Ant-Man and The Wasp Teaser Trailer Analysis

Although relatively brief, at 1 minute and 44 seconds, the teaser trailer for Marvel's Ant-Man and The Wasp packs a giant-size wallop, with the official debut of Evangeline Lilly's Hope van Dyne in her costumed identity, an exploration of the fallout from Captain America: Civil War, some inventive uses for Pym Particles, and, yes, the return of Giant-Man.

The sequel to 2015's Ant-Man sees Scott Lang and Michael Douglas reprise their roles as Scott Lang and Hank Pym, but the teaser also introduces Laurence Fishburne as Dr. Bill Foster and Hannah John-Kamen as the villainous Ghost. In between, it offers a peek into the Quantum Realm and drops some potential clues about the sequel's storyline. We call out some of the biggest elements below.

'When Cap Needed Help ...'

The events of 2016's Captain America: Civil War, unsurprisingly, loom large over the teaser trailer, not only because the blockbuster left ex-con Scott Lang a fugitive -- he and Steve Rogers' other allies were imprisoned at the Raft, and then broken out -- but because his actions had consequences for those around him.

We see Scott fitted with an ankle monitor, and placed on home confinement, as FBI agents search his home, presumably for contraband technology. "I do some dumb things," he laments, "and the people I love the most -- they pay the price."

Hank & Hope On the Run

Chief among those are Hank Pym and Hope van Dyne, who became fugitives themselves in the aftermath of Scott's arrest, presumably because of their continued work with the Pym Particles, and the existence of the Ant-Man suit. "Thanks to you, we had to run," Hope says, underscoring the fallout. "We're still running."

Clearly, however, the damage extends beyond any legal troubles, as the trailer opens with Scott asking Hope whether she'd have gone with him when Captain America called. "I guess we'll never know," she replies, adding, "But if you had, you'd never have been caught." Beyond that, director Peyton Reed teased just last month that Civil War provided filmmakers with a central question, regarding how Hank and Hope react to their technology being exposed to the world. We probably have a pretty good idea.

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Pym's Miniature, Mobile Lab

Ant-Man and The Wasp appears to be set to even more fun than the 2015 original when it comes to playing with size and scale. The first indication of that is when Hank Pym shrinks his entire lab to make it mobile, something rumored in October. Although the sequence is overlaid with Hope's comment that "We're still running," it isn't a flashback. That's Scott Lang standing on the sidewalk in his bathrobe and slippers, indicating the scene is very much set in the present.

Haunted By The Ghost

The figure in the lab appears to be the antagonist The Ghost, depicted as a man in comics, animation and video games. However, in Ant-Man and The Wasp, the role is played by Black Mirror actress Hannah John-Kamen. Originally an Iron Man foe, The Ghost is traditionally depicted as a genius programmer and engineer turned industrial saboteur. He wears a battlesuit of his own design that permits him to turn intangible and invisible, although not at the same time.

Presumably the film changes more than The Ghost's gender, which means audiences should expect a different backstory, as these initial glimpses of the supervillain may hint.

Laurence Fishburne Makes His MCU Debut

Acclaimed actor Laurence Fishburne, who plays Perry White in the DC Extended Universe, is briefly introduced here as Dr. Bill Foster, who in Marvel Comics history has been alternately known as Black Goliath, the second Giant-Man and Goliath. A brilliant biochemist who worked for Tony Stark, he was enlisted in the comic books to help find a cure for Hank Pym, who at the time was stuck at 10 feet in height. Once Hank was restored to normal size, Bill remained as his assistant, and later acquired the Pym Particles formula for himself, becoming first Black Goliath and then Giant-Man.

In Ant-Man and The Wasp, Fishburne's character is Hank's longtime friend and former assistant, but the teaser trailer may suggest he plays a role in The Ghost's origin -- even if it isn't a willing one.

Now THAT'S a Customized Van

Luis' 1972 Ford Ecoline played a central role in the original film, but for the sequel there's a serious van upgrade. Alas, not for Luis, but for Hope van Dyne and Hank Pym. We're not talking about a kicking sound system and heated leather seats, though; this ride has its own Pym Particles attachment -- complete with "Pym" logo -- that allows the van to shrink to the size of a Matchbox car and back again, resulting in what promises to be a memorable chase sequence, complete with car chase.

As we see later in the trailer, the back of the van is also decked out with an array of monitors, allowing Hank to observe Ant-Man and The Wasp in action without too much risk to his own safety.

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Make Room For Giant-Man!

As promised, Ant-Man and The Wasp also sees the return of Scott Lang as Giant-Man, as first seen in Captain America: Civil War. "I love the idea of Giant-Man," director Peyton Reed proclaimed in December. Although he's only glimpsed in the teaser, the super-size Scott certainly makes a splash, emerging from the water in what's undeniably an homage of Godzilla.

The Ghost Materializes

Hannah John-Kamen's The Ghost makes her full-fledged debut in this single shot, showcasing a costume that looks far more alien than the Ant-Man helmet. Fans actually got their first peek at the villain in late September, fighting The Wasp in photos leaked from the Atlanta set of the Marvel Studios sequel.

A Return to the Quantum Realm

The Microverse, or the Quantum Realm, plays a significant role in the film, as the efforts by Hank Pym and Hope van Dyne to rescue the first Wasp, Hope's mother Janet, from the alternate dimension will drive much of the story. As revealed in 2015's Ant-Man, Janet sacrificed herself decades earlier to disarm a Soviet missile, and became trapped there, presumably for eternity. Hank subsequently retired as a superhero and dedicated himself to researching the Quantum Realm, with little result.

It wasn't until Scott Lang's own journey into, and back out of, the Quantum Realm that Hank realized it's possible to retrieve someone from the dimension. “In Ant-Man and the Wasp, they are trying everything in their power to safely enter the Quantum Realm and return back from it because they have evidence from the first film that Scott Lang was able to do that," Evangeline Lilly said in November. "If he can do it, why can’t we? If we do succeed in Ant-Man and The Wasp, then that does open a whole entire new multi-verse to enter into and play around in. I’m not the story creator, so I can’t tell you what they’re going to do with that. But I definitely see the potential there.”

Make That The Wasp and Ant-Man

Evangeline Lilly's Hope van Dyne is the inarguable star of the teaser trailer -- so much so that Marvel might as well named the film The Wasp and Ant-Man. We certainly wouldn't complain if they did, especially considering the character's second-fiddle role in the original movie. It's certainly understandable why she's so much the focus of this first footage, as it marks her debut as The Wasp. Beyond that, though, she kicks ass, both figuratively and literally, demonstrating moves that Scott Lang never dreamed of.

Plus, she's equipped with wings and blasters, impressive accessories that Hank Pym clearly didn't trust in Scott's hands.

Hello, Kitty!

Although we already called out the film's more playful use of Pym Particles, we couldn't resist spotlighting the trailer's "stinger," in which The Wasp eliminates a pursuing motorcyclist by toss a Hello, Kitty Pez dispenser out the back door of the van and hitting it with Pym Particles, turning the adorable collectible into a human-size driving hazard. On the plus side, the candy it hides within is probably about the size of a hoagie.

Opening July 6, director Peyton Reed’s Ant-Man and the Wasp stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne, Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne, Judy Greer as Maggie, Bobby Canavale as Paxton, Michael Peña as Luis, T.I. as Dave, David Dastmalchian as Kurt, Walton Goggins as Sonny Burch, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, and Laurence Fishburne as Bill Foster.