Author: Brian Davids / Source: The Hollywood Reporter
[This story contains spoilers for Ant-Man and The Wasp]
Ant-Man and the Wasp is a heartwarming story of family and friendship, but its final moments see those themes wiped away with the snap of a finger.
After participating in the German airport battle in Captain America: Civil War, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is indebted to his estranged mentors, Dr.
Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly). Through the use of Pym tech, Scott violated the Sokovia Accords in Germany and jeopardized Hope and Hank’s freedom along with his own. Since Scott didn’t confer with Hope and Hank about his intent to help Captain America (Chris Evans) and was subsequently put under house arrest for two years, Scott greatly affected their working relationship as well as his personal relationship with Hope. Most importantly, it complicated the renewed effort to rescue Hope’s mother and Hank’s wife, Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), from the Quantum Realm. To help Hope and Hank rescue Janet, Scott –– with three days left under house arrest –– must risk further separation from his daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson), their blended family (Judy Greer, Bobby Cannavale) and his friends/business partners (Michael Pena, David Dastmalchian, Tip Harris).Thanks to the united efforts of friends and family, the film successfully (and tearfully) reunites Janet van Dyne with Hank and Hope after three decades apart, and sets Scott free of house arrest so he can be a better father to his daughter. In addition to reuniting existing families, it also forms new families, such as Bill Foster (Laurence Fishburne) serving as a surrogate father to the film’s primary antagonist, Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen). Plus, Scott could finally enjoy his rummage sale desk alongside his X-Con Security brethren as business was booming thanks to their newsworthy achievement in stopping Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins), who wanted to sell Hank’s portable lab to a group of “dangerous” buyers. (Perhaps, one of Burch’s mystery buyers is the high-value security client that Luis chased throughout the movie and landed in the end?)
After Thanos’ snap separated half the universe from reality in Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel Studios delivered on its promise that Ant-Man and the Wasp would be the ultimate palate cleanser given the heaviness of the previous (yet timeline-succeeding) installment. Wasp movingly brought friends and family together –– before Infinity War could rip them apart in the near future.
But then the mid-credit stinger happened.
While Scott is harvesting quantum healing particles in the Quantum Realm for Ava’s sake, Scott is no longer able to communicate with Hope, Janet and Hank on the other side. Countless audiences must have shouted, “No!” once they quickly realized why Scott was unable to communicate with them any longer. The scene concludes by showing the floating ashes of Hope, Janet and Hank while Scott remains trapped in the Quantum Realm.
What was supposed to be a palate cleanser for Infinity War left audiences with an all-too-familiar feeling from April and May. The bigger problem is that this post-credit scene severely undermines the preceding two-hour story about family and friends coming together — especially the 30-year reunion between Hank, Hope and Janet. It’s one thing to disappear Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and…
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