Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has a major responsibility when it comes to setting up Phase 5 and the next chapter of the Multiverse Saga, but the film cannot forget to follow through on the storylines of the two previous Ant-Man films. Ant-Man's corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has always been appropriately small, especially when compared to other major films with which it shares a franchise, but Quantumania aims to end this trend, introducing the Multiverse Saga's main villain, Kang the Conqueror, ahead of his appearance in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Nevertheless, Quantumania must also find the time to do justice to one forgotten Ant-Man and the Wasp character.
Ant-Man and the Wasp occurs during the events of Avengers: Infinity War, explaining where Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne were while Earth's Mightiest Heroes were battling the Mad Titan Thanos. During that time, they come across several new MCU characters, including Hannah John-Kamen's Ghost and her closest ally, Dr. Bill Foster, portrayed by Laurence Fishburne. Although Ghost and Dr. Foster work against Ant-Man and the Wasp for most of the film, they achieve redemption by the film's end, disappearing in the final act. While Ghost is confirmed to appear in the Thunderbolts film in 2024, the whereabouts of Fishburne's character remain completely unknown.
Quantumania Needs To Address Bill Foster's Whereabouts
Audiences will see several MCU villains return in Quantumania, including Darren Cross as MODOK, and Kang the Conqueror, a variant of Loki's He Who Remains. However, Bill Foster has not yet been confirmed for the film, making the mystery of his whereabouts after the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp even more mysterious. Five years have elapsed since Fishburne's sole MCU appearance and, in the franchise's timeline, that timespan is even greater thanks to the Blip, totaling a whopping seven years since Bill Foster was last seen. In that time, the character has not been mentioned even a single time, leaving his current status completely unknown.
While the MCU's new Thunderbolts lineup will include his close associate Ava Starr as one of its founding , Dr. Foster himself has not been confirmed for the 2024 film that will see the team form. As such, the best possibility of his coming return would be in Quantumania, especially given that he already has a connection to the film's main cast, especially Hank Pym. Even if his part in Quantumania is relegated to a simple cameo, a single appearance from Bill Foster would go a long way in reminding fans of who he is and what he has been up to for the past seven years.
Marvel Needs To Honor Goliath's Comics History
While Quantumania works to redeem certain Marvel characters like the Wasp, who have been lost in the cacophony of massive crossovers in the past, Goliath is one character from the comics who has been routinely ignored by the MCU. Bill Foster's comic book counterpart becomes a giant hero known as Goliath, who serves as an Avenger and close confidant of Captain America for some time prior to his tragic death during the Civil War storyline. While Foster's superhero alter-ego has yet to be featured in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Goliath cannot be ignored for much longer without audiences losing interest in seeing the character's superpowered transformation.
Although Marvel doesn't seem to have any intention of making Bill Foster the Goliath of the MCU, there is still a chance that a different version of the character could appear, who could play into the MCU's recent obsession with legacy heroes. In the comics, Bill Foster's nephew Tom takes over as Goliath after his uncle's death, doing his best to preserve the legacy of the fallen Avenger. This may be the MCU's preferred version of Goliath given Bill Foster's advanced age in the franchise. Regardless, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania must ensure that it honors the legacy of its forgotten hero, introducing its version of Goliath at long last.
