The Marvel Cinematic Universe is an ever-changing landscape of multiverses and Infinity Stones. The biggest movie franchise in the world has introduced a vast array of superheroes and villains over the course of its 18-year run. However, some of the largest-scale introductions have come during the more current Multiverse Saga - at least partially due to the expansion of the franchise through the Disney Plus streaming service.
But not all of these newer characters and stories have resonated with audiences in the same way that many of the original Avengers characters have. And that - along with the overexposure of the MCU brand - has resulted in Disney and Marvel Studios making some radical changes to the franchise to course-correct. Unfortunately, that means multiple projects had to be cancelled, leaving a number of characters' fates up in the air. That apparently includes some classic MCU characters too.
Marvel reportedly has no plans for Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne after Ant-Man 4 cancellation
It sounds like we might have seen the last of Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne in the MCU. According to established industry insider Alex Perez (via The Cosmic Circus), Marvel Studios has no plans for either character moving forward. Needless to say, this comes as a huge blow to fans of the characters, especially considering that they are portrayed Hollywood heavyweights Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer, but if it turns out to be true, it's likely a result of Marvel's forced 'reset' - a reset that didn't even have too much to do with them in the first place.
While only one Marvel Studios project movie has ever been considered unsuccessful, there has been a clear shift in Hollywood when it comes to the MCU in the sense that each and every entry isn't seen as being as must-see as they once were. There are multiple reasons for that, with the retirement of multiple Marvel heavyweights like Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans (as well as the overall conclusion of the Infinity Saga in Avengers: Endgame) being one of them. However, the main reasons likely have more to do with the direction that the MCU took after that, particularly in regards to the overexposure of the brand.
The introduction of multiple MCU Disney Plus TV shows was a great idea when it came to launching the Multiverse Saga - especially as it kicked off with the Emmy-winning and critically-acclaimed WandaVision. But the franchise became too reliant on it, releasing multiple new shows a year. Suddenly, fans could watch titles from the MCU at home, which may have directly impacted how many people went to see the movies. That, and the fact that the brand was stretching itself too thin resulted in some lacklustre movies.
That brings us back to the Ant-Man situation. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania struggled at the box office due to both its immense budget and quick drop-off in enthusiasm. While the core MCU fans went to see the film in its opening weekend - giving it the highest opening of an Ant-Man movie - the mainstream fans weren't able to provide it with the legs of its predecessors. As a result of that indifference, Quantumania ultimately made less than the previous Ant-Man movies. Its mediocre reception from audiences and critics didn't help either.
After this, and a number of other failures, Marvel ultimately pressed the reset button on its plans, cancelling more experimental planned titles and shifting to more reliable success stories. This reportedly included cancelling a planned fourth Ant-Man movie, bringing about a premature end to the Ant-Family's standing in the MCU.
Some of those characters will return in future projects. We know that Ant-Man himself, Paul Rudd, will reprise his role in Avengers: Doomsday (and likely Avengers: Secret Wars) while Kathryn Newton is expected to return as his daughter Cassie Lang in that long-awaited Young Avengers / Champions project. As for Hank and Janet, however, it seems that the studio has no future plans for them.
It's not too surprising on the Hank front. Michael Douglas recently revealed that he has effectively retired from acting and doesn't think that he will return. That's not to say that he wouldn't if the right storyline presented itself but right now it doesn't seem that this will happen with Marvel's priorities focused well away from the Ant-Man franchise for the time being. However, considering Michelle Pfeiffer's Janet van Dyne proved to be one of the only silver linings in Quantumania, with many regarding her performance as the best in the film, it would be a shame if we didn't see her return in some capacity.
Like we said at the top of this article, the MCU is an ever-changing landscape. While the studio may not have a plan for Hank and Janet's return in the MCU right now, their comeback might not be 'cancelled' for good.