Trailers for Avengers: Endgame. The Ant-Man threequel is set to officially begin Phase 5 of the MCU when it hits theaters in February 2023 and will introduce who will eventually be a saga-spanning villain. The details of Quantumania's plot are still shrouded in mystery, but it appears that Scott, Hope, Cassie, and the rest of the Pym Particle-powered crew will be involved in a conflict far exceeding the scope of the previous two Ant-Man adventures.
While they look similar, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Instead, He Who Remains founded the TVA in an effort to stop multiverse variants of himself from successfully conquering different realities. The man seen in Loki may have had unconventional and controversial methods, but he also had a noble goal, a trait unlikely to be shared by the more antagonistic versions of Kang that's in Quantumania.
Ant-Man Continues Encountering The MCU's Biggest Villains
Ant-Man is set to have a Phase-defining encounter with a major villain through his Kang-centric story in Quantumania, which continues the Endgame trend. Despite often being the smallest Avenger, Ant-Man had one of the biggest impacts on the battle against Thanos in Endgame. Though the disappearance of Hank Pym and the van Dynes resulted in Scott being temporarily trapped in the Quantum Realm, it also inspired Ant-Man's plan to kill Thanos and undo the damage done by the Infinity Stones.
Without Ant-Man's understanding of the Quantum Realm, Tony would never have refined his time travel research, the Infinity Stones wouldn't have been recovered, and those taken by the Soul Stone wouldn't have returned. This time, though, instead of coming at the end of the relevant Saga, Ant-Man's interactions (and assumed fights) with Kang will set the stage for what fans can expect from this master of space and time. Kang is among the Avengers' most powerful villains, and his role in Quantumania will be instrumental in bringing fans up to speed with why he's so dangerous. Whatever Ant-Man learns about the villain will likely be the foundation for the plan the Avengers eventually implement.
Ant-Man 3's Kang Meeting Makes Scott Lang's Death More Likely
Since Kang didn't make a proper appearance in the MCU's Phase 4, Marvel Studios will likely want to establish him as a threat with a meaningful display of power and violence. Unfortunately for Scott, that sets him up to be a potential casualty early in Phase 5. While Scott may survive his first encounter with Kang the Conqueror in the Quantum Realm, the Quantumania trailer hints at Ant-Man's death. In an intimidatingly calm monologue, Kang offers Scott "more time" in exchange for Ant-Man's help, implying that Scott is running out of it. Furthermore, a quick shot shows Ant-Man running past versions of himself as they're shredded to strips.
Other clips, such as those seen in the MCU's "Legacy of Ant-Man" trailer, add additional foreboding lines that may foreshadow Scott's demise. Kang says he knows "how [Ant-Man's reality] ends" and that Scott is "out of his league." While the Avengers will undoubtedly figure out a way to thwart Kang the Conqueror and save reality, there's uncertainty surrounding who may fall in the process. Whether Ant-Man lives or dies, it's clear that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is setting up an encounter between Scott and Kang that will affect several MCU phases to come.
