Marvel
first phase of films ended with ‘Avengers Assemble’, but Phase Two
won’t be ending with its sequel. 'Ant-Man’, not 'Age of Ultron’ will cap
it all off, and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has explained why.
Speaking to Slash Film, Feige explains that the reason is Michael Douglas’ Hank Pym, and his ties to the existing Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
“You
meet new characters and you learn about Hank Pym and his lineage with
the MCU over the years,” says Feige. “But at the same time, [the film]
also picks up the thread of 'Age of Ultron’ in terms of heroes coming
from unexpected places. 
"Whether
it’s prison in the case of Scott Lang or being a very disgruntled
Sokovian Twins as Wanda and Pietro [Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver] are
in 'Age of Ultron’. And in that way it connects a lot.
"Also,
Hank Pym’s attitude towards Avengers, towards S.H.I.E.L.D, and kind of
the cinematic universe in general, is much more informed after 'Age of
Ultron’ events, and in a certain way, before the events of 'Civil War’.”
Seeing
as Pym - the original Ant-Man - is being portrayed by an older actor in
Douglas (who is 70), then his more active years will have been well
before the events of Peyton Reed’s film.
We
know this will be explored because of the inclusion of Hayley Atwell as
Peggy Carter and John Slattery as Howard Stark in the film. Having
already appeared in ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ and ‘Iron Man
2′ respectively, the scenes involving them could be set in any period
between the 60s and 80s.
During
this period Carter will have set up S.H.I.E.L.D, which would explain
Pym’s ties there. What else though? Well in the comics its Hank Pym who
creates Ultron, but in the forthcoming film it’s Tony Stark - at least
in some way.
The
film’s official synopsis says Stark “jumpstarts a dormant peacekeeping
program,” so could Pym have been the one to create that dormant Ultron
program? It seems likely. Whatever the reason the program was originally
left dormant could also be interesting.
Given
'Ant-Man’ takes place after the events of 'Age of Ultron’ there’s
interesting territory to explore with Pym having witnessed the carnage
unleashed on the world by the Ultron program coming to life. His strong
feelings could also tie into the themes of ‘Captain America: Civil
War’.
