In 1989, scientist Hank Pym resigns from S.H.I.E.L.D.

after discovering that they attempted to

replicate his Ant-Man shrinking technology. Believing the technology is dangerous, Pym vows to hide
it as long as he lives. In the present day, Pym's estranged daughter, Hope van Dyne, and former
protg,Darren Cross, have forced him out of his own company. Cross is close to perfecting a
shrinking suit of his own, the Yellowjacket, which horrifies Pym.
Upon his release from prison, well-meaning thief Scott Lang moves in with his old cellmate, Luis.
Lang's ex-wife, Maggieengaged to policeman Paxtonagrees to let Lang see his
daughter Cassie if he provides child support. Unable to hold a job due to his criminal record, Lang
agrees to join Luis' crew and commit a burglary for money. Lang breaks into a house and cracks its
safe, but only finds what he believes to be an old motorcycle suit, which he takes home. After trying
the suit on, Lang accidentally shrinks himself to the size of an insect. Terrified by the experience, he
returns the suit to the house, but is arrested on the way out. Pym, the homeowner, visits Lang in jail
and smuggles the suit into his cell to help him break out.
At his home, Pym, who manipulated Lang through Luis into stealing the suit as a test, wants Lang to
become the new Ant-Man to steal the Yellowjacket from Cross. Van Dyne, who has been spying on
Cross for Pym despite her strained relationship with her father, helps Pym train Lang to fight and to
control ants. They send him to steal a device from theAvengers' headquarters, where he briefly
fights Sam Wilson. While van Dyne still shows anger towards Pym about her mother Janet's death,
he reveals that Janet, known as the Wasp, disappeared into a subatomic quantum realm to disable a
Russian nuclear missile. Pym warns Lang that he could suffer a similar fate if he overrides his suit's
safeguards.
Cross perfects the Yellowjacket and invites Pym to the unveiling ceremony. Lang, along with his crew
and a swarm of flying ants, infiltrates the building during the event, sabotages the servers, and
plants explosives. When he attempts to steal the Yellowjacket, he is trapped by Cross, who intends
to sell both the Yellowjacket and Ant-Man suits to Hydra, led by Mitchell Carson. Lang breaks free
and defeats most of the Hydra agents, though Carson is able to flee with a vial of Cross' particles.
Lang pursues Cross as he escapes, while the explosives detonate, vaporizing the building.
Cross dons the Yellowjacket and fights Lang before Lang is arrested by Paxton. His mind addled by
the imperfect shrinking technology, Cross holds Cassie hostage to lure Lang into another fight; this
time, Lang shrinks to subatomic size to penetrate Cross' suit and sabotage it to shrink uncontrollably,
killing Cross. Lang disappears into the quantum realm but manages to reverse the suit's mechanism
and return to the real world. In gratitude for Lang's heroism, Paxton covers for Lang to keep him out
of prison. Seeing that Lang survived and returned from the quantum realm, Pym wonders if his wife
is alive as well. Later, Lang meets up with Luis, who tells him that Wilson is looking for him.

In a mid-credits scene, Pym shows van Dyne a new Wasp prototype suit and offers it to her. In
a post-credits scene, Wilson and Steve Rogers have Bucky Barnes in their custody. Unable to
contact Tony Stark due to "the accords", Wilson mentions that he "know[s] a guy".

Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man:

A former systems engineer at VistaCorp and petty criminal, who acquires a suit that allows
him to shrink in size but increase in strength.[4][5][6][7][8] Regarding Rudd's casting, producer
Kevin Feige said, "Look at that origin of the petty crook who comes into contact with a suit
and does his best to make good, and then look at someone like Paul Rudd, who can do
slightly unsavory things like break into peoples houses and still be charming and who you
root for and whose redemption you will find satisfaction in." [5] On the character, Peyton
Reed said, "He's not used to being a hero. He's more like George Clooney['s
characterDanny Ocean] in Ocean's Eleven. Hes a guy trying to create a new life for himself
and find redemption." To get in shape for the role, Rudd worked with trainers and cut alcohol,
fried foods and carbohydrates out of his diet.[9] Rudd stated that in preparation for his role, he
"basically didnt eat anything for about a year ... I took the Chris Pratt approach to training for
an action movie. Eliminate anything fun for a year and then you can play a hero." [10] Rudd
signed a multi-film contract with Marvel, with Feige saying it was "three[ films]-plus-plus to
appear in other things."[2]

Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne:

