Why Scott's Storyline Makes No Sense In Ant-Man

"I need you to become the Ant-Man," implored Michael Douglas' Hank Pym character in the 2015 hit "Ant-Man." Based on the cult-favorite comic book character, "Ant-Man" starred Michael Douglas, Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lily, Corey Stoll, and Judy Greer. Earning an impressive 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, "Ant-Man" follows Scott Lang (Rudd), a recently released convict attempting to do right by his daughter. Unfortunately for Lang, it is hard to hold down a job as somebody who was sentenced for grand larceny, and as noted in the movie, "Baskin Robbins always finds out."

The plot of "Ant-Man" saw Hank Pym recruit the previously mentioned Lang in order to steal the prototype of the "Yellowjacket," an alternate and battle-ready version of the Ant-Man suit created by Darren Cross (Stoll). The movie ultimately culminates in an epic battle between Lang and Cross that involves hordes of different ants and a toy train set piece. However, there is one aspect of "Ant-Man" and Scott Lang's storyline that makes no sense.

The biggest issue fans might realize comes when Hank Pym and Scott Lang are discussing why Pym needs Lang. Lang asks why Pym doesn't simply don the Ant-Man costume, considering that he was the first to master the shrinking and growing art. Pym simply replies that using the suit "took a toll" on him and that he is unable to utilize the suit's power anymore. He also turns down Hope Van Dyne's (Evangeline Lily) request to take on the mission as opposed to Lang. It later comes out that Pym's reluctance to allow Hope to become a superhero stems from losing his wife (her mother) during a mission to stop a nuclear exchange in the 1980s. But what of the "taking its toll" line?

At one point during "Ant-Man," Pym explains that using shrinking technology has an adverse effect on the mind, something that Cross doesn't seem to realize. Pym mitigates this by using a special pressurized re-breather, but it may have only slowed the outcome, not necessarily prevented it. 

So, if this is a risk, why has Scott Lang continued to be Ant-Man, seemingly not worried about the potential side-effects? Even though Lang has yet to feel any negative impact from the suit, there might be some unintended consequences in the future. The "take its toll" comment as well as the Pym Particles being degenerative to the mind could be setting the groundwork for a problem that needs to be solved later. Pym's apprehension to allow Hope to don the Wasp costume could be so much more than just concern about repeating the same actions as her mother, Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer). His motivation has always been to rescue Janet from the Quantum Realm, and perhaps allowing both Hope and Lang to harness the power of Pym Particles is simply a means to justify the ends. Pym is a world-class scientist, and may just believe that any consequences could be dealt with later as they arise, or maybe his own mental state and fixation is a result of long-term exposure. 

Considering that "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" is on its way, we may get a chance to finally see this plot hole resolved. Marvel Studios often enjoys setting the groundwork for things that don't come to fruition until years later, so perhaps the original issues stemming from "Ant-Man" will finally be addressed.