MARVEL DIRECTOR & WRITER ADMIT THEY SKIPPED OVER EXPLORING THE BLIP IN MCU PHASE 5 MOVIE
Marvel Studios almost addressed one major criticism with the MCU's Phase 4 in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Peyton Reed's third Ant-Man film in the MCU released on February 17, 2023, reintroducing audiences to Paul Rudd's Scott Lang, Evangeline Lilly's Hope Van Dyne, and their families, who find themselves dragged into a terrifying battle against Jonathan Majors' Kang the Conqueror in the Quantum Realm. Joining them is MCU newcomer Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang, Scott Lang's now-teenage daughter, aged up following the five-year time jump in Avengers: Endgame, which was originally supposed to be a much larger talking point in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Cassie Lang debuted in Ant-Man, portrayed by Abby Ryder Fortson, who reprised the role of 11-year-old Cassie in Ant-Man and the Wasp. However, in Avengers: Endgame, Emma Fuhrmann played her as a 16-year-old before Cassie Lang was recast for Kathryn Newton, now portraying Cassie as an 18-year-old. Endgame revealed that Scott Lang had missed out on five years of Cassie's life, which is prominent in the background of Quantumania, as Cassie has grown up a lot since Scott last saw her in Ant-Man and the Wasp. It's now been revealed that this was almost addressed directly in Quantumania, which may have addrressed one major criticism of the MCU's Phase 4.
Quantumania Almost Showed Cassie Lang's Life During The Blip
On the audio commentary for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, director Peyton Reed revealed that early plans almost explored Cassie's life during the Blip. Reed mentioned that the team considered, "do we show those five years? Do we see Cassie kind of early on?" This implies that Quantumania almost flashed back to 2018, picking up with Cassie in the weeks after Thanos' snap in Avengers: Infinity War and the loss of her father - who was trapped in the Quantum Realm. Quantumania writer Jeff Loveness reinforced this idea, mentioning that it's easy to forget that "Cassie was on her own for five years," posing that this may have had an impact on her psyche.
The MCU Has Left The Blip Largely Unexplored
In the wake of Avengers: Endgame, many expected the Blip to be a much bigger deal in the MCU's Phase 4, with potentially several projects exploring what life was like during the Blip for a variety of heroes. However, this never really occurred, as although the Blip has been mentioned many times in passing, Marvel Studios hasn't yet provided an in-depth look into what happened during Endgame's five-year time jump. The more projects that released in Phase 4, the more apparent it became that Marvel Studios was perhaps trying to distance the MCU from the Blip, despite there being calls for the monumental event to be explored in further detail.
The MCU's Phase 4 came under scrutiny for reasons including a drop in quality and its disconnected stories, but one of the major points of confusion was the fact that the Blip seemed to be completely ignored. Thanos snapping away half the population of the universe should have been a much bigger deal than it appeared to be, especially since the MCU was thrust into five years of uncertainty. Projects like Eternals, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Hawkeye could have worked harder to develop the MCU during the Blip, but the massive event has still gone largely ignored, and it appears there are no immediate plans to rectify this.
Why The Blip Is So Important To Cassie And Scott Lang
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania might have provided the perfect opportunity for the Blip to be explored directly, as Scott and Cassie's relationship was one of the most notably affected by it. When Thanos first snapped his fingers, Cassie was a child, but Scott returned to greet his teenage daughter, missing out on some of her most formative years. Prior to Quantumania's release, trailers made it seem as though Kang the Conqueror would be offering Scott a deal to get back his lost time with Cassie, and although this didn't pan out, it suggested that the Blip was going to be a huge narrative point in the film.
Leaving The Blip Out Of Quantumania Was A Smart Move
Even though it would have been great to see the Blip explored in more detail, it was certainly the right move to avoid setting portions of Quantumania in the months after Thanos' snap. Quantumania's story was focused on the action happening in the MCU's Quantum Realm, and this would have been delayed significantly had too much time been taken up in the Blip. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania also worked to pave the way for the MCU's imminent future, introducing Kang the Conqueror and setting up the next Phase of the Multiverse Saga - spending too much time in the MCU's past would have taken away from the excitement of its future.
Key Release Dates
2023-06-01T14:25:29Z dg43tfdfdgfd