Antman-Wasp, Quantumania may be expansive, reaching into a chaotic and confusing quantum realm but it also does something else. It reaches into places that some of us don’t venture into, the complexities of our family and the often unspoken truths of our relationships with our parents.
For those who have not watched it yet, spoilers ahead!
Let’s take a leap through the movie and find parallel in our own lives.
Scott Lang reading his own Memoir, Photo via Cinema Blend
Everyone must help but it’s ok if Dad or Mum doesn’t want to
So, Scott Lang wrote a book about his experience working alongside the Avengers during the Endgame era when super villain Thanos eliminated half the Universe with a single snap of his fingers.
Meanwhile, his partner the Wasp also known as Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) was busy with groundbreaking work that helps with rebuilding the environment post-apocalyptic disaster. Secretly, she also worked with her father Henry “Hank” Pym (Michael Douglas) to help Ant-man’s daughter Cassandra “Cassie” Lang (Kathryn Newton) build a signalling device to study the Quantum Realm.
Cassie being bailed out of jail Photo via r/marvelstudios
Parents can mess up in their youth but not their kids
Scott Lang had served a jail term for burglary as he turn to crime because he couldn’t support his family. Yet he childed Cassie, his daughter for landed herself there for social causes. After being bailed out of jail, Cassie calls her father out for scolding her about being responsible.
“I know how to take care of myself, okay? Trust me. I’m pretty good at it by now,” Cassie retorts.
The Quantum Realm Satellite Photo via Spiel Times
“Because I said so”, but parents don’t tell you why?
The topic resurfaces during a family lunch when Hank and Hope’s etymological and physics achievements are mentioned as being more helpful for society than Lang’s book. Cassie shifts the party to the basement for a surprise. Cassie, Hank and Hope seem ecstatic to show off the Quantum Realm version of the Hubble telescope that Ant-man’s 18-year-old daughter built in a basement. Hope’s mother Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) who has been reticent about the experiment, is the only one who appears appalled, she rushes to break apart the device, but her efforts are too late.
Everyone is sucked into the Quantum Realm when Cassie’s device malfunctions. Photo via CNN
Adult talks that they never share with you
While Scott had spent 5 years in the subatomic universe, this is uncharted territory for Cassie, Hank and Hope. Janet however had spent 30 years there, and spoke very little of the experience. The dangers of the wider scope of the Quantum Realm appeared clear to only Janet, which seemed to frustrate Hope. Why was her mother being so quiet when her knowledge is so vital?
Hank, Janet and Hope in disguise to meet ‘old friends’ in the Quantum Realm
Photo via Popverse
Why are they so different!
There is always an unspoken emotional side to every familial spats. Cassie is upset about how different her father’s beliefs are from hers, and Hope is upset about how aloof her mother is about the predicament they are in.
When breaking apart the psyche of a parent or guardian, the added expectations that ‘they should know better’ affect our ability to truly empathise with them. Like how Cassie is disappointed in Scott for not being proactive in helping the less fortunate and Hope is upset at her mother for hiding her traumatic past.
Janet van Dyne retelling her experience in the Quantum Realm. Photo via The Mary Sue
Some things may be out of our parents control
While both child figures, Cassie and Hope are wounded by their respective parents’ abandonment , they failed to take into consideration that both parents had very little choice about being trapped in the Quantum Realm during these bouts of time. While both parental figure did make certain decisions that led to that predicament, that decision seemed the best for the family, the world included, given the information that they had at that point of time.
Everybody is just doing the best they can at any one point in time.
Ant-man stuck in the Quantum Realm. Photo via Quora
Everyone has an origin story that needs to be heard and understood
Superhero or not, no one is perfect. Both parental figures had to explore their shameful past selves: Scott had to ‘swipe’ the Quantum generator which is reminiscent of his criminal ways. Janet had to relive her years in the Quantum Realm when she accidentally helped to release a super villain, resulting in her being labelled a ‘terrorist’ when she chose the greater good. A good dose of self-forgiveness is so important!
Ant-man, Cassie Lang and the Wasp battling Kang the ConquerorPhoto via Variety
Parents can learn from their kids
Action scene peaks in the movie are peppered with moments where the parental figures are inspired by their child figure counterparts. While the parents rediscover themselves, the children in turn, find appreciation in the way that their parents’ consistently show up to fight alongside them or for them.
It’s this hardship of going through the challenges that strengthen the heroes as well as their family ties.
Love is a strong motivation, and this outweighs individual differences.
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