FEIGE Reveals PYM's Past With STARK & Why He Hung Up The ANT-MAN Suit
By Chris Arrant, Editor July 2, 2015 08:14am ET
Paul Rudd as Scott Lang and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym in "Ant-Man"
Paul Rudd's Scott Lang may be the the central Ant-Man in the upcoming Ant-Man movie, but Kevin Feige is now emphasizing Hank Pym's time as the original Ant-Man in Marvel Cinematic Universe lore. The Marvel Studios President and executive producer describes the legacy of Ant-Man that will be established in the movie as a key part of Marvel's movies.
"This very much has its roots grounded in the mythoogy of the cinematic universe," Feige said. And it's connected, via Hank Pym to a period of time that relates to Howard Stark and Peggy Carter. The Mid-days of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the late '80s, early '90s, which was a period we haven't seen of [yet]."
"There's a lot of back story to get across in this movie [about] what Hank did in his past," Feige admits. "We see some of it. We hear about a lot of it. But it's not about the trial and error of inventing the Pym Particle. The Pym Particle is [already] invented. He has been on adventures as Ant-Man beforehand."
Marvel recently published a comic book prequel to the Ant-Man movie featuring a story about the Marvel Cinematic Universe Hank Pym operating as Ant-Man during the Cold War. The Marvel Studios President said we'll see more of Pym's adventures as Ant-Man in the movie.
"There's a lot of back story to get across in this movie [about] what Hank did in his past. We se soe of it. We hear about a lot of it," Feige said. "But it's not about the trial and error of inventing the Pym Particle. The Pym Particle is [already] invented. He has been on adventures as Ant-Man beforehand."
Feige revealed that the reason Pym hung up the Ant-Man helmet has to do with Howard Stark, the father of Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man.
"[Hank Pym] does not have a great experience with people that he thinks are running things today," Feige revealed. Howard, in particular, he had a non-great encounter with in the past, and that's why he hung it up. That's why he put [the suit] in a secured vault for decades and decades, and it's not until this movie that he has a reason to take it out again."
Mad Men's John Slattery has already been confirmed as reprising his role as an elder Howard Stark from Iron Man 2 in Ant-Man.
Feige re-itterates what he's stated previously about Ant-Man being a movie about fathers and daughters with Hank Pym and Hope Van Dyne, alongside Scott Lang and Cassie Lang.
"[Lang is] the first Marvel hero [in the Cinematic Universe] to have a family [and] a kid, which is also unique and fun," Feige said.
It looks like Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye did such a good job keeping his wife and two children a secret that they escaped the notice of the head of Marvel Studios. But to be fair the interview may have taken place during an Ant-Man set visit prior to the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron and Feige didn't want to spoil the plot point.
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