Michael Douglas pitched Marvel the death of his character Hank Pym in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023).
"I said I’d like to have a serious [death], with all these great special effects. There’s got to be some fantastic way where I can shrink to an ant size and explode, whatever it is. I want to use all those effects,” he revealed in an interview on Entertainment Weekly’s The View.
In Quantumania, Janet Van Dyne’s (Michelle Pfeiffer) past in the Quantum Realm catches up with her. Armed with shrinking and growing capabilities thanks to the Pym Particles, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton), together with Hank Pym and his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly), join the fray to face Kang (Jonathan Majors), a Thanos-level threat in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Hank Pym survives the events of the film.
It seems like Douglas has been ready to hang up his superhero suit, as he has previously gone viral for saying on the Quantumania red carpet that he would be game for a fourth Ant-Man movie “as long as I can die.”
Michael Douglas made a significant mark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe with his portrayal of the brilliant but reclusive scientist Hank Pym. He first appeared in Ant-Man (2015) and reprised his character in two more films, Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018) and Quantumania. He also played a part in the ensemble film Avengers: Endgame (2019) and voiced the character in two episodes of the animated series What If...?
Conversations for a fourth Ant-Man instalment were underway before Quantumania's release, but its future remains unknown following the film’s critical and commercial performance. Marvel has also parted ways with Majors following his recent conviction for misdemeanour.
Marvel has kept the future of the Ant-Man franchise under wraps, leaving fans in suspense. With no official confirmation on what's next, the fate of the franchise remains a mystery.
“Now, I don’t think I’m going to show up," Douglas concludes.
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