It feels like a lifetime ago when the Avengers were just comprised of a billionaire, a god, a war veteran, and a big green guy, as in the time since, the superhero team has expanded to include literally dozens of characters with logic-defying suits and mutated genes. Though they’re two of the lowest-grossing movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Ant-Man films are two of the most fun and action-packed of the entire series.
The movies don’t get the credit they deserve, and the titular hero might be one of many characters who is smart-mouthed and full of witty banter, but his scenes are completely unique. Even outside of his own movies, Scott Lang steals the show in other MCU fills too.
The First Shrink
The origin story of Ant-Man is just one of the reasons why the first movie is better than the second, and the time he first puts on what he thinks is a motorbike outfit and hides in the bathtub is one of the most exquisite sequences in the entire MCU.
From the moment Scotty hits the trigger and shrinks for the first time, the scene is full of tiny, detailed moments, such as the bathtub cracking when he falls into it, trying to avoid getting squashed by footsteps in a club and hanging on to the grooves on a spinning record.
The Time Heist Plot
This might not be in costume as Ant-Man, but the idea of creating a time heist was all Scott’s, including coining the incredible name “time heist.”
From escaping the quantum realm to showing up at Black Widow’s office to convincing Tony Stark that time travel is possible, all linked with references to Back to the Future, Time Cop, et al, Scott’s ingenuity without the outfit is hilarious and incredible. It’s amazing that though the Ant-Man films are the lowest-grossing movies in the MCU, the character plays such a pivotal role in Endgame.
The Training Sequence
Besides getting smacked in the face by Hope, there are some steep learning curves to becoming Ant-Man. One of the many trademarks of the MCU, and superhero movies at large, are the training sequences, whether it’s learning how to operate a suit or taking control of a newly gained power.
Iron Man had one, Dr. Strange had one, and Ant-Man has arguably the best, and it’s all thanks to the effects. Between shrinking down to jump through a keyhole and inadvertently blasting out of the ground, Scott destroyed much of the Pym residence in the most fun way possible.
Fighting The Falcon
Adam McKay is used to creating wholly unique characters like Ron Burgundy and Ricky Bobby, he clearly had fun playing in somebody else’s sandbox, as he utilized the Falcon perfectly.
Though he initially seems like he was used in the movie because he was a lower-tiered Avenger who was available within Ant-Man’s budget, the back and forth between the two heroes is fantastic. And the way Ant-Man destroyed Falcon’s circuit box while apologizing is one of the funniest moments in the movie.
The Briefcase Fight
It’s amazing how director Peyton Reed was able to make such a tiny action sequence that literally takes place inside a briefcase look so big and spectacular, and it’s one of the first movie’s best action sequences.
The scene is full of lasers, and being set to “Plainsong” by The Cure is ingenious. One of the things that the movie does best during action scenes is cut long shots from the perspective of regular-sized human beings, which drastically changes the stakes and makes the fight look completely inconsequential. That’s accomplished perfectly here, as the briefcase falls from the sky casually and lands in a family’s back yard.
Child-Size
After Ant-Man grew to the size of a giant in Captain America: Civil War, the MCU didn’t hold back on playing with the sizes that Scott could grow and shrink to.
With the playfulness being one of the reasons why Ant-Man and the Wasp is one of the best MCU movies, the sequel features Scott stuck as the size of a child, and he must break into a school to retrieve his Ant-Man suit. Dressed in oversized clothes and trying to keep up with hope is Ant-Man’s funniest scene in the MCU.
Skating On Cars
The inventive action is one of the things we hope stays the same in Ant-Man 3, as the character’s adjustable size, big or small, can create whole new realms of possibilities.
This is shown best in Ant-Man and the Wasp, as Scott literally uses a flatbed truck as a scooter and he’s literally flicking enemies’ machine guns out of their hands. What makes it even better is that he’s tearing up the beautiful but hilly streets of San Francisco, and even destroys the famous Lombard Street.
Thomas The Train
Just like the fight in the briefcase, the final battle between Yellowjacket and Ant-Man in Cassie’s room is one of the most inventive fight scenes in the MCU, and it plays with perceptions brilliantly.
What’s so great is that the movie manages to make the toy train-set look like a real-life train thundering along on the rails as Ant-Man and Yellowjacket battle it out. And as Ant-Man runs through the rug like it’s tall grass, there has been so much thought put into the set design. But the biggest surprise of all comes when Thomas grows giant and blasts out of the side of the house.
Being Stuck In The Quantum Realm
As Ant-Man and the Wasp takes place alongside Avengers: Infinite War, audiences saw the post-credits scene coming before it even happened.
As Hank, Hope, and Janet all get snapped out of existence, Scott is left stuck in the quantum realm, and he’s cracking jokes the whole time until he realizes that he is actually stuck. It’s the biggest climax of an MCU movie and certainly the most heart-stopping post-credits scene of them all, and it looks beautiful too.
Giant Man
Joining Cap’s team might have been one of Ant-Man’s biggest mistakes, but the tiny hero was the MVP of Captain America: Civil War. From the moment he stole Cap’s shield from Spider-Man to when he grew to Giant Man, Scott stole the show.
When he grew as tall as the building, Scott’s jolly laugh as he held War Machine like a candy bar defined the character. Then, as Vision flies inside of him, and Spider-Man crawls over his head, it’s almost as if Ant-Man himself was the set piece of the action scene.
