Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's release is nearing, and with it, audiences will finally get an in-depth look at the mysterious, dangerous world of the Quantum Realm. Though the Ant-Man series' main characters, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), have always been part of stories centered around the Quantum Realm, Quantumania opens up the dangers lurking in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's other dimensions, namely Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors). With Kang shaping up to be the MCU's new Big Bad, Quantumania isn't a film to miss. But the last audiences saw anything new with Scott and Hope was in 2019. So, for newcomers to the massive superhero franchise and longtime fans looking to brush up on the story, here's every MCU film to watch before Quantumania hits theaters.
Ant-Man Introduced Fans to Scott Lang
The film that started it all for Scott and Hope was 2015's Ant-Man, where down-on-his-luck ex-convict Scott crossed paths with Pym Particle inventor Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) on a burglary gone wrong. Desperate for a chance to redeem himself and have a life with his daughter Cassie again, Scott agrees to become the Ant-Man and foil Darren Cross' villainous plans to take over the world with his own version of Pym Particles and shrinking tech. Scott had a harrowing (though brief) journey into the Quantum Realm when he removed the regulator on his suit in order to shrink down beneath atoms and destroy Cross' suit from the inside out. It's a funny yet compelling origin story for the hero that introduced the dangerous Quantum Realm and the shrinking tech that makes Scott Ant-Man.
Captain America: Civil War Saw Scott Lang on the Wrong Side of the Law
Scott returned a year later in Captain America: Civil War when he joined Steve Rogers' (Chris Evans) side in the Sokovia Accords. He joins Steve and his team for the mid-movie airport battle in Germany, where he uses the Pym Particles in order to grow to a gargantuan size -- the first time he did so in the MCU. But because Scott violated the Sokovia Accords by using his suit and Pym tech, Scott finds himself in prison again and inadvertently puts Hope and her father, Hank, in danger of arrest. An overarching theme in Scott's story (and especially in Quantumania) is that he keeps finding himself in trouble that separates him from the people he loves, especially Cassie, and his decision to join "Team Cap" put a future with her and Hope in jeopardy.
Ant-Man and the Wasp Finally Gave Hope Her Heroic Moniker
Scott and Hope reunited in Ant-Man and the Wasp, where Hope finally debuts as the Wasp. Taking place directly after the divisive events of Civil War, Scott and Hope's paths cross out of necessity when Scott gets a dream vision from the Quantum Realm that features Hope's mother, Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer), who got lost in the Quantum Realm in the '80s, at the same time Hank and Hope are activating a Quantum Tunnel to bring her back. Hope and Scott learn to work together again in a series of rom-com-like shenanigans as they locate the last pieces for the Quantum Tunnel. But more importantly, Hank travels to the Quantum Realm and successfully brings back Janet, who now has special healing powers from absorbing quantum energy. Janet's decades trying to survive in the Quantum Realm are poised to be a significant plot point for Quantumania, so Ant-Man and the Wasp is a necessary watch.
Avengers: Endgame Made Scott Lang the Key to Saving the Universe
Ant-Man played a major role in Avengers: Endgame since he was one of the few heroes not dusted during the Blip. In the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp, he was collecting energy from the Quantum Realm when Hank, Janet and Hope got dusted, which meant he was stuck there for five years in the "real world" until a rat pressed a lever to pull him back through the Quantum Tunnel. His distorted experience of time gave him the idea of time traveling using the Quantum Realm to find all of the Infinity Stones and defeat Thanos once and for all, making him a well-known hero that the Quantumania trailer put on full display. Scott's complicated relationship with his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) in Quantumania is directly related to his absence from her formative years when he was trapped in the Quantum Realm.
Bonus: Loki Introduced the MCU's Next Big Threat
And if there's still time, it's worth watching the Loki Season 1 finale, "For All Time. Always." to see Jonathan Majors' turn as He Who Remains, a multiversal version of Kang the Conqueror. He Who Remains delivers an impressive monologue about the end of time and the whole multiverse shattering, making it an apt introduction to how the MCU's first supervillain Kang will change the whole landscape of the franchise. With the next phases of the MCU leading to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, fans won't want to miss his dramatic introduction in Loki and further villainous adventures in Quantumania.
Catch Scott and Hope's adventures in the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, in theaters Feb. 17.