It is hard to think that Ant-Man is now one of the most famous superheroes in the world. For years, Ant-Man was a joke character, and the idea of him being the lead of his own movie felt absurd. Yet in 2023, not only has Ant-Man been featured in one of the highest-grossing movies of all time with Avengers: Endgame, but the character's latest film, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, will kick off Phase 5 of the MCU and is one of the most anticipated movies of the year.

Ant-Man is one of the earliest superheroes created by Stan Lee, and is a foundational member of the Marvel Universe and was a founding member of The Avengers. Attempts to make an Ant-Man movie stretch as far back as the 1980s, and in 2000 radio personality Howard Stern attempted to buy the film rights. Later that year Artisan Entertainment announced plans to make an Ant-Man movie.

In 2003, filmmaker Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish pitched an Ant-Man movie which eventually was brought over to Marvel Studios with their plans to launch a shared universe. While Wright would eventually leave the project, Marvel Studios went forward with Ant-Man, and now the character is known to audiences all over the world. Here is how the MCU made Ant-Man into a household name.

Shifting From Hank Pym to Scott Lang Gave Ant-Man New Life

Michael Douglas as Hank Pym in MCU Ant Man
Marvel Studios
Disney

Hank Pym was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1962 and was the first Ant-Man. The character underwent many changes throughout the comics and adopted many comic personas including Giant-Man, Goliath, and Yellowjacket. While it would make sense to make him the MCU Ant-Man, the character had grown a problematic reputation in the comics due to an infamous comic panel where he smacks his wife Janet Van Dyne aka The Wasp. This forever tarnished the reputation of the character and likely played a part in Marvel Studios' shifting to the second Ant-Man, Scott Lang.

Related: What Ant-Man Would Have Been Like if Edgar Wright Didn't Leave

Scott Lang had a more relatable backstory, one of a common thief who steals the Ant-Man suit to do better for his daughter. Original Ant-Man writer and director Edgar Wright was the first to decide to make it Scott Lang's story, with Hank Pym in a mentor role. This allowed Ant-Man to borrow a similar structure to the popular 1998 film The Mask of Zorro, even down to the hero adopting the mantle of the hero to fall in love with the daughter of his mentor.

Paul Rudd Was the Key

Paul Rudd - Scott Lang/ Ant Man
Marvel Studios
Disney

One of the keys to the MCU's success has been their incredible casting, thanks to casting director Sarah Finn. Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, and Chris Hemsworth as Thor are just three cases of wonderful casting that elevated a character in the public eye. Paul Rudd as Ant-Man is certainly one of the highlights of the franchise and a key to the character's success.

Rudd had already been a beloved actor before joining the MCU, and in the 2000s became one of the biggest names in comedy being a supporting player in films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and the lead in Role Models and I Love You, Man. Rudd was easily recognizable and likable, and casting him as Scott Lang immediately informed the audience that his character was kind, sweet, and likable. Rudd was a sharp contrast to the rest of the MCU actors and felt more like an everyman than a superhero fitting Scott Lang's normal dad who gets in over his head origin story. Paul Rudd funny attitude and down to Earth demeanor helped made Ant-Man a favorite for audiences.

Captain America: Civil War Truly Elevated the Character

Ant-Man in Captain America: Civil War.
Marvel Studios

The first Ant-Man was a hit at the box office, but at the time was on the lower end of the MCU box office grosses just ahead of The Incredible Hulk (the movie did perform exceptionally well overseas), but it was the character's appearance in Captain America: Civil War that truly introduced the character to a wider audience. Even if audiences skipped Ant-Man, they got a good idea of his character from his involvement in Captain America: Civil War.

Related: Why Ant-Man and the Wasp Is an Underrated MCU Film

The movie helped establish Ant-Man as a character in the MCU, and the brief scenes with the other characters delighted audiences with how he interacted with the other heroes. The airport battle is one of the film's most iconic scenes, and even in a movie that introduces Spider-Man and Black Panther, Ant-Man gets one of the film's biggest moments. During the end of the airport battle, Ant-Man turns the tide by transforming into Giant-Man in a jaw-dropping moment. At that moment, audiences realized just how powerful and cool Ant-Man could be.

Ant-Man Feels the Most Like a Classic Disney Film

Paul Rudd as Ant-Man in the 2015 Marvel film
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The MCU likes to have each of their central heroes and franchises capture different genres, to diversify the movies and help prevent superhero fatigue. While Ant-Man is a heist movie, and Ant-Man and the Wasp is a chase movie, both movies very much feel like classic Disney movies, particularly the live-action films of the late 80s and early 90s. Movies like Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Flubber, and The Santa Clause. More than any other MCU franchise, it is easy to imagine the Walt Disney company feeling right at home with Disney's releases before the superhero boom, and Paul Rudd being cast as the lead hero is very similar to casting comedians like Robin Williams or Tim Allen in a lead role.

Since both Ant-Man movies feel close to traditional Disney movies, the movies seem the most family-friendly despite being PG-13. Every film in the MCU is rated PG-13, yet some certainly feel for slightly older audiences than others. Yet the two Ant-Man movies feel the closest in terms of being PG films with a strong emphasis on comedy.

This is part of what makes Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania such a fascinating film is that it looks like a total change in tone for the franchise and has been marketed as a darker more mature entry. Yet with the character now having been part of the MCU for eight years and a character audiences have grown to know and love, this more mature tone feels warranted, and it is fitting that Ant-Man is now being put front and center as one of the most important characters in the franchise.