Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will be the springboard for Phase 5 in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, set to position Paul Rudd's Scott Lang up against Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror. There has been a lot of talk from Majors about what we can expect from his portrayal of the multiversal menace, but now, Rudd has teased what to expect from the showdown between the smallest Avenger and the Man Beyond Time.
Speaking with Total Film in their latest issue, where they showcased a new image of Majors as Kang, Rudd explained the sheer scale of the challenge Scott will face as he journeys to the Quantum Realm and finds himself face to face with a man to whom the rules of time and space do not seem to apply.
He’s a formidable foe – the understatement of the century. Scott’s never faced anybody like this. He’s Kang the Conqueror! Thanos is obviously the closest but, yeah, he doesn’t have any of the other [Avengers] gang with him. How do you go about stopping somebody like that? It’s not easy. Whether or not Scott is even successful people will see… but I think that hopefully the emotion, and wanting to do what he’s trying to do, makes sense to an audience. Hopefully they’ll be rooting for me.
This is destined to be a clash of styles, just in terms of superheroic ability, but personalities too. Rudd brings his natural comedic energy to the easygoing nature of Scott Lang, which has previously made the Ant-Man franchise seem like the frothy dessert to the meaty main courses that the Avengers films have brought to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This clash is something not lost on Rudd, or indeed Majors, who had words of warning to let audiences know that Kang, a methodical thinker, and the most intelligent of the foes he has faced so far, will not sanction Lang's buffoonery for very long.
"I mean, he’s hyper-intelligent – it’s one of the superpowers," says Majors. "His brain function is just greater than even the smart guys. He’s on that level. And the gravitas is a necessity. It’s Kang against the world, isn’t it? At least that’s his point of view. There’s no frivolity. Kang himself is very economical. He understands energy, he understands time, he understands what is needed to survive. He doesn’t suffer fools. Which is interesting because not to say anything pejorative about Ant-Man, but Ant-Man is a jokester. He’s a funny guy. And now you’ve got Scott Lang going up against Kang the Conqueror, who does not joke. He does have a sense of humor. And you’ll discover that. But he does not joke."
You can check out the latest trailer for Quantumania down below. The movie opens on February 17 exclusively in theaters.