Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has finally premiered in theaters, starting Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a wild bang. In Scott Lang’s third solo film in the MCU, he and his loved ones are sucked into the Quantum Realm, where they are forced to face the time-traveling villain, Kang the Conqueror.
Like many other Marvel movies, Quantumania is filled with references to previous MCU films and the comic book source material. Now that the film has been released to the public, readers can now see the list of all the Easter eggs found throughout Ant-Man and the Wasp’s latest subatomic adventure.
Scott’s memoir
In the MCU, Scott Lang has written the book, Look Out For the Little Guy, an autobiography of his life from his origins as a divorced dad/convict to his rise as the Avenger who helped save the universe by undoing Thanos’ Snap. What’s even more hilarious is that this book can actually be purchased in real life, so fans can now read everything about Scott’s life from his point of view.
Baskin-Robbins
Scott is seen at the start of the film receiving an “Employee of the Century” award from his former manager Dale at Baskin-Robbins. This is a hilarious callback to how Scott was forced to work at the ice cream chain in his first film after being released from prison.
Though he was fired for lying about his criminal record, his loss of a job helped him become the hero who helped save the universe. But it’s still great to see that there are no hard feelings between Scott and Dale.
Sub-Atomica
After Hope, Hank, and Janet are sucked into a part of the Quantum Realm, Hank mentions that he never saw such a place like it when he rescued Janet in the previous film. The latter explains to Hank that this unfamiliar region is located past the void of Sub-Atomica.
In Marvel Comics, Sub-Atomica is a star system found inside the Microverse, the dimension that the MCU’s Quantum Realm is based on.
Kang’s Time Chair
Kang first appears in the film when he crash-lands in the Quantum Realm in his Time Chair, a ship that takes the form of a floating gold throne with rings swirling around it. In the comics, this hi-tech seat can protect its user with weapons and allow them to travel to different points in time and even across the Multiverse
Quantumania expands on the chair’s power, with the film revealing that it is linked to Kang’s thoughts and that it allows him to generate his suit of armor. The Conqueror truly is nothing without his throne.
A hankering for citrus
After Cassie grows to a gigantic size with her suit to defeat MODOK, she tells Scott that she is extremely hungry and wants to eat limes. This harkens back to the scene in Captain America: Civil War when Scott asks for orange slices after fighting Iron Man’s Avengers as Giant-Man in Berlin.
This moment transforms Scott’s seemingly insignificant line in Civil War, as he explains that turning giant with his suit makes him crave citrus, for some reason.
The Council of Kangs
The film’s mid-credits scene shows a trio of Kang’s variants meeting to discuss the “Exiled One’s” defeat at the hands of Ant-Man. Based on their appearances, these three Kangs are likely the MCU’s versions of Rama-Tut (the variant of Kang who ruled over ancient Egypt), Immortus (the variant who goes on to oversee the trajectory of all timelines like He Who Remains), and Iron Lad (the younger variant of Kang who becomes a superhero with a suit like Iron Man’s).
These three variants make up the Council of Kangs, who formed to exterminate all variants of themselves they consider undesirable in the comics. Fearing the Avengers will destroy “everything they’ve built,” Immortus reveals that he contacted every variant of Kang from across the Multiverse to help them wage war.
The final shot of all these variants convening at the colosseum is a reference to a panel from Avengers #292 depicting the “Council of Cross-Time Kangs” made up of beings from across the Multiverse who took Kang’s identity. Audiences were warned about the dangers an infinite number of Kangs pose in Loki, but to see them all come together hints at the true kind of chaos viewers might see them unleash in the future.
Victor Timely
The post-credits scene features a variant of Kang holding a scientific presentation to a group of people in the early 20th century under the alias “Victor Timely.” In the comics, “Kang Prime” travels to the year 1901 and poses as Timely to establish the town of Timely in Wisconsin. He then founds Timely Industries and oversees the technological growth of the town and the entire Earth into the present day.
It is in Timely that Kang also builds Chronopolis, a high-tech stronghold containing portals to every era he has conquered. While Timely exists in Earth-616, Chronopolis can exist in every timeline simultaneously. It’s unknown if this Kang is the one whom Ant-Man defeated in the film, but if he is, then based on this scene, his reign is far from over.