The daughter of Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne and a senior board member of Pym
Technologies, who helps Darren Cross take over the company.[11][12][13][14][15] The film ends with
van Dyne taking up the mantle of Wasp from her mother.[16] Describing her character, Lilly
said, "I was raised by two superheroes. So, I'm a pretty screwed up human being. I am also
fairly capable, strong, and kick-ass, which is wonderful to play, but the most fun to play was
just how messed up she was from being raised by two superheroes. And the clear message
sent by my name is that I'm not a big fan of my father and so I took my mother's
name."[17] She added that van Dyne's "arc in the movie is trying to find a relationship" with
Pym.[9] Originally cast by Wright, Lilly was reluctant to take the role after he left the project
until she read the revised script and got a chance to meet with Reed. [13] Feige noted that van
Dyne was the more obvious choice to take up the mantle of Ant-Man, being "infinitely more
capable of actually being a superhero" than Lang, and that the reason she does not is
because of Pym's experience with losing her mother, rather than sexism, which Feige felt
would not be a problem for Pym in modern times. Subsequently, Feige stated that the film
would hint at van Dyne eventually taking up the identity of Wasp from her mother.[16] Lilly
signed a multi-film contract with Marvel.[18]

Corey Stoll as Darren Cross:

A former protg of Pym, who takes over Pym's company, militarizes a similar version of the
Ant-Man technology and creates the Yellowjacket suit.[12][14][19][20] Describing the suit, Stoll said,
"Darren Cross... has a suit that is sort of the next generation of Ant-Mans suit. It can do
everything that Ant-Man can do, but more. Its more badass, more militaristic, sleeker... sort
of like if Apple had designed a battle suit."[21] As for his character, Stoll said, "He is not a
villain in the vein of Thanos or Loki, who are villains that know it. [Cross] is a guy who is not
that dissimilar from Michael Douglas' character, Hank Pym. A brilliant scientist, who is not
ethically pure. I think a great thing about the whole movie is that everybody in this movie is in
those shades of gray a little bit."[22] Unlike Rudd, who wore a practical costume as Ant-Man,
Stoll wore a motion capture suit when performing as Yellowjacket. Reed explained that this
decision was made early on when creating and filming with a real Yellowjacket costume was
found to be impractical.[23]

Bobby Cannavale as Paxton:

A police officer[15][24][25] who is engaged to Lang's ex-wife Maggie.[26] Cannavale stated that Rudd
and McKay convinced him to join the film, saying, "They sort of pumped [my] part up a bit in
[their rewrite] and they both called me and said, 'You've got to do this.' They called me before
Marvel called. I really went on good faith because they're so secretive over there about the
script. I just trusted them." He also added that the process felt like an indie film instead of a
large-scale blockbuster, and that he was able to improvise frequently along with the other
actors.[26] Patrick Wilson was originally cast in the role[27] before leaving the film due to
scheduling conflicts brought on by the filming delay.[28]

Michael Pea as Luis:

Lang's former cellmate[24][25][29] and a member of his crew.[30] Pea stated that he modeled Luis'
vocal style and positive outlook on life "on a friend of a friend", saying, "That's just the way
he talks and the cadence. He's got this grin on the entire time and he doesn't care. He's the
kind of guy where you're like 'Hey, what'd you do this weekend?' and he's like 'I went to jail,
dawg,' with a smile on his face. Not a lot of people do that. Not a lot of people think of life on
those terms."[31]Pea signed a multi-film contract with Marvel for three films.[32]

Tip "T.I." Harris as Dave:[24][25]

A member of Lang's crew.[30] Harris stated that he had a "blank canvas" for the character,
adding that he "hadn't read the entire script" as he was not permitted to. He was "handed
scenes as the film [went] along, and when you do that, it's like a blank canvas, 'This is what
I'm going to do for this scene,' and you can remember previous performances and remain
consistent with that. The energy created by the ensemble you have around you, it

contributes to the outlook or the final view of what your character has become, and what he
meant to the story."[33]

Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon:

An Avenger who is a pararescueman trained by the military in aerial combat using a specially
designed wing pack.[34] On including Falcon, Reed said that it was not done just to include the
character, rather "[i]t served a plot point; a purpose in our story" and allowed them to
enhance Pea's "tip montages", which were written by production writers Gabriel Ferrari and
Andrew Barrer,[35] also adding Falcon "seemed like the right character not a marquee
character like Iron Man orThor, but the right level of hero."[36] Rudd and McKay decided to
include Falcon after watching Captain America: The Winter Soldier.[37]

Wood Harris as Gale:[24][25] A police officer and Paxton's partner.

