Who Is Cassie Lang? Ant-Man’s Daughter Explained
Digging into the MCU's potential entry point for the Young Avengers
With Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania set to premiere in a week, fans are especially excited to see Kathryn Newton’s Cassie Lang. The film will mark the first time that a teenage Cassie has appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in a lead role, as well as the first time she will officially suit up as her alter-ego, Stature. In previous installments in the Ant-Man film series, Lang has appeared as a 6-to-8-year-old, portrayed by Abby Ryder Fortson. A teenage version of Cassie did appear in Avengers: Endgame, but only as a cameo played by Emma Furhmann.
So, it is quite exciting that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will finally see Cassie up front and center, as a teenage version of the character who delves into the world of heroism with her father. Many are hoping that the film is building up to explore some of Cassie’s adventures as the hero Stature with the Young Avengers. While she is certainly known for being Ant-Man’s daughter in Marvel Comics, she does lead most of her superhero life apart from her father. Her childhood also plays out a bit differently from what we’ve seen so far. She also actually has a very interesting connection with Kang the Conqueror in the comics.
Needless to say, the MCU has only scratched the surface of Cassie’s character so far. Here’s a look into the comic book version of Ant-Man’s daughter.
Who is Cassie Lang in Marvel Comics?
Spoilers for Marvel Comics, and therefore potential MCU plotlines, below!
In the comics, Cassie is actually the reason why her father becomes Ant-Man in the first place. When she is first introduced, she is a child suffering from a congenital heart disease. Desperate to save her, Scott steals Hank Pym’s Ant-Man suit and Pym Particles to rescue Dr. Erica Sondheim from Darren Cross so she could treat and save Cassie. Sondheim was successfully able to treat Cassie, and Hank advises Scott to keep the suit, provided he used it for good. As a result, Cassie grows up with a superhero for a father and greatly admires him. She makes friends with the Fantastic Four and Avengers and predominantly lives with her father after her parents’ divorce.
However, her life becomes more turbulent when her mother and stepfather begin attempting to limit her time with Scott. Then, her life takes a tragic hit when Scarlet Witch loses control of her powers, killing Scott in the process. While grieving her father, Cassie runs away from home and ends up joining the Young Avengers with the help of Kate Bishop. Meanwhile, she forms a close connection to the Young Avengers’ leader, Iron Lad, a younger variant of Kang the Conqueror. While serving on the team, she reveals she has secretly been taking Pym Particles, which gives her the same powers as her father. She dons the identity of Stature. She also has a stint serving with the Initiative, as well as the Young Avengers.
Cassie hsd many adventures with the Young Avengers and the Initiative, including fighting the Skrulls in Secret Invasion, serving on Captain America’s team in Civil War, dating a teenage version of Vision, and fighting the Thunderbolts. After several years, Cassie is forced to face the Scarlet Witch, who killed her father. To help the Scarlet Witch regain control over her powers, the Young Avengers go back in time, allowing Cassie to save her father’s life. Sadly, they are reunited for only a short time before Cassie is killed by Doctor Doom.
Ant-Man’s daughter explained
Fortunately, Cassie does ultimately get a happy ending in the comic books—at least so far. Shortly after Cassie’s death, Doom becomes remorseful for his actions and attempts to right his wrongs with a magic-powered device. However, he only has enough power to right a single wrong and ultimately chooses Cassie’s death, bringing her back to life and reuniting her with Scott. She later loses her powers, though, when Darren Cross returns to steal her Pym Particle-irradiated heart. Her father just barely manages to save her life with a heart transplant.
Given that she has never had a normal life before, Cassie struggles with her loss of powers and eventually seeks out the Power Broker to get her powers back. Upon receiving her powers, she takes on a new alter-ego, Stinger. With her powers restored, she begins fighting crime with Ant-Man again as a father-daughter duo, with the blessing of her mother. While her life was quite tumultuous and far from normal, Cassie always embraced her superhero identity, as well as her father’s.
Where will the MCU take Cassie Lang? It will be exciting to watch Cassie’s adventure unfold!
(featured image: Marvel Comics)
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