When we catch up with the Lang/van Dyne clan, Scott is no longer interested in being a superhero. Unless the Avengers come a-calling, he’s happy to just coast off of his post-Blip fame. He’s written a book about his grand heroics, no longer has to worry about the law keeping him under house arrest, and just wants to settle into dad mode to father his rebellious teen daughter. Hope, he acknowledges via his book reading, is the real hero because she’s using her family tech for the greater good.
The problem with the simple life that Scott envisions is that Cassie (Kathryn Newton) has taken his many years of heroics to heart. She wants to help “the little guy,” even if that means being arrested … multiple times. She’s a political activist, has her own suit, and built the Quantum beacon that kicks off the action! All of this creates some really interesting tension between the father-daughter duo: Scott, as usual, has the single goal of keeping his daughter safe, but Cassie wants him to be the hero that she still sees him as. It’s the start of a beautiful character arc. And it goes absolutely nowhere.
For a moment, the stage is perfectly set for something big: after they meet the Quantum people, drink some ooze, and start to understand what’s going on, Scott wants to leave. He’s not apathetic to the Quantum rebels or their suffering, but as he never lets us forget, Cassie will always be his top priority. If it comes down to saving the world or his daughter, what will Scott do? He never has to find out, because Kang decides to take both Cassie and the power core. There’s no need for Scott to reckon with altruistic heroism, because his daughter needs saving!