‘Ant-Man’ VFX Team on Building M.O.D.O.K and Overcoming Backlash: ‘I’m Proud of What We Accomplished’

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor SPOILER ALERT: This story discusses major plot points, including the ending and the post-credits scenes, for “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” currently playing in theaters. While improvising in a meticulously crafted Marvel movie — full of CGI, green screens and elaborate costumes — seems nearly impossible, Paul Rudd and Jonathan Majors did just that “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.” According to editors Adam Gerstel and Laura Jennings, Rudd, who plays Scott Lang/Ant-Man, and Majors, who plays the MCU’s new Thanos-sized villain Kang the Conquerer, especially exercised their improv muscles during two similar scenes — one which features a multiplied Ant-Man and another, an army of Kangs.

Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania screenwriter Jeff Loveness has revealed his thoughts on the negative reviews that the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe film has received.Following the release of the film, which has seen a sharp decrease in viewership in the box office across the globe in just its second week, Loveness has revealed in an interview with The Daily Beast that he was “surprised” by the film’s negative reception.“To be honest, those reviews took me by surprise,” Loveness said, “I was in a pretty low spot… Those were not good reviews, and I was like, ‘What the… ?'”. He added: “I’m really proud of what I wrote for Jonathan [Majors] and Michelle Pfeiffer (Janet Pym).

“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” star Corey Stoll is taking himself out of that particular discussion.Stoll first appeared in the MCU as Darren Cross, Hank Pym’s (Michael Douglas) protégé and Scott Lang’s (Paul Rudd) ultimate villain in “Ant-Man,” after stealing the Yellowjacket suit. And though he appeared to be killed at the end of that film, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” reveals that he actually wound up in the Quantum Realm, barely alive, but still there. When he was found by Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), he was turned into M.O.D.O.K.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers from Episode 7 of “The Last of Us,” now streaming on HBO Max. “The Last of Us” production designer John Paino’s biggest challenges is bringing the much-beloved world of the video game to life and populating the HBO show with easter eggs. This week, Paino delivers one of his most significant nods yet in a “blink-and-you-miss-it moment.” Named after the game’s downloadable expansion pack, Episode 7, titled “Left Behind,” explores Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) backstory before she meets Joel (Pedro Pascal) and reveals what happened the night she discovered she was immune to cordyceps infection. In the present, Ellie is desperately trying to save Joel’s life after he was stabbed last episode. In doing so, she remembers one of the happiest, and saddest, days of her life. The episode flashes back to when Ellie’s friend and crush Riley (Storm Reid) snuck her through an abandoned mall. Tragically, the two are attacked and bitten by clickers after a night of fun. It was that night that Ellie discovered she was immune, but Riley was sadly not as lucky.

The face behind the MCU’s most talked-about new character is speaking out.

Regardless of your thoughts on Marvel Studios’ latest film, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” there’s no one who can deny that the film is VFX-heavy. From the moment the main characters venture into the Quantum Realm (about 15 minutes into the film), there isn’t a moment on screen that doesn’t include some sort of VFX work.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”Kang the Conqueror may be the new big bad of the MCU, and certainly the core villain of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” but he was not the only new villain to enter the MCU with this movie. We also met M.O.D.O.K, in all his big-headed glory, and according to star Kathryn Newton, filming her scenes with the character was like a crash course in being part of a Marvel film.M.O.D.O.K, of course, stands for Mechanized Organism Designed Only For Killing (at least in the MCU. In the comics, the M stands for “mental”).

WARNING: MAJOR spoilers ahead for “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”Kang the Conqueror made his official debut in the MCU with “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” but, as it turns out, it might’ve been a one-and-done situation — at least for that variant. Then again, Marvel fans have come to know the “no body, no certainty” rule at this point, so it’s hard not to wonder if he’s actually gone.

is not only the third in a trilogy of movies from director Peyton Reed but it also officially kicks off Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film starring Paul Rudd as Scott Lang formally introduces Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror and the film franchise's new big bad after he first made a surprise appearance in the season 1 finale of . Kang's presence is expected to be a major presence in the remaining projects of both Phase Five and Phase Six, with presumably being one of the final chapters in that saga.

