When it was revealed that Marvel Studios would finally be moving forward with their plans for an Ant-Man movie, one big question raised was whether or not the feature would also feature the live-action debut of Wasp – the shrinking, flying female superheroine who is married to Dr. Hank Pym a.k.a. Ant-Man in the comics. Over the last few years, the company has worked to keep a tight lid on whether or not the new character would appear, but now we can confirm that Wasp will in fact have a role to play in the upcoming Peyton Reed-directed blockbuster.
Late last year, I was invited along with a small group of other film reporters down to Atlanta, Georgia to visit the set of Ant-Man while it was still in production, and it was Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige who made the big reveal that we will see Wasp in action in the movie. Asked point blank if we would be getting to see the yellow-and-black clad superheroine in action in the feature, Feige explained not only that we do, but that the storyline has an important effect on the dynamic between the aged Dr. Hank Pym (played by Michael Douglas) and his daughter, Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly). Said the executive/producer,
It factors in in a number of spoilerish ways, but 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 [Hank] doesn’t want his daughter to follow in those footsteps.
Beyond that, Kevin Feige was vague about exactly what we can expect from Wasp in the movie, though he did note that we don’t actually get to see Janet Van Dyne’s face because it is hidden behind a helmet that is part of the outfit that she wears. That being said, her presence and existence will have a large effect throughout the film, as she is basically the reason why Hank Pym wants Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang to become Ant-Man instead of his very capable daughter. Feige explained,
Another very logical question in the movie is ‘Why are you hiring this ex-con to put on your suit and do this?’ The answer is because he has abilities in cracking security networks and in pulling off heists that nobody else has, which is really why he has to do it, but Hope is infinitely more capable of actually being a superhero in the beginning of this film, and we learn sort of, that’s ultimately when Hank reveals for the first time, to the audience and even the first time to Hope, what actually happened in the past, and why he’s so nervous about putting on that suit.
Does this mean that we can expect Evangeline Lilly’s Hope Van Dyne to eventually get a suit for herself as the new generation Wasp? Kevin Feige wouldn’t come right out and say it, but he did add,
There are things that we see towards the end of the film that indicate she could get one of her own.
Are you excited that we’ll soon finally see a live-action version of Wasp in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Hit the comments with your thoughts, and stay tuned for more of our coverage from the Ant-Man set!
