Peyton Reed Offers Some Details About Bill Murray's Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania Character

Superhero fans have a lot to look forward to in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe installment "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." Not only is the film the hotly anticipated first segment of Phase 5 of the MCU, but fans will also, at long last, be able to acquaint themselves with the formidable Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) and maybe even learn what exactly "Quantumania" means.

But for a not insignificant contingent of viewers, perhaps those of a slightly older demographic, none of this is the most exciting part of Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and the Wasp's (Evangeline Lilly) next big screen adventure. Instead, that would be the induction of comedy legend Bill Murray into the MCU in an unspecified role.

Marvel films have become well known for having concealed plot developments that stay a secret until opening night, and there's no reason to think that "Quantumania" will be any different. But the film's director Peyton Reed has offered some new details on Murray's character and how he fits into the film's larger narrative, which Reed promises will be an epic saga in contrast with the "palate cleanser" that viewers might be expecting from the previous two installments in the "Ant-Man" franchise.

"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" director Peyton Reed sat down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss the upcoming movie, and naturally, the subject of Bill Murray's place in the cast of the film came up in the conversation. Reed went into intriguing detail about the nature of Murray's character and how he relates to the film's original Wasp, Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer): "Bill Murray plays a character from Janet van Dyne's past," Reed said, going on: "It's a crucial role. A big theme in this movie is the things that parents and kids don't say to each other, the secrets that they keep in families."

The filmmaker went on to draw a connection between the events of "Ant-Man and the Wasp" and the upcoming third film. "In the last movie, when Hank and Hope rescue Janet, Evangeline Lilly's character had this idea of: Oh, I'm going to be reunited with my mom, this is going to be great, we're going to talk about everything," said Reed. "But what happens if the other person, in this case Janet, puts up a wall and maybe is not comfortable talking about certain things and doesn't reveal certain things about her past?" Reed added: "As we know from great stories, you can put the past behind you, but the past will always find a way to show up again. Bill's character represents that in this movie."

We still don't know exactly who Murray is playing in the film, but fans will be able to see for themselves when "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" hits theaters on February 17, 2023.