Despite the multiple mentions and instances of “going Quantum” in the MCU so far, there’s still potential lore that’s completely untapped. In “Avengers: Endgame,” it served as a plot device to help introduce time travel to the story (in a way that still doesn’t quite make sense). But “Quantumania” has even higher goals — as the opener to Phase 5 of the MCU, it’s a crucial step in establishing the Multiverse Saga, which will probably culminate into something even bigger and more ambitious than what was already achieved with “Infinity War” and “Endgame.”
Here in “Quantumania,” The Quantum Realm is characterized as an entire, hidden world that defies space and time. Despite the “Ant-Man” films usually being smaller and inconsequential fare compared to the rest of the franchise, the third entry feels instrumental to Kevin Feige’s master plan. So, director Peyton Reed figures, if we’re going to The Quantum Realm again, why not tap into some character drama along the way? Reed shares his thought process:
“We sort of dipped our toe into the Quantum Realm in the first couple of movies. But we owed the audience, I think, this explanation of what the hell was Janet van Dyne doing in the Quantum Realm for 30 years. She wasn’t just wandering around this void with a walking cane for 30 years. She had a whole, full life down there.”