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‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ Trailer Breakdown

The true hero rises in the second ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ trailer.
Ant Man Partners
By  · Published on May 1st, 2018

If you’re looking for emotional relief post-Infinity War, this second trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp delivers. While the stakes are typical of comic book theatrics (i.e., our very reality is under attack), director Peyton Reed continues to concentrate on the joys of bad guy butt-kicking. Push your MCU fears to the back of your mind and enjoy the awkward team-up shinanigans.

Below you will find our heroes picking up after the events of Civil War. Scott can’t keep the suit in the closet, but he’s simply not ready to join the Avengers. Also, he’s under house arrest. Cassie, his daughter, offers him some advice and he’s not foolish enough to ignore it.

At first glance, Ant-Man and the Wasp appears to be a simple breath of fresh air. Watching Evangeline Lily put up with Paul Rudd is worth the price of admission. Her character is clearly being positioned as the badass of the two, and watching Scott’s ego rise to her dominance is delightful.

Those looking for some deep-cut Marvel mythology building will be happy as well. Here we catch glimpses of several new characters and at least one fleeting glance of a major player. Let’s break it down:

Ant Man Daughter

We open on Scott and his daughter Cassie discussing the reluctant return of the tiny Avenger. She asks, “How long have you been Ant-Man again?” The implication being that after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Scott was forced to hang up the suit. This shot is also essential to reestablishing the true motivation driving our hero. It’s all about family.

Ant Man Roller Derby

Scott shrugs a response to his daughter, “It just sort of happened.” Since we all had so much fun with Giant-Man in Civil War, we can expect lots of gargantuan playtime in this sequel. Transforming trucks into skateboards is just the beginning.

Ant Man Goggins

As his daughter laments, “I wish I could fight bad guys like you,” the trailer introduces Walton Goggins’ Sonny Burch fleeing a crime scene. Giant-Man flings a henchman’s machine gun with the flick of his finger, and Goggins appears to be in awe of this display of might. In his lap, we can see Hank Pym’s shrunken laboratory. What goodies could he be after?

The Wasp Van

Failing to take down the bad guys, Scott admits to his daughter that he can’t seem to succeed in this hero game. Enter: The Wasp. She makes quick work of a van full of goons. Ant-Man had some fun with his powers in the first film, but Evangeline Lily will prove to be the prestige Avenger of the sequel.

The Wasp Badass

That’s certainly the opinion of Cassie, “Maybe you just need somebody watching your back.” The trailer is loaded with plenty of Evangeline Lily hero shots. That hard stare could have held its own against Thanos.

Pena

Cut to the return of Michael Peña as Luis. Hank Pym reluctantly seeks out his help after a disaster has struck. Luis states, “I heard what happened to you…”

Pym Lab

Over a shot of Pym’s laboratory, Luis explains the main narrative of the film. Presumably, while he was looking for his wife inside the Quantum Realm, Pym opened the dimension up to our world. Disaster struck. In the first film, Pym said he could no longer don the suit, but it appears he’s found a workaround with this pod ship.

Quantum Realm

This is my favorite shot of the whole trailer. What we briefly glimpsed in the original Ant-Man is revealed as a livable universe in the sequel. Wasp Number One could have easily survived in this Yellow Submarine landscape.

Ghost

However, there is a cost to gaining access to the Quantum Realm. Luis further illustrates that Pym’s actions created “this crazy creepy Ghost who walks through walls and stuff” and she’s stolen Pym’s technology. Is she seeking revenge, or just taking advantage of her newfound powers?

Ghost Fear

Our first look at the woman beneath the mask. Hannah John-Kamen appears pretty damn terrified in this shot. Can she exist outside of the Quantum Realm without her suit? A physical mutation would certainly motivate me to a life of anti-Pym vengeance. Luis says Ghost wants to “take over the world or whatever” and I guess that’s good enough bad guy incentive.

The Crew

T.I. and David Dastmalchian return alongside Peña. Their X-Con uniforms indicate that they’ve set up some kind of private investigator business. Peyton Reed is not giving up on that heist flavor. If these knuckleheads are needed, it must be trying times for Ant-Man and The Wasp indeed.

Partners

Which will complicate matters. After all, seconds later Pym is championing them as universal saviors. This team-up shot succinctly sums up their personalities. While an offscreen horror reveals itself, Scott observes with WTF terror while Hope puts on her mean face.

The Wasp Size Blasters

The Wasp’s blasters are not simply capable of zapping prey. She can also launch her embiggen devices with a flick of the wrist. Whatever household items present themselves around her can easily be transformed into a brutal blunt instrument or a necessary blockade to contain cowardly opponents.

Ant On Drums

The weird looking dog last seen at the climax of Ant-Man returns with a mean drum solo. Peyton Reed and Marvel Studios are pushing the limits of absurdity with this shot, but I am into it. Want to get nuts? Let’s get nuts.

Ant Man Eagle

Another Ant-thony goes down for the count. Scott flees an attacking seagull, and while he leaps to freedom, his partner goes down the gullet. R.I.P.

Ant Man Quantum Realm

Ant-Man returns to the Quantum Realm. The trailer withholds Michelle Pfieffer’s reemergence, but we’ve known since Comic-Con that the original Wasp will return at some point. How will her time inside this dimension affect her personality? Is she even the same woman Hank and Hope remember?

Lab In The Street

Pym’s laboratory rescued from the clutches of Walton Goggins, but it returns to its actual size in an inconvenient location. We’ll see how this occurs in a few shots down the line.

Original Wasp

While we don’t see Pfieffer in the trailer, we do get a flashback shot of the original Ant-Man and The Wasp in action. I’m guessing this will be the scene that opens the film. The two super-powered S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are infiltrating foreign soil in service to their country, making quick work of a hapless enemy soldier.

Tiny Van

While Ant-Man apparently battles faceless henchmen, Luis and the Wasp evade the Ghost with Pym’s tiny lab back in their possession. Luis experiences miniaturization for the first time and happily doesn’t fall into a state of madness. The Wasp continues to kick ass with a cool demeanor.

Goliath Impressed

We conclude with the introduction of Laurence Fishburne’s Dr. Bill Foster a.k.a Goliath. He is a former partner of Hank Pym, and proud of his 21-foot tall height record. Scott takes advantage of his one moment of superiority in the trailer and smugly brags about his unrivaled 65-foot status.

Giant Man

Oh yeah, we’re going to get so much Giant-Man in this film. Now, will we get to see Goliath put on a suit? Fingers crossed.

Feet

This face is why you hire Paul Rudd. He’s one of the few actors who can sell the concept of the schmuck superhero.

Disgusted

“If you two are finished comparing sizes…” Ending on Evangeline Lily’s disgusted expression seals the deal though. The Wasp is the badass hero to watch. The trailer leaves their romance hidden, and maybe the film will too. Forced to save the world next to Ant-Man might not be conducive to a loving relationship. Or it could fan the flames of their Sam and Diane act.

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Brad Gullickson is a Weekly Columnist for Film School Rejects and Senior Curator for One Perfect Shot. When not rambling about movies here, he's rambling about comics as the co-host of Comic Book Couples Counseling. Hunt him down on Twitter: @MouthDork. (He/Him)