Judy Greer’s original idea for herMCUcharacter’s return inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniawould have made the polarizing Phase 5 movie so much better. Peyton Reed’s thirdAnt-Manmovie hit theaters in February 2023 and was immediately met with criticism, mostly because of its huge world-changing scale, which was far removed from the grounded and intimate nature of 2015’sAnt-Manand 2018’sAnt-Man and the Wasp. It’s not just the audience who wanted something else fromAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, either, as anAnt-Manfranchiseactor has also revealed her original vision.
Instead of focusing on a small-scale story, such as the battle againstDarren Cross' Yellowjacketor the confrontation with Ghost,Ant-Man and the Wasp: QuantumaniabroughtPaul Rudd’s Scott Langand his size-changing family face-to-face with the MCU’s biggest new threat.Kang the Conqueror’s inclusion inQuantumaniawas then considered the strongest part of the movie, but Jonathan Majors' massive role changed Ant-Man’s place in the MCUtoo much for many. One actor’s original idea forQuantumaniawould have been a far stronger and more Ant-Man-appropriate story.
Judy Greer Wanted Maggie To Have Superpowers In Ant-Man 3
Judy Greer Has Played Maggie, Scott Lang’s Ex-Wife, Since 2015’s Ant-Man
WhileKathryn Newton’s MCU casting allowed Cassie Lang, grown up afterAvengers: Endgame’stime-jump, to have a much more central role as a bona fide hero inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, there was one very noticeable absence from her story.Quantumaniadeveloped Cassie’s relationship with her father, but completely ignored her bond with her mother, Judy Greer’s Maggie. In a recent interview withThe Direct, Judy Greer revealed that she was surprised she wasn’t included inQuantumania, and noted that she’d urged Peyton Reed to let her get superpowers in theAnt-Mansequel.
I was in the lastGuardians [of the Galaxy]as War Hog. War Pig, I believe, was my name in the lastGuardians, but in the first twoAnt-Manmovies, I don’t… There’s been a lot of movies. But the reason, I don’t know why I wasn’t inQuantumania, by the way, but I went to the movie theater and saw it. I don’t know why they didn’t put me in it, but I really wanted to be in it. It’s so much fun… I was begging Peyton Reed for a superpower. I was like,‘Please, please, can I, like, run into someone on the street and get a superpower? Please, please, please?‘And him and Paul [Rudd] would laugh at me, and then they never gave me one.
While Maggie has never been a hugecharacter in theAnt-Manfranchise, she has always been central to Scott Lang’s story. Judy Greer appeared as Maggie inAnt-ManandAnt-Man and the Wasp, with the latter developing her closer bond with her ex-husband following him being outed as a superhero in 2016’sCaptain America: Civil War.Maggie’s absence fromAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniawas unusual, especially since Cassie Lang got so much attention, and Judy Greer’s idea for Maggie to gain superpowers would have been a great story for the sequel.
Removing Ant-Man’s Other Supporting Characters Was A Mistake In Quantumania
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania Ignored Some Of The Franchise’s Best Characters
One of the biggest criticisms aimed atAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniawas that it seemed to completely forget the movies that had come before it. Many fan-favoritecharacters who had been mainstays in theAnt-Manfranchisewere omitted from the Phase 5 movie, including the likes of Maggie and Paxton, as well as Scott Lang’s popular X-Con friends, Luis, Kurt and Dave.Michael Peña’s Luis became famous for his long-winded and fast-paced monologs, and many sorely missed this being repeated inQuantumania.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniaalso seemed to move on too quickly from the events of its 2018 predecessor.Ant-Man and the Waspended with Janet Van Dyne gaining powers in the Quantum Realm, and the team continuing to harvest quantum energy to help Ava Starr, a.k.a. Ghost. None of this was mentioned inQuantumania, and even the inclusion of Laurence Fishburne’s Bill Foster or another character from Hank Pym’s past would have been beneficial. It was a huge mistake for all these characters and stories to be forgotten, as there was little connection toAnt-Man’s MCU historyinQuantumania.
Maggie With Superpowers Would Have Been Great For Ant-Man 3
Maggie Getting Superpowers Would Have Made Ant-Man 3 Very Different
In Marvel Comics, Cassie Lang’s mother, Peggy Rae, never receives superpowers, and, in fact, loathes the superhuman community and constantly fears for her daughter’s life. This means thatMaggie getting superpowers inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniawould have been a completely original story for the MCU, but this could have been just whatQuantumanianeeded. Having Maggie get superpowers would have restricted the amount of time theAnt-Man team spent in the Quantum Realm, which would have allowed the Phase 5 movie to feel much more like anAnt-Manfilm.
$519.3 million
Ant-Man and the Wasp
$622.7 million
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
June 16, 2025
$476.1 million
Instead of having multiverse-reaching consequences,Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniacould have retained a personal, stripped-back and intimate storyline had the focus been on Maggie becoming empowered. PreviousAnt-Manmovies have been described as"palate cleansers"following major Avengers crossover projects, and it would have been great ifQuantumaniahad also filled this role.This could have debuted a brand-new hero, or perhaps superpowered villain, in the MCU, and would have given Scott Lang the perfect grounded story for his trilogy-capper, rather than being too ambitious and forgetting the franchise’s roots.
Judy Greer Deserves A Bigger MCU Role After Ant-Man & Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
Judy Greer is an incredibly talented and hilarious actor, and her skills have arguably been wasted in her role of Maggie in theAnt-Manfranchise.2023’sGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3showed off more of her talents, as she voiced War Pig, a member of the High Evolutionary’s genetically-engineered Hell Spawn army. War Pig was killed by Will Poulter’s Adam Warlock while tracking down Rocket, endingJudy Greer’s second role in the MCUbefore it had really even taken off, so the brilliant actor certainly deserves more.
Every MCU Species The High Evolutionary Is Confirmed To Have Created
The High Evolutionary is the MCU’s newest villain in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, having created close to 100 species in his quest for perfection.
Since Judy Greer did not get a more substantial role as Maggie inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, it would be great to see her be utilized better as Cassie Lang’s mother in upcoming projects, or be recast as someone new.Kathryn Newton is expected to have a key role as Cassie Langin theMCU’s rumored Young Avengers projects, so Maggie Lang could also make appearances here. This could give her more hefty stories in the MCU’s future, perhaps even with her being empowered, which would finally fulfill Judy Greer’s Phase 5 wish.
Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania
Cast
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania follows Scott Lang and Hope van Dyne, joined by Janet van Dyne, Hank Pym, and Cassie Lang, as they navigate the Quantum Realm. Their journey introduces them to peculiar creatures and challenges their understanding of reality, pushing their abilities to new extremes.
