By Brandon T. McClure (@btmcclure @fakenerdpodcast)
The MCU, specifically the Infinity Saga (2008-2019) has meant a great deal to me, as I am sure it has for many people. What first started as a book pitch is now a series of essays of mine that will be (hopefully) published every week. The goal is to pick a specific moment within The Infinity Saga and share with you why I believe it’s a defining moment. To revisit previous posts, visit our site HERE.
Enjoy the ride as we count down from 50 of the most defining moments and share your thoughts in the comments.
• Ant-thony: A Loyal Steed•
MOMENT# 37
MOVIE: Ant-Man
DIRECTORS: Peyton Reed
WRITERS: Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Adam McKay, & Paul Rudd
For most films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s pretty smooth sailing. A film is announced, it’s filmed, and then released. Before Marvel Studios was the juggernaut it is now, Kevin Feige appeared with Jon Favreau and Edgar Wright in a small room at San Diego Comic-Con to talk about the future of Marvel on film. That future consisted of Iron Man, directed by Jon Favreau, and Ant-Man, directed by Edgar Wright. After many false starts, Edgar Wright's departure and many added movies, Ant-Man was finally ready, now with Peyton Reed at the helm. Phase two of the MCU ended with 2015’s Ant-Man, and with it, a surprising star was born.
The Peyton Reed-directed film took a Batman Beyond style approach to the character of Ant-Man. Instead of starting with the original Ant-Man, Hank Pym (played by Michael Douglas), the movie introduced the second version, Scott Lang (played by Paul Rudd). Hank Pym was a successful scientist, who was secretly a superhero in the 70s, but now he needs Scott's help to prevent Darren Cross (played by Corey Stoll) from developing the Yellowjacket suit. Cross had discovered the secret to Pyms shrinking abilities and now looked to sell it as a weapon. As Scott learns of the abilities of the Ant-Man, he makes a friend in the form of a carpenter ant named Ant-thony.
Scott Lang grows very close to Ant-thony and so does the audience. As most people probably know, when you assign a name to something, you instinctively grow an attachment to it. Unfortunately, Scotts new friends was not long for the world. Ant-thony is shot out of the sky by Cross just before the climactic battle and she’s killed. It’s a sad scene as Scott yells for his fallen comrade and a single wing falls to the ground. The loss of Ant-thony made for a surprisingly emotional moment for the film. Audiences would often talk about how surprised they were that they felt such emotion from an ant’s death. It may have been a cheap move, but it worked.
The creatives behind the MCU often like to “get in on the jokes” and much of that began with Ant-thony. Scott's loyal steed was a huge hit with people, so much so that the MCU wiki makes her out to be a far more crucial part of the movie than she was. The creatives behind the MCU like to give off the feeling that they’re the audience's friend which likely contributed to such a loyal fanbase. They aren’t a studio out to make money, they’re a friend that you go to visit a few times a year. When something like Ant-thony begins to create a social media presence, they’ll lean into it in a way that feels like you’re talking to your friends. A recent example is when they released an hour-long video of Baron Zemo’s dance from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Social media engagement is a big deal in today's world, and often companies will try to give off the impression that they’re “just one of the guys”. If Ant-Man had been released during phase 4, Ant-thony would likely have gotten a character poster in the vein of Alligator Loki or Pizza Dog. A lot of this kind of buddy behavior from the MCU started with Ant-thony. The female carpenter ant with a male name proved to be an influential internet sensation that not only allowed the MCU to feel like a friend, but also served as a precursor for many of the anthropomorphized MCU animal sidekicks we see today.