Ant-Man 3: The Wild Theory That Points To The Infinity Stones In Quantumania

Much like Terrence Howard's presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Infinity Stones were a one-time thing. As revealed in "Avengers: Endgame," the original Thanos (Josh Brolin) revealed to the undusted Avengers that after a snap was made, those universe-altering multi-colored nuggets would disintegrate, "reduced to atoms" once the wielder's wish was granted. 

This explains why Cap (Chris Evans), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), and company were forced to perform a time heist to retrieve the stones in the past and undo everything that the mad titan had wrought upon the universe. It turns out, however, that following a fan theory that has been circling the interwebs, they might not have needed to move through time but could've simply taken a quick trip over to another dimension, if Scott Lang's recent adventure suggests anything.

During Scott Lang's unexpected family trip into The Quantum Realm in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania," our master of multi-legged creatures comes across some locals in this teeny-tiny dimension. Varying in shape, size, and substance, one standout group is a band of crystal monk-like creatures. While they aren't seen speaking (they don't have faces), they do share a remarkable resemblance to the stones in question and are color-coded in the same fashion as the Infinity Stones from the MCU. The stones have been reduced to atoms after all, and they may have even gained sentience in the process.

While there are lots of theories floating around regarding Ant-Man's last adventure (including Kang making a comeback as The Beyonder), one that still has yet to be confirmed by the Marvel big wigs is if these little rock-and-robed strangers are the atomized versions of the Infinity Stones. It wouldn't be a huge step for Marvel to do such a thing, particularly in the comics the franchise has spawned from. In a world where Thor rubs shoulder to stone shoulder with a rock monster and the Guardians have been backed by a giant walking tree, a squad of stones that changed the universe finding life in peace seems totally plausible.

It would also line up with their level of importance now, given that "Loki" depicted them as nothing more than paperweights in a TVA office drawer. The balance of power has shifted somewhat and it's no longer putting the stones at the top of the table. If that really is the case, then having them as CGI background stars seems perfectly fitting. Our only guess now is what the next big McGuffin will be — and will "Ant-Man 5" see them return to the fold as parking attendants in yet another dimension?