Judy Greer as Maggie: Lang's estranged ex-wife.[24][25][38]

David Dastmalchian as Kurt:[24][25]

A member of Lang's crew.[30] Dastmalchian worked with actress Isidora Goreshter to learn
how to speak in his character's Russian accent. On his character, Dastmalchian said that he
"had this idea that Kurt was born and raised in a town even further out than Siberia and he
was just an amazing computer wizard who fell in with the wrong people. But he was
obsessed with two things: [Saturday Night Fever] and Elvis Presley, hence the polyester
shirts unbuttoned too far and the hair in that pompadour." He also expressed interest in
returning for a sequel.[39]

Michael Douglas as Hank Pym:

The original Ant-Man who is a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent,[40] entomologist and physicist, who
in 1963 discovered thesubatomic particles that make Ant-Man's transformation possible and
later mentors Lang to take over the role.[6][7][19][41]Douglas compared his decision to join a
superhero film to his role in Behind the Candelabra saying, "Sometimeslike [when] they
didn't see you for Liberaceyou've got to shake them up a little bit and have some
fun."[42] Describing Pym, Douglas said, "He's sort of a Northern California, formal guy. He's
lost control of his company. He lives in sort of a time warp. He was always a bit of a tinkerer.
He's got a lab, plus a lot of other stuff, in his basement that we find out about. He's certainly
bitter about what happened with his company and deeply scared of what the future might
holdbecause he himself, after having gotten small so many times, it's difficult. He looks
and tries to find a guy that he can work with and has the right characteristics, which is
[Scott]."[15] Douglas indicated that he would not be wearing the Ant-Man suit, saying, "My
costume will be hung up and Paul will be wearing it in good form."[43]

Additionally, John Slattery and Hayley Atwell reprise their roles

as Howard Stark and Peggy Carter, respectively, from previous
MCU media.[44][45] Slattery stated that his involvement in AntMan was "not that much more" than his participation inIron
Man 2, while Atwell described her appearance as being "more
of a cameo".[45][46] Abby Ryder Fortson portrays Cassie, the
daughter of Lang and Maggie,[2][16][47] Gregg Turkington appears
as Dale, the manager of a Baskin-Robbinsstore,[25][48]
[49]

and Martin Donovan plays Mitchell Carson, a former member

of S.H.I.E.L.D. who works for Hydra and looks to purchase the

Yellowjacket technology.[50][51] Garrett Morris, who had played
Ant-Man in a Saturday Night Live sketch, appears as a taxi
driver.[52] Ant-Man co-creator Stan Lee makes a cameo
appearance in the film as a bartender.[53][54] Chris
Evans and Sebastian Stan make uncredited appearances
during the post-credits scene as Steve Rogers / Captain
Americaand Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier, respectively.
[55]

Hayley Lovitt makes a nonspeaking cameo as Janet van

Dyne / Wasp.[56] Tom Kenny provides the voice of "Hideous

Rabbit", a children's plush toy.[57]
Sometimes lightweight isnt a pejorative. Ant-Man, the comics-based superhero movie thats
centered around one of the more arguably goofy Marvel Comics characters (first prize has to go to a
guy named Paste Pot Peteand dont ask) achieves its particular magic by keeping its proceedings
almost as weightless as its shrunken-down hero. The movie, directed byPeyton Reed (Down With
Love, Bring It On) and starring Paul Rudd, isnt exactly or entirely fluffy, but its pretty damn
agile, and as a result provides the most pure, uncomplicated fun, and even joy, of any Marvel picture
Ive seen.
The movie opens in 1989, with a digitally de-aged Michael Douglas strolling into an intelligencegathering fortress and facing down some powerful frenemies, among them Tony Starks dad (John
Slattery), a still-lovely-in-middle-age Peggy Carter (Agent Carter to Captain America and TV
fans) and new sneery dude Mitchell Carson (Martin Donovan). Douglas character, Hank Pym, has
a red vial containing something called the Pym particle, and SHIELD wants it, and Carsons pretty
insistent on the point. It doesnt end well. This appetizer of backstory sets up not only the narrative
for this picture, but serves as the equivalent of, um, nation building for the larger conceptual
continuity of the MCU, which will be providing the entirety of the United States entertainment
content, if all goes according to plan, by the year 2025.
The good news is that your enjoyment of this movie wont be reliant on your getting various in-jokes
and character references, even though there are a fair number of them. What the movie delivers for
most of its running time is a surprisingly disarming amalgam of The Incredible Shrinking Man and
Rififi by way of Brian De Palmas first Mission Impossible movie, except with Jules Dassins

