The ever-expanding content library of the MCU juggernaut might intimidate new fans or general audiences as to how to get into a newly released installment while keeping in touch with the previously established canon. Entering into its fifteenth year, the MCU has sprawled to its fifth phase of storytelling progression with thirty live-action movies and eight television series (canonical Disney + ones) connecting the world-building compactly. The third part of Marvel’s Ant-Man movie trilogy, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” is about to release worldwide, and understandably, it doesn’t seem plausible to watch every single one of those earlier releases to get the flow. Fortunately, the Ant-Man franchise has remained a bit more self-contained compared to other ones, even though the impact of its lore has influenced the overarching narrative of the MCU universe immensely. We will try our best to guide you through a comprehensive list of MCU content you should watch to get up to speed with the premise of the upcoming movie.
Spoilers Ahead
Ant-Man (2015)
Well, this one is a no-brainer. Since the first movie of the franchise is the origin story of the character, it becomes a must-watch by default. But there is a significant plot point that connects the movie with the third part of the trilogy (more on that later). The movie presents us with the everyman protagonist, ex-con Scott Lang, who is looking to straighten up his ways and gets a chance to do so after quantum physicist Hank Pym entrusts him to take on his mantle as Ant-Man. Hank Pym invented the revolutionary Pym particles that allowed objects to shrink or enlarge by manipulating their atomic distance and used them to create the Ant-Man suit, which allowed him to operate as a war hero for his country. After his former protégé, Darren Cross, replicates his invention to utilize it for nefarious means, an aging Hank needs someone to take up the moniker, and Scott turns out to be the perfect candidate as he pulls off a heist of a lifetime. Hank lost his wife, Janet Van Dyne, who operated alongside him, donning the Wasp moniker, during a mission when she decided to shrink to a subatomic level. This caused estrangement in the relationship between Hank and his daughter Hope, which by the end of the movie, got somewhat resolved. Scott had a loving relationship with his 8-year-old daughter Cassie and regretted not getting more chances to spend time with her, and this will be a theme that will be carried on to the third movie as well. The crucial plot point that connects this movie with the upcoming third part is Darren Cross, who created the Yellowjacket suit rivaling the Ant-Man tech and, wielding it, tried to take Cassie hostage by the end of the movie. Scott went subatomic to sabotage the Yellowjacket suit from within, which resulted in Cross imploding while wearing the suit. In “Quantumania,” we will see the old enemy return as, probably due to quantum energy’s effect or due to the supervillain Kang’s influence, Yellowjacket-clad Cross survived, got physically deformed, and turned into the classic Marvel villain M.O.D.O.K. At the end of the first movie, Scott is also recommended to Captain America by Sam Wilson to be recruited in an upcoming skirmish regarding the Sokovia Accords.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
“Civil War” showcased the ideological conflict between Captain America and Iron Man regarding the accountability of superpowered individuals and the necessity of governmental supervision over them. The existing Avengers split into two factions, favoring opposing perspectives and engaging in a skirmish. Thanks to his past experience (getting humiliated in battle) with Ant-Man, Falcon, aka Sam Wilson, recommends him to Captain America, and Scott fights alongside them. This results in Scott getting incarcerated, and later Cap breaks him out of prison. Later Scott plea bargains to live in the U.S.A. but has to remain under house arrest for two years.
Ant-Man And The Wasp (2018)
The first sequel to “Ant-Man” is pretty important to get into “Quantumania,” as the very setting of the latter was first glimpsed in “Ant-Man and the Wasp.” After witnessing Scott going into the quantum realm and reverting safely back to normalcy, Hank and Hope start speculating about a rescue mission for Janet, who, as we know, has been stuck in the quantum realm for over three decades. By the end of the movie, Hank safely rescues Janet, and en route, we get a view of the psychedelic, mystifying landscape of the quantum realm. A split-second shot also provides a tease of Chronopolis, which is going to be Kang’s abode in “Quantumania.” The post-credit sequence of the movie shows Hank, Janet, and Hope getting disintegrated—a direct result of Thanos using Infinity Stones to wipe out half of existence in “Avengers: Infinity War.” Meanwhile, Scott, who is inside the quantum realm at the moment, remains stuck there for five more years, up until the events of “Avengers: Endgame.” This is another crucial plot point that will prove vital for the upcoming installment.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
After escaping the quantum realm thanks to a rat messing with the control panel during the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” Scott is confronted with the shocking realization that most of the people he knew are long gone. He goes to Maggie’s (his ex-wife’s) house and finds out that Cassie is safe, but to his surprise, she is now a teenager. The father-daughter relationship has an emotional reunion as Scott realizes how much of Cassie’s life he has missed so far. Scott’s experience in the realm helps the rest of the Avengers come up with a plan to use the quantum realm to travel across various points of the time stream and retrieve all the infinity stones to undo the effect of Thanos’ snap. After they manage to do so, Hope, Janet, and Hank are restored to normalcy. Later he joins the Avengers in the battle of Earth against Thanos’ army, and in the aftermath of the battle – Scott and Hope are regarded as respected heroes. This changes Scott’s social position overnight, as suggested in the “Quantumania” trailer also.
Loki: Season One (2021)
The first season of the much-acclaimed Disney+ series “Loki” introduced us to the founder of Time Variance Authority and preserver of the sacred timeline—the first multiversal explorer Nathaniel Richards, or as he is popularly known—He Who Remains. In the final episode of “Loki,” Nathaniel recounts his experience to Loki and Sylvie, saying that he was among the first to discover the existence of the multiverse and that he made contact with alternate versions of himself. Later, when more nefarious variants of him, like Kang the Conqueror, tried to use the opportunity of multiverse exploration as a means to rule over existence, the multiverse war ensued. He Who Remains managed to contain the war by harnessing the power of Alioth, and in the process, he banished his other villainous variants. But after Sylvie murders He Who Remains, as per his past warnings, Kang’s uprising becomes inevitable.
