Michael Douglas played Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man, in the MCU. Douglas has appeared in all three Ant-Man films, starting with the first one in 2015. However, he was not entirely happy working in the latest film in the trilogy since the filmmakers failed to implement his one wish for his character. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was a disaster at the box office and it is highly doubtful whether Douglas would appear in another MCU film.
Douglas’ Hank Pym is a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, entomologist, and physicist. He was a friend and colleague of John Slattery’s Howard Stark and Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter. Interestingly, Douglas chose the Ant-Man role after a few failed projects.
Michael Douglas May Not Return To His Role After Ant-Man 3 Failed To Fulfil His Wish
Michael Douglas was not impressed with how Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania dealt with his character. Douglas apparently planned a grand exit from the MCU with a special effects-filled death scene. However, he was not given the opportunity in the third film of the trilogy.
The Basic Instinct actor appeared on The View to promote his AppleTV+ series Franklin. Host Alyssa Griffin asked him about his wish to die in the latest Ant-Man film. Douglas revealed that he had requested the filmmakers to grant him the wish. He wanted a serious death scene with great special effects.
His suggestion was to shrink his character to an ant size and explode him. However, the film had other plans for Douglas and he survived the narrative of the film. Douglas shared that he was not going to show up for the next film, probably due to this reason. It’s unclear whether Douglas was serious about his comments or not. He shared with The View (via EW):
“This actually was my request for the third one. I said I’d like to have a serious [death], with all these great special effects. There’s got to be some fantastic way where I can shrink to an ant size and explode, whatever it is. I want to use all those effects. But, that was on the last one. Now, I don’t think I’m going to show up.”
Weirdly enough, Michael Douglas’ request may have done some good for the movie. A major character death could’ve raised the stakes of the movie and showed Kang the Conqueror as an all-powerful villain.
Michael Douglas Could Still Make His Wish Happen In Ant-Man 4
While Michael Douglas told The View that he may not appear in the fourth film, he had hinted at his return on the Quantumania red carpet. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, he shared that he would return to Ant-Man 4 “as long as I could die.” Douglas’ character deserves a proper closure before the actor bows out of the universe.
The producer of the third film and Marvel exec, Stephen Broussard, shared with ComicBook.com that Ant-Man 4 is under consideration for a future release. It appears that the time factor may also play into whether Douglas returns to the film. The Game actor joined the MCU to shake things up after his failed biographical film Behind the Candelabra. He shared with Reuters:
“Sometimes—like [when] they didn’t see you for Liberace [lead role in Behind the Candelabra]—you’ve got to shake them up a little bit and have some fun.”
Ant-Man 4 is highly unlikely to happen before Avengers: Secret Wars, which is set for a release date in 2027. However, the characters in the film may appear in any of the other ensemble movies.
All Ant-Man films are now available for streaming on Disney+.
