When Michael Douglas Wanted His Character To Meet A Dramatic End In Ant-Man 3

When Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was released in theatres in 2023, it didn’t receive the expected reviews Marvel fans had hoped for. Directed by Peyton Reed, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie faced criticism for its story and average CGI. However, despite the mixed reviews, the superhero flick went on to become one of the highest-grossing films of the year.

Amidst the chatter surrounding the movie, Michael Douglas, who played the character of Hank Pym in the trilogy, recently revealed that he wanted Hank Pym to meet a dramatic end in the MCU. The Oscar winner spoke about his wish during an appearance on The View while promoting his new Apple TV series, Franklin. The Oscar-winning actor wanted to bid farewell to the character in the most “fantastic way,” involving the grand special effects to create a memorable demise.

The veteran star explained, “This is actually was my request for the third one. So at least, you know, there’s new characters involved and all that, I said I’d like to have a serious, you know, with all these great special effects, there’s got to be some fantastic way where I can shrink to an ant size and explode. Whatever it is, I want to use all those effects but that was on the last.” He jokingly added, “Now, I don’t think I’m going to show up.”

During a red carpet interview for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in 2023, Michael Douglas was questioned by The Hollywood Reporter about the possibility of returning for a fourth film. In response, the 79-year-old actor humorously stated that he would only consider returning under one condition, “As long as I could die.”

A month after the release of Ant-Man 3, MCU writer Jeff Loveness revealed some intriguing concepts for the third instalment in an interview with Backstory Magazine. Among the ideas was an actual plan to kill Hank Pym’s character most unconventionally. Loveness shared that Pym would meet his end in the franchise but he wanted to resurrect Pym’s consciousness, which would allow him to control ants with his mind. However, despite the intriguing idea, Loveness acknowledged that this idea was ultimately abandoned during the brainstorming session.

After the failure of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Thor: Love and Thunder, Marvel Studios is taking a step back from its approach to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). They’re returning to the formula that brought them success until Avengers: Endgame. Rather than overwhelming audiences with numerous projects within a year, the makers have scattered the release of most of their upcoming projects. This year, only Deadpool and Wolverine is slated for release.