For a minor character with little screen time, Lord Krylar has a surprising amount of depth. And because he only had a bit part in the single 1972 comic, Marvel gave the character a clean slate. In “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” Krylar is the leader of the Quantum Realm city of Axia. Although he once fought alongside Janet in the fight for freedom against Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), he has since joined Kang.
Director Peyton Reed, who also directed the two previous “Ant-Man” movies, promised this film would be “Avenger”-sized and stressed the importance of Murray’s character. The director told Entertainment Weekly:
“We wanted to go in a different direction and create an epic movie where the bulk of it takes place in the Quantum Realm … Bill Murray plays a character from Janet van Dyne’s past. It’s a crucial role. A big theme in this movie is the things that parents and kids don’t say to each other, the secrets that they keep in families.”
While stuck in the Quantum Realm, Janet struck up a romantic relationship with Krylar. When this is revealed to Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), it leads to some humorously awkward moments between the four. Krylar, holding agency over the group, playfully cavorts around the conversation while the secret hangs over Janet’s head. But most importantly, Krylar’s full reveal sets the plot of the movie in motion.
The role is quintessential Bill Murray, played similar to the Grandmaster character played by Jeff Goldblum in “Thor: Ragnarok,” but with the stylish indifference that Murray brings to any role. And in classic Murray fashion, it was a golf tournament that brought the actor to the MCU.