which caused one hero to be just a bit less super than before.
In the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s a fine line between science and magic. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) even mentions that fact, saying that in Asgard, they are one and the same. Many of the superheroes in Marvel actually gain their powers through science, as opposed to supernatural methods: Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Spider-Man/Peter Parker (Tom Holland), and many, many others, among whom is Ant-Man/Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and the Ant-Family.
The entire Ant-Man franchise centers around ordinary people who utilize technology developed by Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and his wife, Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer). In the latest offering, Quantumania, Hank (Douglas), Janet (Pfeiffer), and Scott (Rudd), along with Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), fall prey to that technology as they are each transported to the subatomic Quantum Realm, where a villainous, and vengeful Kang (Jonathan Majors) awaits them.
It takes every bit of courage, determination, and no small amount of that tech to defeat Kang (Majors), plus the help of a scrappy band of rebels, and even then, the crew almost didn’t make it out in one piece! They might have had an easier go of things had one member of their team been allowed to retain her powers which were showcased in Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), powers which she actually gained in the very Quantum Realm in which they were now fighting.
Janet van Dyne (Pfeiffer) mentions in Ant-Man and the Wasp how she had been affected by the Quantum Realm and used her newfound powers to help Hank (Douglas) survive. According to new statements from Quantumania writer Jeff Loveness, audiences almost saw those powers return once again in the third installment. The Direct reporting on Lovness’ comments revealed that originally, Janet (Pfeiffer) not only used those same powers but also phasing powers similar to Ghost (Hannah Dominique E. John-Kamen) in an early draft of the story. So why were they cut?
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Loveness explains that, while an interesting part of the story, they were ultimately not necessary and confused test audiences too much, so they had to be left on the cutting room floor. As The Direct points out, this doesn’t rule out the possibility of Janet (Pfeiffer) using her powers to help The Avengers in the future. After all, one of the biggest threats of all time and space is yet to come, and audiences haven’t seen the last of Kang (Majors).
What do you think about this omission? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!