Girl powered
Ant-Man and the Wasp brings female characters to the forefront
LOS ANGELES The Ant-Man sequel may be about tiny superheroes, but the film is making a big statement about female empowerment by featuring Evangeline Lilly’s the Wasp not only in the title, but giving her a larger stake in Marvel’s sprawling movie franchise.
Ant-Man and the W asp, the 20 th film in the Marvel cinematic universe that includes Black Panther, Iron Man and Avengers: Infinity War, is the first one in the series to include a female character in a title role. The prominence of the Wasp, a character who has major roles in the Ant-Man and Avengers comic books, comes after years of fan anticipation for a female Marvel superhero to get her own film. Scarlett Johansson has expressed her desire to see her character, Black Widow, get a standalone film, but Marvel Studios has kept her primarily in its marquee Avengers films.
“You know, I’ve asked myself the same question: Are we making a mountain out of a molehill?” Lilly said during a recent interview when asked about being featured in a Marvel film’s title. She said after considering it more closely, “‘No, actually, this is kind of a big deal, and this is about time.”’
The film is the sequel to 2015’s Ant-Man, which introduced Paul Rudd as a thief enlisted by Michael Douglas’ Hank Pym to become a do-gooder. The original earned more than $180 million in North America and $500 million at the global box office. The sequel is the third Marvel release this year, but it largely steers clear of the developments in the blockbuster Avengers: Infinity War.
The Wasp was a comic book favourite of director Peyton Reed, who teased her appearance in future Marvel films with a cameo of her super suit at the end of AntMan. He said it was important that the Wasp be a fully formed hero and not bound by stereotypes.
“I worked really closely with Evangeline, and we talked about, ‘Now we’re going to have a chance to make a fully formed hero, and we want her to be as dimensional as possible. And we don’t want her to be a hero who is always glammed up with hair and makeup. We wanted her to be a little sweaty. And we want her, like, when that helmet comes off, her hair is in a ponytail, because that’s the practical thing you would do,’” Reed said.
Lilly’s role isn’t the only prominent female character in the film. Hannah John-Kamen plays Ghost, a villain bent on sowing discord among powerful institutions, in a role that was initially written for a man.
“It’s amazing, as a female, to play such a strong character ... so that people can look up to that and see that, ‘Yeah, this is a progression,’” said John-Kamen, who is in her biggest role yet after starring in the Canadian sci-fi series Killjoys and having small roles in Ready Player One and Tomb Raider.
“There is so much more going on in this film that represents female energy, that represents female stories, that represents female struggle and that represents female power,” Lilly said. “In this film, I’m very proud to say I recognize authentic female power in that it’s powerful to be vulnerable, it’s powerful to be elegant, it’s powerful to be graceful and nurturing and kind and forgiving and compassionate and generous ... things that tend to be typically categorized as weaknesses.”
Marvel’s first film based solely on a female superhero will be Captain Marvel, set in the 1990s, which stars Brie Larson in the title role and is slated for release next year.
Ant-Man and the Wasp is the first Marvel film to be released after April’s Infinity War, which upended the franchise and set up a fourth Avengers film that will be released next summer — about which everyone is keeping mum.
Douglas said before his first Comic-Con panel about the original Ant-Man that he underwent secrecy tests — and thought he might have to give blood — to prove he could keep from spoiling that film’s secrets. While he thought it was a bit much at the time, Douglas said he’s grown to appreciate what Marvel has done and the care the studio takes to avoid spoilers for fans.
“Marvel has done this amazing job of creating buzz just for people not knowing what exactly is going to happen ,” Douglas said.
“We do not want to spoil things for people. There are people out there hired to try and find things out,” Rudd said. “It’s an amazing, intense thing to be a part of.”