Heading into Avengers: Infinity War earlier this year, Marvel fans around the globe were binging through the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, re-watching every movie from Iron Man to Black Panther in order to prepare for the the biggest superhero film of all time.
The same preparation isn’t really necessary for Ant-Man and the Wasp, which arrives in theaters this weekend. While the movie features characters that have been seen in the MCU before, the Ant-Man series itself is fairly standalone. This sequel isn’t going to hinge on events seen in Guardians of the Galaxy, or introduce characters from Wakanda.
All that said, there are still some MCU movies that do have an impact on Ant-Man and the Wasp.
If you’re planning on going to to theaters to check out Marvel’s latest this weekend, these are the five MCU movies you should brush up on first.
Okay, this one is a pretty obvious one, so we’ll just go ahead and get it out of the way first.
If you haven’t seen Ant-Man yet, you should probably do that before heading out to see the sequel in theaters this weekend.
That said, if you still haven’t seen Ant-Man, you’ll still have a good time watching Ant-Man and the Wasp. However, seeing the first movie does help establish the relationships between the characters, and you’ll have a better grasp of their journeys to this point.
Luckily, there are plenty of theaters hosting an Ant-Man double feature tonight, screening both films back-to-back. That would be a great chance to see them both and not miss a thing.
Captain America: Civil War is the biggest Marvel movie that doesn’t have “Avengers” in the title, and it has a heavy influence over the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp.
If you recall, Ant-Man fought alongside Captain America in Civil War, which was against the law thanks to the Sokovia Accords. Once he was caught, Scott Lang agreed to a plea deal that put him on house arrest for two years, which is where we find him when Ant-Man and the Wasp begins.
There’s also the issue of the Ant-Man suit. Scott took Hank’s suit when he went to Germany with Cap, which made both Hank and Hope accessories to his “crimes.” This has put a target on their backs, causing them to go into hiding. This is of course a major point of contention between the duo and Scott in the new movie.
Marvel fans are still reeling from Avengers: Infinity War, which hit theaters just a couple of months ago. Being the light, funny adventure that Ant-Man and the Wasp is, it provides a nice break from the tragedy of Infinity War, but that doesn’t mean the two aren’t connected.
Ant-Man and the Wasp takes place two years after the events of Captain America: Civil War, putting in right around the same time as Infinity War.
Many fans have theorized that the post-credits scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp might hint at the tragedy of Infinity War‘s ending, but that remains to be seen. However, the film will likely give some reason as to why Ant-Man wasn’t around to fight with the rest of the Avengers.
As we’ve learned from the trailers and TV spots, Ant-Man and the Wasp features the debut of Bill Foster, played by Laurence Fishburne. In the comics, Foster became the heroic Goliath, and the character referenced the codename in the trailer.
What does this have to do with Captain America: The Winter Soldier?
The 2014 movie, which was the first MCU outing directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, featured the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., which changed the landscape of the MCU, and altered the ways Nick Fury and several other characters operated.
Hank Pym and Bill Foster used to work for the organization, and its downfall had a significant impact on them both, which will be addressed in Ant-Man and the Wasp.
This one might be a bit of a stretch, but Captain America: The First Avenger provides a lot of context for the history of S.H.I.E.L.D., and could certainly help anyone have a better understanding of the complex backstories of characters like Hank Pym.
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In The First Avenger, we see Peggy Carter and Howard Stark create the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization, and it was later explored in Marvel’s Agent Carter TV series on ABC. As we know from the first Ant-Man movie, Hank Pym worked closely with Peggy Carter when they were both part of the organization.
A better understanding of S.H.I.E.L.D. will likely lead to a better experience when it comes to the technical dialogue and historical discussion in Ant-Man and the Wasp.
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