Almost a year ago, Michael Douglas (Hank Pym) told Entertainment Weekly that, in regards to the story for Ant-Man, “a tragic personal accident happened with my wife.” The “my wife” here is, of course, Janet Van Dyne — whose superhero alter ego is the Wasp. Douglas’ admission of the character’s death seemed to confirm her absence from the project entirely. Perhaps the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even.
Now that Marvel’s embargoes are lifting, however, numerous movie and comic book blogs are posting articles about their visits to the set. One of the more interesting tidbits comes from Collider’s interview with Kevin Feige. When prompted about whether or not Wasp factors into the story, Feige basically said “yes”:
We will see Janet Van Dyne in action in this film. And part of sort of what happened to her. And then we will understand why that is the reason that he doesn’t want his daughter to follow in those footsteps. One of the reasons why he’s always so upset about superheroes in general, dismissive of them in general and also a reason why he doesn’t want her to put on the suit.
Wait, so what happens to Janet? Presumably an accident related to the technology behind the Ant-Man and Wasp suits:
We only see Janet when she’s in the helmet. She’s in the outfit. So you just sort of see eyes.
Feige goes on to explain that, despite Pym’s feelings of unease, “there are things that we see towards the end of the film that indicate [Hope Van Dyne] could get one of her own.”
Add to that /Film’s set visit, during which Evangeline Lilly (Hope Van Dyne) was asked point blank whether or not she was, or would become, the Wasp:
Lilly wouldn’t say if Hope becomes the Wasp by the end of the film, but she said that “Marvel made her physically capable” and that “almost” all of her action was based in reality, not on green screen. She didn’t say “all” of it. But she did say she signed a multi-picture deal.
If you’re any good at reading tea leaves (full disclosure: I don’t drink tea), then you’ve probably noticed a pattern. A series of narrative connections between what happens to Janet, Hank’s distrust of the suit (and superheros as a concept), and his fatherly worries for Hope’s safety. Especially when you take into account the fact that Pym particle technology isn’t necessarily good for you. As /Film points out, “The reason Hank gave up being Ant-Man is the constant shrinking and growing isn’t good for the human body and it has messed him up.”
So what does this all mean? From the mouth of Feige himself, the Wasp is definitely in Ant-Man. Whether or not Hope adopts her mother’s mantle remains to be seen, but early indications are — maybe.
