The Marvel Cinematic Universe has always managed to bring in an impressive ensemble of veteran actors to play some of Stan Lee’s most iconic characters. It’s not unusual to see all-time greats such as Robert Redford, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Bridges, William Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, and Ben Kingsley popping up in the MCU’s various storylines, but Michael Douglas appearing in Ant-Man introduced a new level of excitement. Not only was Douglas an Academy Award winner with an incredible filmography of classics, but he wasn’t simply popping in for a one-film arc as a villain or expositional character; he was tasked with playing Hank Pym, the first canonical character to inhabit the Ant-Man persona. After Douglas’ standout performance in the first film, many fans were desperate to see a prequel focused on Pym’s tenure as a hero during his younger days.

Part of the excitement about seeing a younger Hank Pym was due to the extraordinary digital de-aging techniques used to show Douglas in flashbacks. Digital de-aging has been a controversial technique in the film industry; while sometimes it can be highly effective in showing a character’s entire life (such as Robert De Niro in The Irishman), it can also lead to characters that simply feel awkwardly inserted (such as the creepy CGI Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett). However, Marvel has a pretty great track record with nailing the deaging effects, and the CGI used on Douglas is one of their more successful efforts.

A standalone Hank Pym adventure would seemingly have its story already laid out for it. In Peyton Reed’s first film, it’s established that Hank went on several covert missions in the 1980s alongside his wife Janet before her disappearance into the Quantum Realm. With Michelle Pfeiffer cast as Janet in the 2018 sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp, interest in seeing the two team up intensified. However, the notion of an Ant-Man prequel isn’t just a runaway fan theory; it’s one that some of the creative team has shown a genuine interest in.

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Official Comments on Peyton Reed's 'Ant-Man' Prequel

Michael Douglas De-aged in Ant Man
Image via Marvel Studios

Internet chatter on the notion of an Ant-Man prequel began before the first film even hit theaters. While it was before Reed had been officially signed on to direct Ant-Man and the Wasp, he expressed interest in doing both a prequel and sequel that would tie the Ant-Man saga together, teasing there was “a lot to tell” about Pym. While Reed may have just been expressing a general interest in the franchise at the time, he doubled down on his comments during the press interview cycle for Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Reed said that he loves “the glimpses that we see of Hank Pym in action, in the glory days. In both movies,” and that “I also know how much Michael loves to put on a suit.” While he mentioned that the questions about the franchise’s future are best left for Kevin Feige to answer, he teased some potential storylines that could involve a younger Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and Howard Stark (John Slattery). As for Douglas, he’s stated that he’s more than enthusiastic about the possibility. In 2018, Douglas said he’d like to see “Hank back to his prime age as the original Ant-Man,” and cited the digital deaging as a way to continue the flashbacks.

Is Now the Right Time For an 'Ant-Man' Prequel?

Hank Pym looking to his right in Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Image via Marvel Studios

While the MCU calendar has been set for both Phase Five and Phase Six, it’s not unusual to see adjustments in the schedule. The production issues surrounding Blade and the hiring of Yann Demage as a new director forced Marvel to push the release, and it’s possible that we may see subsequent seasons for several Disney+ projects. The future of the MCU following the “Multiverse Saga” remains unknown; while it’s almost guaranteed that we’ll be seeing how Feige wants to handle the future of the X-Men series, nothing else is known about what the universe will look like after Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Invasion.

It’s also worth noting that beyond Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Reed does not have any scheduled upcoming Marvel projects. Considering that he’s one of the rare filmmakers that Marvel has brought back to complete an entire trilogy, it seems likely that Reed would have more Marvel projects in his future. There’s a possibility of an Ant-Man 4 that will likely depend on the events of Quantumania and what they set up for the future of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly).

It’s also notable that the Ant-Man sub-franchise has not inspired that much content on Disney+, which has frequently spotlighted supporting characters from the MCU films with Loki, WandaVision, Hawkeye, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. While Marvel may not want to have another cinematic prequel after the somewhat divisive reaction to Black Widow, a series of Hank Pym adventures on Disney+ might be an option. Seeing episodic installments about some of Hank and Janet's early missions could be a fun way to explore their past during (suitably) small-scale adventures. Reed has had experience producing Disney+ content, having helmed multiple installments of The Mandalorian.

An 'Ant-Man' Prequel Could Leverage Digital De-Aging

Michael Douglas as Hank Pym in Avengers Endgame
Image via Marvel Studios

There are certainly endless possibilities for Hank and Janet storylines considering that they were the primary versions of the characters for many years in the comics. The obvious challenge that Marvel would face in greenlighting a prequel is the digital de-aging. Despite the strength of their past work, having Michael Douglas appear in the 1980s for a few flashbacks is much different than making him the lead of a film or series. However, Samuel L. Jackson played a major role in Captain Marvel as a younger Nick Fury, so the door is open for Marvel to experiment. Disney+ has also produced a number of animated shows that feature the same actors as the live-action characters, so perhaps animation is the best option for this story.

Whether a prequel movie, short, or series emerges from these talks, the notion of seeing a classical Ant-Man adventure is pretty exciting. Douglas and Pfeiffer have never treated the material as below them and have given terrific performances thus far, and it would be a shame if they weren’t given the opportunity to reprise them once more.

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