By George & Josh Bate
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania releases in theaters worldwide this week, kicking off Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and allowing audiences the opportunity to get to know the villainous Kang the Conquerer even more, who promises to be the biggest threat the Avengers have ever faced in the coming years.
As the trailers reveal, this sequel sees Ant-Man and his family trapped inside the Quantum Realm, a place that has been referenced repeatedly in the MCU but never shown in great detail. Quantumania sees the first true exploration of this micro-world, including the lives of its inhabitants and the inner-workings of this incredibly complex and unique place that they live in. At the recent press conference for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which The HoloFiles had the opportunity to attend, director Peyton Reed discussed how he and his team went about designing the Quantum Realm, including a few external inspirations for the visuals.
“We looked at everything from electron microscope photography to things like heavy metal magazine in the 70s and 80s, and we wanted to bring in all these elements like this. We wanted to bring in all these elements like this. There’s a little sword and sorcery element, and then there’s a real, like, you know, Mobius element to it.”
In the film, this new world does have an element of the Matrix in its aesthetic and visuals. There’s also clear and direct inspiration from the Star Wars franchise throughout, particularly when it comes to the design of the citizens of Quantumania. Reed went on to discuss the thought process that went into their creation, as well as the unique mechanics of the world around them.
“[But] who are the creatures there and who are the people there, and how do you travel? What are the laws of physics? And we said just bring some of your, you know, most fantastic ideas to the table and let’s figure out what it can be. Because we want to take these characters that the audience has come to know, and send them on this journey and traverse these very strange lands and just have fun with it. It was a part of the MCU that we were free to create on our own, and it was one of the most exciting things about it.”
The ever-expanding nature of the MCU means that there are countless new worlds, planets, cultures, and characters that are being introduced, and the Quantum Realm is a prime example of that.
Make sure to check out The HoloFiles’ spoiler free review of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania:
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania releases in theaters on February 17.