goofball element thrown back in the mix. Short version: The Pym particle makes the tiny-butpowerful Ant-Man suit operable; in the present day Hanks too old to work it and too protective of
his steely daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) to permit her to put it on. So Hank elaborately recruits
newly-sprung-from-prison hacker/cat-burglar Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) for a job. Said job involves
putting a stop to megalomaniacal Darren Cross (a shiny-headed and deliberately-atrociouslyoutfitted Corey Stoll). Cross is an old protg of Pyms, a current employer of Hopes, and hes about
to make a multi-billion-dollar killing on a weaponized Yellowjacket suit that pilfers Pyms
technology.
The stakes are high here, but theyre not as grandiose as they are in most contemporary comic-bookbased movies, where the fate of the entire world if not the universe seems to be at stake every time.
Yeah, Cross IS a lunatic (messing with the sort of atom-manipulation that makes these suits work
can mess with your mind), and he does want to make an army of Yellowjackets, and his buyer,
represented by the aforementioned Mitchell Carson, is none other than an outfit called HYDRA. But
this movie doesnt need to destroy whole cities to get its job done. Savvy, wise-cracking Scott wants
to make it in the straight world so he can have more time with his daughter. The fact that his exwife now lives with a defensive cop (Bobby Cannavale) adds not just emotional dad-rival
complications, but some plot twists as well. And after Cross smells some kind of rat in his system (its
not a rat, incidentally, just a whole bunch of telepathically controlled ants), Scotts lovable
knucklehead criminal buddiesportrayed in varying shades of hilarity by Michael Pea, T.I.
and David Dastmalchianare obliged to get in on the action as well.
This is a lot of material for any movie to juggle, and its also competing with a crazy visual-effects
element; the different sizes of Ant-Man bring with them different worlds, and his interaction with
ants has a crazy pop-art surreality, like a pulp reiteration of Dalis imagery in The Persistence of
Memory and other insect-packed artworks. The script is credited to Edgar Wright and Joe
Cornish, and then to Rudd and Adam McKay. Wright was originally set to direct, and while Im not
one to play pick-the-authorial touches (especially after only one viewing), I suspect quite a few of the
visual gags in this picture originated with his contributions. In any event, the movie Reed has
directed offers a remarkably direct through-line; I kept waiting, in dread, for a flashback explaining
how the villain got that way, but it never came; instead, we find out what we need to know via
dialogue and action, which is very welcome. Despite the movies buoyancy, it manages to convey
Crosss villainy and its gravity with an appropriate tone. Its delightful and almost miraculous the
way this movie manages to work as a comic heist picture on a huge scale, and with a comic sciencefiction picture blended into itwhile managing to cohere to the whole, you know, Marvel thing. Even
the usually dreaded training-montage sequence manages to unfold like a compelling dance number.
Part of it has to do with the novelty of the trainingits not many movies that show its protagonist
attempting to leap through a keyhole, or get a group of ants to pile sugar cubes into a cup of teabut
its also the character work from Rudd, Lilly and Douglas. Also nifty is the size-matters humor the
movie works so deftly and unpredictablytheres an iPhone-centered joke in the middle of a
ridiculous (in a good way) climactic action sequence thats devilishly clever. As is customary with
Marvel films, Ant-Man has more than one endingmore than two, as it happens. My favorite was
the second one, which will probably please thinkpiece writers and/or Evangeline Lilly fans, so Im
sure youll hear about it soon. As for myself, I found myself grinning a bit at the final promise AntMan Will Return.

Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott
Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret
behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against
seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will
save the world.
Scott Lang, an engineer who committed a crime he felt that was justified, is sent to prison.
When he gets out he wants to be on the straight and narrow but having a record doesn't
help. Eventually his friend tells him of a job and he decides to take it. Scott has to break
into a vault ans when he does all he finds is a weird suit. After he takes it, he puts it on and
discovers it shrinks him. Scott tries to return it and when he does he's arrested, A man
claiming to be his attorney goes to see him and he tells him that the suit was an opportunity
which he should have taken. Later some ants bring him the suit and he puts it on and gets
out of jail. He then goes to the man who says he's Hank Pym the man who created the suit.
He used it before and called himself Ant-Man. He gave it up when he found out people were
planning to use his technology for things he doesn't want so he made sure no one could
replicate it and put it away. But he now needs Scott to be Ant-Man because it seems like his
protg, Darren Cross is close to replicating it. So he wants Scott to get into the lab and
take it. Scott is uncertain if he can do it and Pym's daughter who thinks she should be the
one to go agrees. But Pym thinks Scott is the one. So they train him while trying to make
sure Cross doesn't suspect anything.