The Avengers are a strange group of heroes. For every immensely powerful being like Thor (Chris Hemsworth), there’s Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), who has no powers and uses two tiny pistols. Caught right between the varying power levels is Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a.k.a. Ant-Man. Ant-Man has been the star of three self-titled movies, as well as appearing in Captain America: Civil War, and literally (albeit accidentally) saving the world in Avengers: Endgame. But, even Paul Rudd has admitted his powers are kind of… meh.
Paul Rudd made a surprise appearance during the most recent episode of Saturday Night Live, hosted by Martin Short. To commemorate Short’s fifth time hosting the long-running series, Tom Hanks returned for the “Five Timers Club” sketch. The scene included many famous five-time hosts, like Emma Stone, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, the aforementioned Johansson, John Mulaney, and more. The group offered a safe space, where all the celebrities (jokingly) admitted shocking secrets like love affairs and voting for Trump. When it was Paul Rudd’s turn to share, he hilariously said:

“Ant-Man’s powers aren’t good.”

To be fair, Paul Rudd isn’t wrong. While Thor has the strength and powers befitting a Norse god, Tony Stark can build a war suit “in a cave, with a box of scraps,” and Captain America has more steroids coursing through him than a Mr. Olympia athlete, Ant-Man can… get really smol. In the comics and the films, his tiny power is balanced with his ability to maintain his normal strength level, meaning he can still knock someone out despite being the size of an ant.
Will Paul Rudd Return as Ant-Man?

Ant-Man is currently the butt of many Marvel jokes. The first Ant-Man was a modest success for Marvel Studios, successfully introducing a brand-new hero to the MCU. Its sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, was an entertaining, albeit forgettable affair. But, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is arguably the worst MCU movie to date (along with Thor: Love and Thunder).
Fingers are often pointed at Quantumania for causing the modern downfall of the MCU, from which it is only just starting to recover. The film received poor reviews, and sits at a measly 46% on Rotten Tomatoes. As a result, Paul Rudd’s future as Scott Lang has been uncertain ever since. The film also fell far short of Marvel’s usual earnings at the box office, grossing $476 million worldwide after its theatrical run. The film only managed to turn a profit thanks to a nifty UK tax credit.

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If Rudd does return, it most likely won’t be in another standalone movie. While promoting Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, earlier this year, Rudd said he has no idea if another Ant-Man standalone film will ever happen. “I have no idea. I don’t know,” Rudd said. “Yeah, that’s not for me to answer, you’d have to go to Kevin. Feige and those guys.” If Ant-Man were to return to the big screen, it would most likely be in a team-up movie. Almost every surviving MCU character is expected to appear in Avengers: Secret Wars. If we ever see Ant-Man again on the big screen, it will most likely be there.

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Release Date

July 14, 2015

Runtime

117 minutes