Now that Daredevil has wrapped up filming, Marvel will be starting production soon on A.K.A. Jessica Jones. The series will be heavily based on the 2001 comic book series Alias, which followed Jessica’s career as a private investigator while still getting caught up in the superhero life she left behind. Aside from Krysten Ritter playing the titular character and Mike Colter playing Luke Cage, no other characters have been announced, but if we look to Alias for clues on where the show might go, there is a familiar name that pops up: Scott Lang, who as we all know will be played by Paul Rudd in Ant-Man. Does this mean that we could Scott appear on the Netflix series? It could certainly be an option.
Those familiar with the story arc already know that Scott and Jessica dated during Alias, as well as worked on several cases together. The relationship didn’t last long, and Jessica went on to marry Luke Cage and start a family. Considering Luke’s inclusion in the series, it’s possible these two will head in the same direction in the MCU, but that doesn’t mean that Jessica couldn't also get involved with another Marvel hero. As Comicbook.com points out, even if they’re not romantically involved, Scott and Jessica could still become a good ol’ fashioned superhero team for an episode or two. By throwing a newer Marvel film character into the mix, this could be a good opportunity to connect the Netflix side of things to the grander MCU. At the very least, fans would love it.
The main issue with Scott appearing is timing. No release date has been set for A.K.A. Jessica Jones, and since filming will be starting soon, it probably won’t come out until several months after Daredevil's release, at the earliest. Additionally, Ant-Man wrapped up filming earlier this month, so aside from any reshoots that might be scheduled, Rudd is done with the project. Marvel’s plans for the shrinking superhero are still a mystery, considering there’s no sequel planned for Ant-Man. It could be that Marvel is waiting to see how the film does before moving forward, but since all of the Phase 3 films have been announced, he wouldn’t appear on the big screen again until 2019 at the earliest.
On the TV side, production on A.K.A. Jessica Jones will likely be finished by the time Ant-Man hits theaters. Plus, Rudd also doesn’t have any projects currently scheduled besides the adult animated comedy Sausage Party, so Marvel could theoretically call him back to do a guest spot on A.K.A. Jessica Jones. All of these facts together lead me to believe that if Scott is to appear on her show, Marvel needs to make this decision within the next month or so. Additionally, they would also need to make sure that A.K.A. Jessica Jones is released after Ant-Man so they line up chronologically.
There are several other issues, such as whether the Netflix budget can afford to show Scott’s shrinking abilities on the show and how his appearance can work with the show’s story, but suffice it to say, if Marvel is looking for a way to include Paul Rudd in more Marvel projects, this would be a unique way of doing it.
