The Quantum Realm From Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania Explained
"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" will usher in a new era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, marking the start of Phase Five. The film's first trailer gave Marve fans a look at what's to come, including first looks at Kang the Conqueror, Cassie Lang, and the Quantum Realm.
The film follows Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) as he lives out his luxurious life after the events of "Avengers: Endgame." As a famous superhero, he's written a new book and has a podcast, but he still gets confused for Spider-Man. His daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) develops a new technology that ends up pulling herself, Scott, Hope (Evangeline Lilly), Hank (Michael Douglas), and Janet (Michelle Pfieffer) into the Quantum Realm. In this micro-universe, Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) reigns supreme and Janet, who spent 30 years down there, is noticeably afraid of him. "Quantumania" looks like it will take the "Ant-Man" series to a place it's never been before as the team fights against Kang and his forces.
That said, with every new movie and Disney+ show, the MCU grows more complex for casual moviegoers, and "Quantumania" is already set to be a confusing movie, granted its villain has so many different variants of himself. So, whether new to the MCU or need a quick refresher, here's a break down of the Quantum Realm that'll be the setting of "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."
The Quantum Realm is an entire subatomic universe
First introduced in "Ant-Man," Hank Pym mentions that his wife, Janet, shrank so small that she entered a Quantum Realm, trapped there without a way to return. At the movie's end, Scott briefly shrinks down to that size but manages to return to the real world.
In "Ant-Man and the Wasp," Hank travels there to the realm to save Janet, and fans get a better glimpse of the micro-universe, learning that it includes subatomic life forms and cities. The Quantum Realm is featured heavily in "Avengers: Endgame," as Earth's Mightiest Heroes learn to use tunnels found in there to time travel.
In the MCU, the Quantum Realm is another universe within the greater Multiverse, only reachable by using a spell, Pym Particles, or a Quantum Tunnel. Each method shrinks the user so small that they cross over into another universe. Marvel Studios based the Quantum Realm on Marvel Comics' Microverse, also requiring individuals to shrink down to crossover to the different dimension.
The Microverse first appeared in "Captain America Comics" #26 and included numerous planets, like Homeworld and Spartak. As shown in the "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" trailer, the film will introduce similar worlds or cities within the Quantum Realm.
While we don't know exactly what's planned for the Quantum Realm in the MCU, there's no shortage of comic inspiration to pull from to color Ant-Man's introduction to Kang the Conqueror.