Those outside of the Marvel fandom might think it morbid that our first question after every new Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) debut is, “Who died?” However, for a film franchise that is just as adept at tragically killing off characters as it is at creating relatable and lovable characters, it is a very necessary question. The question was especially warranted for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, as the trailer hinted that Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) might die in the film and potentially steal the spotlight for the most tragic MCU death by dying just a short period after reuniting with his daughter for the first time in 5 years.
Spoilers in here, of course!
Then, of course, there’s also the fact that Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror appears in the film. While he was first introduced in Loki as the Kang variant He Who Remains, the film teased this new version of him would be far more brutal and sinister. He even boasted his comic book-accurate suit and powerful time chair, warning that we’d be getting the true Kang the Conqueror, who is capable of world domination. While this excited us, it also held the potential of a high body count for the film.
Plus, the film takes place in the Quantum Realm, which is filled with dangers and mysteries of its own, is also extremely difficult to escape, and is where Kang happens to be trapped. So, the film’s entire setting is really just a major death trap, waiting to suck in our favorite characters. Here is every character who dies (or is implied to have died) in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Lord Krylar
One of the first deaths to take place in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is that of Lord Krylar (Bill Murray). His death is not shown but is heavily implied and is also one of the less significant deaths in the film. While fans were excited about Murray’s first MCU role, his appearance is ultimately very short. It is revealed that he is an old friend and lover of Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) from her days trapped in the Quantum Realm. However, after her escape, he ended up siding with Kang to oppress the people of the Quantum Realm. As a result of his change in allegiance, he tries to deliver Janet and her husband and daughter to Kang. His plan fails, though, and the last we see of Krylar is him being seemingly fatally attacked by an enlarged octopus-like creature while the trio makes their escape.
M.O.D.O.K.
Next, there is the sad, strange death of Darren Cross/M.O.D.O.K. (Corey Stoll). The film opts to retcon M.O.D.O.K.’s origin story, making it so that Cross became the iconic villain after shrinking down to subatomic size in the first Ant-Man film. He ended up warping into M.O.D.O.K. while trapped in the Quantum Realm and became Kang’s assistant. Upon discovering his old enemies Scott and Hank (Michael Douglas), he quickly tries to get revenge and helps Kang capture and subdue them, even setting out on a mission to kill Cassie (Kathryn Newton).
However, after being defeated over and over again and recognizing the embarrassing nature of his existence, he expresses confusion about who he is and how to make up for being a “dick” in the past. In the end, he figures it out on his own and turns on Kang. He manages to break Kang’s shield during the final battle, to help the heroes, but is fatally injured in the process. On his deathbed, he makes up a happier life story for himself in which he was an Avenger and Scott was like a brother to him. Scott decides to humor him, and M.O.D.O.K. dies in a weirdly content way.
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Kang the Conqueror
Given that he’s supposed to be the new major MCU villain, viewers probably weren’t expecting Kang the Conqueror’s death. However, considering that countless variations of him exist throughout time and space, his death was pretty easy to pull off. The variant of Kang in the Quantum Realm ultimately dies while fighting Ant-Man at the end of the film. At that point, the battle is pretty much lost, as Ant-Man and his gang, the Freedom Fighters, and technologically advanced ants attack Kang on all sides, destroying his defenses, allies, ship, and shield, and taking the power core from him.
Seemingly having won, Janet, Hank, Cassie, and Hope all step through a portal created with the power core to go back home. However, Kang shows up to prevent Ant-Man from going through and tries to enter the gateway himself. This is when Ant-Man resolves to fight him until the portal closes, or they both die, to keep him from entering Earth. Fortunately, Hope comes back for Ant-Man and together they kill Kang by pushing him into the collapsing power core.
As the end credits reveal, though, there is literally a huge stadium filled with Kang variants from the multiverse. While this might make the one variant’s death seem inconsequential, it’s actually quite important, as it inspires the rest of the variants to take action against the Avengers.
Freedom Fighters and Kang Droids
Krylar, M.O.D.O.K., and Kang are the only deaths among the leading/supporting characters of the film. However, the Freedom Fighters and Kang’s robotic soldiers also have high causalities. While there isn’t an exact number for how many died, we can speculate that it was a lot. Ant-Man, significantly enlarged with Pym particles, steps on and swats away dozens upon dozens of Kang’s soldiers in the course of minutes.
Meanwhile, the Freedom Fighters, who are made up of a number of alien species from the Quantum Realm, also sustain major losses in this final battle. They nearly lose the fight and begin retreating when Kang goes full beast mode and begins to single-handedly disintegrate dozens of Freedom Fighters at a time with his technology.
We don’t have a number or even names for all of these deaths, but they are significant nonetheless and show just how serious the battle between Kang and the oppressed people of the Quantum Realm is. The Freedom Fighters’ deaths show how much passion, grit, and determination they have, as they risk their lives to be free. Meanwhile, their deaths, along with Kang’s soldiers’ deaths, also help highlight the sheer power of Kang and how he can ruthlessly decimate worlds in the course of a few minutes.
(featured image: Disney)
Published: Feb 17, 2023 06:10 pm