SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Today we celebrate the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the thirty first film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the American media franchise and shared universe based on characters that appear in the stories published by Marvel Comics.
We’ve previously speculated about how the behemoth that is the MCU might enter the Metaverse and maximise the value of its intellectual property with virtual experiences. But today we’re focusing on the Ant-Man franchise and its associated mythology.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Marvel’s Ant-Man franchise, the series follows the story of main protagonist Scott Lang, a former thief who becomes the superhero Ant-Man after being recruited by Dr. Hank Pym (the original Ant-Man).
In the first film, Lang (played by Paul Rudd) is released from prison and reluctantly agrees to help Pym (played by Michael Douglas) and his daughter Hope (played by Evangeline Lilly) in stealing a suit that allows its wearer to shrink in size but increase in strength. Together, they must stop Pym's former protégé, Darren Cross (played by Corey Stoll), from using a similar suit for evil purposes.
In the sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Lang is under house arrest for his actions in the first film but is pulled back into the superhero world when Pym and Hope need his help in rescuing Pym's wife, Janet van Dyne (played by Michelle Pfeiffer), from the quantum realm. They must also contend with a new villain, Ghost (played by Hannah John-Kamen), who can phase through solid objects.
In Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Lang and Hope, along with Hope's parents, Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, and Lang's daughter, Cassie (played by Kathryn Newton), embark on a new adventure into the exploring the Quantum Realm, which pits them against Marvel’s Phase Five bad guy, Kang (played by Jonathan Majors).
The Quantum Realm, by its very nature, is a Metaverse in its own right, and the perfect starting point for any Marvel Metaverse, or “Marvelverse”. The Quantum Realm is its own universe with a limitless number of systems, world’s and layers. It’s a fantastical world that begs to be turned into a fully-realised virtual environment. More importantly, any part of MCU’s canon can be accessed from the Quantum Realm, making it’s the perfect lobby for visitors to the Marvelverse.
So what else would we like to see? In the Marvel Comics, the futuristic city-state of Chronopolis, acts as Kang’s headquarters. Not only would this make the perfect focal point for entry and egress into and out of the Marvelverse, and a place where fans of the movies and characters can socialise with like-minded fans, explore areas inspired by Ant-Man mythology, compete in competitions, and buy exclusive merchandise and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Establishing a Chronopolis-inspired virtual Metaworld, would allow Marvel a jumping-off point for every subsequent Metaworld that follows. It would provide and exciting world for fans to explore while the company plans, develops, and creates new worlds for fans to dive into. The Quantum Realm surrounding Chronopolis could include No Man’s Sky-style exploration and survival elements, where visitors can hunt, capture, breed, evolve, and trade fantastical Quantum Realm creatures, or simply try to survive the harsh environment a la Janet van Dyne. All in all, in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Marvel has provided an almost perfect Metaverse for us to explore. Don’t forget to leave a comment below!
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