Cassie Lang’s Moral Compass Is a Surprisingly Fresh Addition to ‘Quantumania’

Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantmania comes out this week, and while we already have our review published, there is still stuff to talk about with the movie—like Cassie Lang’s dedication to helping people and trying to live that superhero lifestyle that her father used to have. And Cassie is, in a lot of ways, the first real example we have of someone who isn’t afraid to push back against the powers that be, despite being just a regular human.

Sure, she has tech to help her, but like Scott Lang, she’s just a person fighting the big guys. For Cassie, that means things like getting in trouble by going to protests and bucking the order of things, and it made me instantly love Kathryn Newton’s take on the character when I saw Quantumania. We could have just had Cassie Lang as someone who wanted to be a hero like her dad (sort of how Kate Bishop’s love of Hawkeye fueled her heroic tendencies in Hawkeye), but instead, we got a Cassie who was in the thick of it from the jump.

At the global press conference for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, I got to ask Kathryn Newton about Cassie’s desire to help. I pointed out that we know that Cassie is incredibly smart, and she did a great job playing to that intelligence, but Cassie’s determination and drive to do what is right make her fascinating. So, I asked Newton about her favorite part of playing that aspect of Cassie.

“She has a really good heart, and that’s my favorite thing about Cassie,” Newton said. “She definitely leads with her heart. And even though she’s really smart, I don’t think she thinks too much about what she’s doing. She just wants to do the right thing, and it makes her really impatient and a lot like me.”

Cassie Lang’s determination and flaws make her perfect

We knew that Cassie Lang was smart. It was obvious from the first Ant-Man and carried on through her time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe prior to Newton taking on the character. And seeing her protesting, looking out for those who need help, and genuinely just being someone who doesn’t let people get pushed around by society is refreshing.

But that doesn’t mean that Cassie is without flaws. Her desire to fight back and try and be a leader in the world of social justice means that she does make mistakes. She’s still just a kid, and Newton loves that part of her, as well. “And that makes her kind of a mess and make mistakes,” she said, “but she just, she wants to be like her dad, you know? She thinks her dad’s the greatest. But she will never tell him that, obviously. So, it was great to try and exercise both of those. And my favorite thing is that she’s a regular person just like her dad. She’s still figuring it out, just like me.”

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters this February 17, and you will fall in love with Newton’s take on Cassie. It’s perfection.

(featured image: Marvel Entertainment)