The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s next major crossover film, Avengers: Doomsday, is set to feature a massive ensemble cast. 32 actors from across Marvel’s on-screen history have already been confirmed to appear, and Disney is surely keeping a few cameos under wraps to surprise theatergoers come December. With this many characters involved, some are bound to be more important to the narrative than others, and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently hinted at the role that the MCU’s smallest hero will play.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Scott Lang, better known as the size-changing superhero Ant-Man, “will be more of an elder statesman” in Doomsday, “dealing with other newer characters.” That description marks a dramatic departure from the way in which previous MCU films have presented Ant-Man. While this news is promising for Scott’s character development, it also spells potential trouble for Ant-Man’s future in the MCU.
Ant-Man Has Always Stood Out From Other MCU Heroes
Ant-Man standing in the tubImage via Disney / Courtesy Everett Collection
Across his five main appearances in the MCU, Ant-Man has traditionally been depicted as an outsider. In his own film trilogy, he was the new Ant-Man, taking over the heroic mantle from an elderly Hank Pym. Hank and his daughter, Hope van Dyne, were already familiar with Pym Particles and the Quantum Realm, and they had connections to the wider MCU thanks to Hank’s time working for S.H.I.E.L.D. during the Cold War. Scott instead acted as an audience surrogate, providing a narrative reason for other characters to explain such topics.
CBR Exclusive · Quiz WHICH MARVEL CHARACTER ARE YOU? Your Powers Are About to Be Revealed The Marvel Universe is full of extraordinary people — genius billionaires, super-soldiers, sorcerers, and gods. Twenty questions stand between you and the truth. Answer honestly. Your true self will assemble.
Iron Man
Captain America
Black Widow
Thor
Spider-Man
01
You’re outnumbered and outgunned. What do you do? A hero’s instinct is defined in their darkest moment.
02
Your team disagrees with your plan. How do you handle it? Every Avenger has their own idea of teamwork.
03
What does your hero identity mean to you? The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.
04
How do you typically make big decisions? A hero’s process shapes their outcome.
05
Someone takes credit for your work in front of everyone. You: Pride is the armor and the weakness of every hero.
06
A government agency wants to oversee your activities. Your response? Accountability is the line every hero must face.
07
When facing a villain, your strategy is: Every fighter has a philosophy.
08
Your biggest personal flaw is: Every hero has a crack in the armor.
09
A rookie hero is overwhelmed on their first mission. You: How a hero mentors others reveals their character.
10
What drives you more than anything else? The “why” behind the hero is everything.
11
You’ve just suffered a crushing defeat. What’s next? A hero is measured by how they get back up.
12
You could end a threat permanently — but it crosses an ethical line. You: The hardest choices define a hero from a weapon.
13
What do you actually fear most? Even the mightiest hero has something to lose.
14
People who just met you would describe you as: First impressions carry a grain of truth.
15
What’s your ideal base of operations? Where a hero operates reveals how they think.
16
What does “being a hero” actually mean to you? The philosophy behind the power is the real definition.
17
What do you want to leave behind? The mark a hero leaves is their truest measure.
18
Someone you love is in danger. Your first move is: Crisis strips away everything but the truth.
19
Your power — where does it come from? Origin shapes destiny in the Marvel Universe.
20
The final battle. Everything is on the line. You: This is the moment that defines everything.
THE MARVEL UNIVERSE HAS SPOKEN YOUR HERO IDENTITY
Your scores are shown below. The character with the highest number is your match. Read their description to discover which hero the universe chose for you.
Iron Man
Cap. America
Black Widow
Thor
Spider-Man
Brilliant, driven, and uncompromising in your ambition. You believe that the right technology — in the right hands — can solve any problem, and you’re confident enough in your own abilities to back that up. Beneath the armor and the bravado, you carry the weight of responsibility deeply. When it truly matters, you’re willing to sacrifice everything.
Principled, courageous, and steadfast. You have an unshakeable sense of right and wrong, and no amount of pressure, politics, or power can make you compromise it. People trust you instinctively — not because you demand it, but because you’ve earned it. You lead not by authority but by example, and you will always get back up.
Strategic, precise, and formidably self-reliant. You don’t need a suit or a superpower — your greatest weapon is your mind and your nerve. You keep your cards close, trust slowly, and operate three steps ahead of everyone else. Your past is complicated, but you’ve turned it into something that makes you nearly impossible to stop.
Powerful, honorable, and ultimately humbled by what truly matters. You came into your power believing it was your birthright — and then you learned it had to be earned. Your strength is immense, but your greatest growth came from learning to serve rather than reign. Loyal to your people, terrifying to your enemies, and always magnificent.
Quick-witted, deeply compassionate, and driven by a responsibility you didn’t ask for. You’ve learned the hard way that great power comes with great cost — and you show up anyway. You stay grounded when others would ascend, and your humanity is your greatest strength. You make it look effortless. It never is.
