Ant-Man And The Wasp: 5 New Characters To Look Forward To

In just under two months, Ant-Man and the Wasp - the anticipated sequel to 2015's Ant-Man - has the unenviable task of following up the massive hype and success that continues to surround Avengers: Infinity War. Rather than picking up where that film left off, the sequel is turning the clock back a bit to catch up with Scott and his allies in the aftermath of the events of Captain America: Civil War, bridging the gap between that film and the titular heroes' appearance in next year's fourth Avengers film.

Though Ant-Man and the Wasp will feature the return of several familiar faces, including the lovable grump that is Hank Pym and the scene-stealing Luis, it's also bringing with it a healthy dose of new blood to the MCU, with actors like Laurence Fishburne, Walton Goggins, and Michelle Pfeiffer joining the franchise to breathe life into heroes and villains alike, some of whom are destined to help expand the mythology of the MCU in whole new ways.

With the wait for the film's release on July 6th looming ahead of us, let's take a look at the newcomers we'll soon be meeting to explore why they're worth getting excited about seeing and what their arrival could mean for the lives of the characters we've already come to know and love

5. Jimmy Woo

All the way back in the second season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., fans were teased when Agent Melinda May whipped out her cell phone and a name was listed among her contacts: Jimmy Woo. Though the Easter egg never went anywhere on the series, the simple act established that Woo - an FBI agent turned S.H.I.E.L.D. agent whose comic legacy dates all the way back to 1956 - exists within the MCU.

Thanks to Ant-Man and the Wasp, we'll finally get to see the character in the flesh, portrayed by actor Randall Park. Though he's been absent from the footage we've been given so far, the first image revealed of him on set suggests that his character will be responsible for monitoring Scott, who - as we learned in Infinity War - accepted house arrest following what went down in Civil War. Fingers crossed there will also be an acknowledgement of his past as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, if even just for the sake of keeping continuity with the namedrop back in 2014.

Park is a gifted comedic actor, and seeing him try to deal with Scott as Ant-Man is called back into action will undoubtedly play into the film's sense of humor. How big or small his role will ultimately be is anyone's guess, but hopefully the sequel can tap into his decades-long history as a hero in the comics to keep him along for the ride rather than reduce him to a one-note punchline of a character.

4. Bill Foster

First introduced in comics back in 1966, biochemist Bill Foster went on to be known by several superhero aliases - Black Goliath, Goliath, and Giant-Man - all of which represented his ability to change in size, increasing his strength the more he towered over his opponents.

For Ant-Man and the Wasp, Laurence Fishburne will be stepping into Foster's shoes, introducing fans to Hank Pym's former assistant on Project Goliath. That project, which - as we learned in the trailer - once allowed Foster to grow to a size of twenty-one feet, has come a long way since, as Scott used that power to grow over three times that, something we first saw him do in Civil War and will see again on a much more public scale in his own sequel.

Considering how deeply Hank Pym's various technologies and projects seem to be playing a part in the film, particularly for two villains we'll be covering shortly, it seems as though Scott, Hope, and Hank will be coming to Foster for help in either solving their antagonist problem or in finding a way to safely get in and out of the Quantum Realm. Whatever the case may be, having Fishburne in the fold is a win for the MCU regardless, and hopefully he'll get the chance to suit up, whether it be in flashbacks, in the present-day timeline, or somewhere down the future to satisfy longtime fans of the character.

3. Sonny Burch

The character of Sonny Burch first appeared in Marvel Comics back in 2003, an antagonist of Iron Man whose history was short-lived, as he committed suicide after his selfish ways blew up in his face. In the grand scheme of things, he's a drop in the bucket of Marvel lore, but his comic connection to Cross Technologies has given his cinematic counterpart a chance to be similarly connected on screen.

With Darren Cross having been killed by the end of Ant-Man and with Hank Pym's world seemingly falling apart in Ant-Man and the Wasp, it seems as though Sonny Burch will be attempting to claim Pym's technologies and research for himself. As seen in the trailer, Burch spends a whole lot of time being pursued by our heroes after he makes off with the miniaturized Pym building, but whether it's for a far more nefarious purpose or simply out of good, old-fashioned corporate greed remains to be seen.

Thanks to the casting of Walton Goggins, it's hard not to hope that there's more to Sonny than just being a disposable villain-of-the-week, as the actor has proven himself more than capable of gifting us with complex performances in the past, and even though all eyes are on the film's more outwardly intriguing antagonist - who we'll be getting to next - we shouldn't discount the idea that there may be more up Sonny's sleeve than expected.

2. Ghost

Like Sonny Burch, Ghost was first introduced as an enemy of Iron Man, not Ant-Man, back in 1987, over time evolving into a vigilante with an anti-corporate agenda and a whole host of skills to carry that out, from being a master hacker, proficient in all kinds of dangerous weaponry, and, of course, being the owner of a suit that allowed him to turn invisible.

For Ant-Man and the Wasp, the character is undergoing a gender swap thanks to the casting of Hannah John-Kamen, as well as a bit of tinkering to her origin story and abilities. Judging from the trailer, it seems as though she'll develop her ability to phase through things after coming into contact with one of Hank Pym's technologies, but other than the fact she'll be clashing with our heroes, it's not quite clear what her ultimate goal is.

Considering those involved in the film have said that the heart of the film's narrative has been around making it into the Quantum Realm to find and rescue the long-lost Janet van Dyne, how Ghost will play into that is covered with a big question mark as we move towards July. Luis mentions that she wants to "take over the world or whatever," but it's easier to put more stock in the "or whatever" part than it is in believing she wants to take over the world. Is she working with Sonny? Is she trying to destroy Pym Technologies? Or is she, too, trying to find a way into the Quantum Realm? Whatever those answers may be, hopefully Ghost can continue the ongoing streak of great cinematic villains we've been having.

1. Janet Van Dyne

This may be a bit of a cheat considering we technically got a glimpse of Hank Pym's wife Janet, the original Wasp, during a flashback in the original film wherein we saw the moment she went subatomic and vanished from Hank's life. Her decades-long absence and the circumstances around it affected Hank to the point it caused a rift in his relationship with Hope - until, that is, he revealed the truth - and Ant-Man left Hank wondering if she's still alive.

Fortunately, we already know the answer, as Michelle Pfeiffer is set to bring Janet to life in the big sequel. Though the footage so far has mainly focused on Scott and Hope's antics and the arrival of Sonny Burch and Ghost in their lives, it's been suggested that the real thrust of the narrative will be getting into the Quantum Realm to find and rescue Janet so that she can finally be reunited with her family.

Her imminent arrival is a big moment for the MCU, as truly introducing the original Wasp is something fans have looked forward to for years, but there's undoubtedly going to be more to her return than an easy happy ending. She's spent years trapped and alone inside the Quantum Realm, and certainly that will have had some sort of effect on her, negative or positive, which will complicate her return to the world and her reunion with Hank and Hope. If anything, having Pfeiffer in the MCU is exciting, and there's little doubt her Janet could steal the show this July.

Which characters are you most excited to see in Ant-Man And The Wasp? Let us know down in the comments