Todd Gilchrist editor Though she’s 26, Kathryn Newton has been playing a teenager for a long time — perhaps because she does it so well: with early roles in “Bad Teacher” and “Paranormal Activity 4,” she proved she can bring depth and dimension to whatever her character is struggling with, be it a dyspeptic teacher or an otherworldly entity. But after doing comedy (“Blockers”), drama (HBO’s “Big Little Lies”) and sci-fi-tinged mystery, growing up on screen takes on new meaning in “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” where — spoiler alert — she gets to participate in the series’ size-changing action as Cassie Lang, the daughter of Scott Lang’s (Paul Rudd) Ant-Man. Newton had previously auditioned for another role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and though she didn’t divulge which one, she tells Variety how that experience paved the way for her to play a character who could become part of the next generation of MCU superheroes.

The Ant-Man numbers are in!

WARNING: Mild spoilers ahead for “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”The multiversal door has been kicked open in the MCU, and Kang the Conqueror isn’t the only one with a bunch of variants to worry about. In “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” Scott Lang also finds himself in a room full of, well, himself. And according to Paul Rudd, it was singlehandedly “the most complex thing” he’s ever had to do.Thanks to a few brief shots in the early trailers for the film, we knew that Scott Lang would eventually come face to face with himself, and a giant version of himself and, somehow, a pile of himself.

The third movie in the Ant-Man and the Wasp franchise has been released and there are some fan-favorite stars missing from the movie, as well as some unexpected cameos.

Marvel Universe is expanding!With “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” the interlocking series of superhero movies enters Phase 5, a new era of potentially confusing continuity and even more material that you’ll have to consume to appreciate the full story. But if you don’t have all the time in the world to revisit every Marvel Studios superhero entry since the movies began, in earnest, in 2008, what can you skim to get you ready for “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania?”Consider this the Cliff’s Notes version of MCU history that you can cram in the days leading up to “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” an adventure that sees Ant-Man (once again played by Paul Rudd) and the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) get sucked into the Quantum Realm – a pocket universe where the Wasp’s mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) was trapped for decades.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is currently playing in theaters and there’s a new actress playing the role of Cassie Lang, the daughter of Paul Rudd‘s character Scott Lang.

The stars of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania are taking over London!

WARNING: MASSIVE Spoilers ahead for “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”There’s a new Thanos in town, and he’s not out to dust people — he’s out to conquer them. Jonathan Majors makes his first official appearance as Kang the Conqueror in the Ant-Man threequel, out Friday, and thanks to the movie’s post-credit scenes, we meet even more versions of him.Yes, once again, Kang the Conqueror is not the only Kang we need to worry about.

Back in December 2020, it was announced that Kathryn Newton would be taking on the role of Cassie Lang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

It’s a wonder that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (★★★☆☆) should work as well as it does, or feel half as transporting as it does, when, by the looks of it, the actors were planted inside a studio for the majority of the action, and it shows. For the size-shifting superhero’s third solo MCU outing, director Peyton Reed — also at the helm for Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp — filmed much of this journey to the sub-atomic fantasia known as the Quantum Realm using technology that surrounds the actors in an immersive digital environment. Rather than emoting towards blank green and blue screens, Paul Rudd, as thief-turned-Avenger Ant-Man a.k.a. Scott Lang, can gaze across a virtual Quantum Realm and perform face-to-face opposite whatever outlandish creatures the filmmakers might imagine.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”Phase 5 of the MCU officially begins with “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and that means the return of post-credits scenes. But if you’re here, you know they’ve never really left, even with the TV shows. What you want to know is how many stings to expect from this threequel.Indeed, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” lives up to its name, largely taking place in the Quantum Realm, after Scott Lang’s (Paul Rudd) daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton) figures out how to send a signal down to the microscopic dimension.