Likewise, Captain America: Civil War presented Scott as an outsider to the Avengers. He did not participate in the airport battle out of personal loyalty or investment in the Sokovia Accords. Rather, he had been recruited, just like Peter Parker. Aside from his brief scuffle with Sam Wilson in the original Ant-Man film, Scott had never interacted with other heroes prior to Civil War. The film framed him as a Captain America superfan who was so ecstatic to meet Steve Rogers that he could hardly form a coherent sentence.
Unlike Sam and Wanda Maximoff, Scott did not stay by Steve’s side after the events of Civil War, instead serving his time under house arrest. Avengers: Endgame then pushed Scott’s status as an outsider to the extreme. Ant-Man and the Wasp‘s post-credits scene showed Scott stranded in the Quantum Zone after Hank and Hope were Blipped by Thanos, and in Endgame, he was freed thanks to a rat walking over the Quantum Tunnel’s controls.
Though Scott felt like he had only spent a few hours in the Quantum Zone, five years had passed. As a result, he knew nothing about Thanos, the Infinity Stones, the Blip, or anything else that had transpired in the meantime. The film reminded audiences that he was still not officially part of the Avengers when he went to their compound and found himself locked out. He even expected that Steve and Natasha Romanoff would not remember him despite having participated in the airport fight.
Avengers: Doomsday Will Complete Ant-Man’s Superhero Transformation
According to Feige, Scott will have a very different part to play in Doomsday‘s story. By the time of the next Avengers film, Scott will have become one of the established heroes he used to admire, an honor that he certainly deserves after his contributions to undoing Thanos’ massacre. His time lost in the Quantum Zone was a blessing in disguise, because it gave him the unique perspective needed to come up with the idea of using the Quantum Tunnel as a time machine.
Though it fell to Tony Stark and Bruce Banner to figure out the details of jumping between timelines, the original concept of the “time heist” was Scott’s plan. He also defeated a variant of Kang the Conqueror in Quantumania, further solidifying him as one of the MCU’s greatest heroes. Scott will now be able to welcome the likes of Shang-Chi and the Thunderbolts into the world of the Avengers, just as Steve once welcomed him.
Further, since fatherhood has been such an important aspect of Scott’s character up to this point, it is easy to imagine him becoming a mentor to Doomsday‘s younger characters. The post-credits scene of The Marvels teased that Scott’s daughter, Cassie Lang, would join Kamala Khan and Kate Bishop on a team of young heroes, which will presumably be a version of the Young Avengers or the Champions.
For all the intriguing story potential of Scott becoming “an elder statesman,” there is a downside to this character development. If Scott’s primary narrative function becomes one of mentorship, that likely means his time in a leading role is over. That would be a shame, because actor Paul Rudd’s mix of humor and genuine pathos made Scott an incredibly likable character, but Disney’s decision to sideline Ant-Man would make sense given the performance of his solo outings.
When comparing the box office revenue of MCU films, all three Ant-Man installments rank among the lower half, which is not true of any other multi-film series. Ant-Man and the Wasp performed the best, due in large part to post-Infinity War hype among fans, and it still only made $622 million. For comparison, Ant-Man and the Wasp was immediately followed by Captain Marvel, which made almost twice as much at the box office.
Financial success is far from the only mark of a good movie. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, for instance, underperformed despite positive reviews from critics and general audiences alike. However, reception to the Ant-Man films has ranged from middling to terrible. Quantumania sits at a 46% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is currently tied with Captain America: Brave New World for the lowest rating of any MCU film.
Ant-Man’s Future in the MCU Remains Uncertain
Ant-Man and Kang unmasked in Ant-Man and the Wasp: QuantumaniaImage via Disney / Courtesy the Everett Collection
The MCU’s take on Ant-Man has seemingly been cursed from the beginning. His film was originally planned as part of Phase 1, but it was delayed multiple times, first to make room for Iron Man 2 and later because director Edgar Wright prioritized personal projects. Wright eventually dropped out because of too much meddling from Marvel’s higher-ups, so Peyton Reed needed to step in to salvage the film.
The second and third installments went more smoothly behind the scenes, but they were not without obstacles, such as Quantumania being filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic. These issues, combined with some questionable creative decisions, prevented the Ant-Man trilogy from resonating with fans to the same extent as the Iron Man, Thor, or Captain America films. Even before Feige’s comment, a fourth Ant-Man seemed unlikely.
Scott’s reduced role in Doomsday also raises the worrying possibility that he could die. Despite the films’ uneven quality, Scott is beloved by fans, so his demise would be truly heart-wrenching for audiences. The MCU has already introduced a suitable replacement in the form of Cassie, who took up the superhero identity Stature in the comics. The MCU could also introduce Eric O’Grady, a less heroic version of Ant-Man who served on the Thunderbolts for a time.
Alternatively, it is possible that Scott will continue to make regular appearances in other characters’ stories. The Hulk has been a constant presence in the MCU despite not starring in a film since 2008, and Ant-Man could do the same. Rudd has famously maintained his youthful appearance over the years, which was even the source of a joke in Miss Marvel, so he could easily remain part of the MCU for decades to come.
