Ant-Man and the Wasp's mysterious villain may have a deeper connection to the eponymous characters than the trailers have led on. Considering her Marvel Cinematic Universe origin, the Ant-Man franchise's primary theme and a recent comment by star Laurence Fishburne, we think Ghost could be the daughter of Bill Foster and Hank Pym's wife Janet van Dyne.

At the Hollywood premiere of the film, Fishburne had something interesting to say about his character Bill Foster's relationship with Ghost. “I have this sort of surrogate daughter, this character called Ghost, played by Hannah John-Kamen, who is incredible,” he revealed. “We have a sort of father/daughter thing going on.”

However, so far as we know, Ghost first appeared during the events that kick off Ant-Man and the Wasp. "I actually heard what happened to you! You opened up the Quantum Realm. That's when this crazy could-be Ghost -- who, like, walks through walls and stuff -- stole your tech," Luis recounts in the film's second trailer. "Now she wants to take over the world or whatever."

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The main takeaway here is that Ghost's arrival coincided with the opening of the Quantum Realm. This could be a coincidence, but coincidences rarely happen in fiction, especially MCU films. It's very possible, then, that Ghost has existed in the Quantum Realm all along, using Pym's search for Janet as a way out. If that's the case -- and it seems likely that it is -- Foster has not had a very long time to develop such a relationship with Ghost. This could indicate they have an immediate connection, and what better way to connect two strangers than to reveal one is the long-lost daughter of the other?

Should Ghost hail from the Quantum realm, her situation poses one big question: how did she get there in the first place? Well, if Janet was pregnant with her when she went subatomic, Ghost would have been born there. Janet originally entered the Quantum Realm in 1987, during a mission to disable a Soviet Missile. John-Kamen was also born in the late 80s; as such, her character is probably roughly the same age, which means Ghost could have been born that year or shortly after. Per the posters for the film, Janet aged normally during her time in the Quantum Realm, which means any potential child she could have had would also age normally.

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Of course, John-Kamen's Ghost doesn't look much like Hank Pym (though she does have Janet's cheekbones). If she is indeed Janet's daughter, she would have a different father, implying she was born out of an affair. Seeing as Foster was Pym's partner back in the day, Janet and Bill would have known each other, and perhaps even developed a romantic relationship.

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Per 2015's Ant-Man, Pym has a proclivity towards being cold and distant. This put a massive strain on his relationship with Hope; the father-daughter duo feuded for years and worked together only begrudgingly to bring down Darren Cross, aka Yellowjacket. It stands to reason, then, that Pym could have had a similar attitude towards Janet during their heyday. Such an attitude could have driven Janet to seek comfort from Bill, sparking an affair. This would certainly explain why Foster and Pym ultimately had a falling out.

“I play a character called Bill Foster, who is a colleague and sort of a foil for Michael Douglas’ character, Hank Pym,” Fishburne teased at the Hollywood premiere. “They worked together and things didn’t go very well and now they sort of have a contentious relationship. Yeah, like that. They both think they’re the smartest guy in the room.”

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An affair between Janet and Bill would certainly put a damper on Bill's partnership with Hank, which would also explain why Hank didn't turn to Bill in Ant-Man. However, it may not have impacted the way Hank saw his late wife: "Don't speak ill of the dead," as the saying goes. Her heroic death could have caused him to look fondly on their history -- and perhaps even idealize it -- despite her mistakes and flaws. He certainly would never have demonized her to his daughter, who lost her mother at the tender age of seven.

What's more, director Peyton Reed hinted that the villain of the film has a "unique" connection to the characters, which suggests it's not one viewers would immediately guess. If Ghost is the daughter of Bill Foster and Janet van Dyne, her circumstance certainly fits the bill. "The big mission is to find Janet. What that means, ultimately, for our characters on a personal level is one thing and what it means for the larger world is another thing," Reed explained to ScreenRant. "And all the other things are really stumbling blocks on the path. There is a big bad that has a very unique relationship to our characters."

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We must also remember the primary theme of the Ant-Man franchise, which separates it from Marvel's other properties. The first film is considered by many to be the MCU's first "family" film, in that it explores the dynamic between two families: the Langs and the Pyms. Ant-Man and the Wasp seems to continue that trend, with Scott Lang spending time with his daughter Cassie and Hank and Hope teaming up to find Janet. It makes sense, then, that the villain would have similar familial connections in the film. Plus, should Ghost be the daughter of Janet van Dyne, the conflict would become even more poignant.

With just under a week until its release, Ant-Man and the Wasp promises to surprise MCU fans worldwide -- and one of those surprises may be that Ghost has a deeper connection to the Pyms than they ever could have realized. If she is indeed the daughter of Janet van Dyne and Bill Foster, that would make her Hope's half-sister, creating a new challenge for the film's insect-themed heroes and bringing the franchise's major theme full circle.


Directed by Peyton Reed, 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. The film arrives in theaters on July 6.