WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp, in theaters now.
Fans were left a bit disappointed when it was revealed Paul Rudd's Ant-Man, aka Scott Lang, didn't have a role in Avengers: Infinity War. Given the big part he played in Captain America: Civil War, fighting for Steve Roger's side and cementing his status as an Avenger (albeit a rogue one), many figured he'd be a shoo-in to stand alongside Earth's Mightiest Heroes once more when Thanos invaded.
Well, while that wasn't meant to be, there was some consolation gained knowing Scott would take part in Avengers 4. With Ant-Man and the Wasp set just before Infinity War, though, director Peyton Reed needed to accomplish a few things. The first thing he does is explain why Scott wasn't involved in the fight against the Mad Titan, as he's busy rescuing Janet Pym (Michelle Pfeiffer) from the Quantum Realm.
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Secondly, and more importantly, Reed cleverly uses this flick as a vehicle to set up Ant-Man's role in Avengers 4 when the fight resumes against Thanos and his galactic conquests.
Early on, we learn Scott took a plea deal following the events of Civil War. He's basically a fugitive after breaking the Sokovia Accords, but unlike most of Cap's other allies such as Black Widow and Falcon, Scott has a family, namely his daughter Cassie, to consider. That's why he cuts said deal, goes under house arrest, and isn't considered for duty when Thanos' forces come for the Infinity Stones.
However, the exact timeline of Reed's film and when it syncs up with Infinity War is clarified during the movie's game-changing post-credits scene. As Team Pym -- Hank (Michael Douglas), Janet and Hope (Evangeline Lilly) -- send Scott back into the Quantum Realm to harness its energy, he suddenly loses radio contact with them from within the microverse.
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As his distress calls unsuccessfully go out, the camera cuts to Scott's allies -- or, rather what remains of them. Instead of finding Scott's crew scrambling to help him out, we see everyone's ashes crumbling in the wind. That's right, the radio silence is due to Team Pym all dying thanks to Thanos' famous snap. But, even though it seems Scott is lost in the microverse, Reed creates an opening for him to appear in Avengers 4, and most importantly, with a few trump cards up his sleeve.
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Firstly, before Scott went back in, Janet warned him about time vortexes there, as this realm is a place where space and time fold onto each other. Now, this is very interesting because this means a trapped Scott could use a vortex to possibly time-travel and meet Doctor Strange.
He could also travel to the future (where we've seen the Avengers apparently time-hopping in set photos of Avengers 4, as well as a grown-up Cassie), or maybe back to the past (where he could bring Captain Marvel in from the '90s).
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Who knows -- maybe Scott exploring the concept of a time vortex could help rewind time before Thanos erased half of all life in the galaxy. Either way, the villain might have the Time Stone, but Scott now has access to time-travel too. Given that space can be bent here, Scott might just end up using a vortex as a portal into the present, linking up with his fellow heroes in the wake of the Mad Titan's assault, all in the hopes of trying to figure out a way to undo the death of Hank's family (made all the more intriguing by Hope's confirmed appearance in Avengers 4).
Secondly, now that we have clues as to how Scott can arrive in Avengers 4, Reed's movie also teases him having a bigger role than first assumed in terms of the impact he can make. In the post-credits, Scott's harvesting healing particles in the microverse to help a redeemed Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), so along with these, there may be other kinds of particles he finds there to use as weapons in a Round Two against Thanos.
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After all, Janet became a battery for quantum energy, "evolving and adapting" during her stay there. When Scott returns to the fold, whether it's as Ant-Man or Giant-Man, he may be even more superpowered than before, and reinvented as one of the biggest assets the Marvel Cinematic Universe has in its arsenal.
In theaters now, director Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man and The Wasp stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Tip “T.I.” Harris, Judy Greer, David Dastmalchian, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne, Hannah John-Kamen, Randall Park and Walton Goggins.