New Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania trailer released

The new Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania trailer has arrived.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will delve deeper into the MCU’s new main baddie, while also starting the heroic journey of Scott Lang’s daughter, Cassie (Kathryn Newton). With the previous two Ant-Man films (and Avengers: Endgame) laying the groundwork for the Quantum Realm, Quantumania will finally unravel the mysterious world, as Scott, Hope, Cassie, Janet van Dyne and Hank Pym will be accidentally sent inside.

There, the heroes will be pitted against Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), who, as mentioned, is expected to be Marvel’s new Thanos-level antagonist. Being the start of Phase 5, there is a lot of anticipation surrounding Quantumania, as it not only has to handle Ant-Man and Wasp’s stories, but also serve as a building block for the MCU’s future.  A new trailer for the film has been released, providing a better look at the movie’s grand scale, villain and central journey.

Watch the new Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania trailer

Much like Quantumania‘s first trailer, this second look highlights the impressive scope of the movie. Going by its larger-than-life locations, character designs and stakes, the film’s scale appears to be akin to Thor: Ragnarok‘s and Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s.

Another highlight is Jonathan Majors’ Kang. He feels intimidating but still conveys a charm that makes him a captivating presence.

Kang may present the reverse-Thanos effect

Marvel Studios is taking a fascinating approach to establishing Kang as the MCU’s new big villain. Specifically, the company seems to be employing a reverse strategy to the one it used to establish Thanos as the Infinity Saga’s main antagonist. The Mad Titan was slowly introduced through three appearances in major MCU blockbusters.

He first appeared in 2012’s The Avengers, in a post-credits scene that revealed him to be behind Loki’s rampage. He then reappeared in Guardians of the Galaxy, which, despite its protagonists’ obscurity, was produced as a blockbuster event, something it ultimately became following a global box office of $770 million. He then resurfaced in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Kang, on the other hand, is being established in what could be considered less momentous projects. The character was introduced in the Loki series, after which he will return (as a variant) in Quantumania, the third chapter in the Ant-Man trilogy, which has been one of the smaller-scale corners of the MCU. Though Ant-Man and the Wasp 3 is undeniably important to the MCU, it could be argued that Kang is what’s giving the movie its high relevance in the franchise’s overarching narrative.

In comparison to Thanos, who, as mentioned, had multiple blockbuster events as setup for his story, Kang is being introduced in a more subdued fashion. Though that may seem strange, given how he’s expected to present a whole new side of the MCU, introducing him in such a way makes sense, as it serves (likely unwittingly) as an analogy for the differences between him and the Mad Titan. As Kevin Feige explained during an interview with Comicbook.com, the two villains are completely dissimilar:

"“What I love is, [Kang is] totally different from Thanos; that he is completely different. That it’s not just, ‘Is there a bigger purple guy with a helmet?’ That’s not what Kang is. Kang is a very different type of villain, and the fact that he is many, many different characters is what’s most exciting and most differentiates him.”"

Kang’s introduction strategy also benefits the franchise in two different aspects. Firstly, it positions Marvel Studios’ TV series highly in the MCU’s hierarchy. Secondly, it shows the relevancy that even relatively smaller projects like Ant-Man can have on the wider universe.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania arrives in theaters on February 17, 2023.

What did you think about the new Quantumania trailer? What do you expect to see from Kang? Let us know in the comments!