“Ant-Man 3” isn’t generating the kind of positive talk that Marvel Studios would have hoped for. In fact, discussion online has been mostly centered around how poorly made the film is. From the CGI to Kang getting stuck in his multiversal engine, fans of the MCU are certainly not happy with most aspects of the film. But the writer of the film, Jeff Loveness, has brushed aside all criticism and defended every single part of the movie.
The ‘Ant-Man 3’ Writer Talks About Kang And Janet
In an interview with The Daily Beast, Jeff Loveness confessed that the movie’s poor reviews took him by surprise. However, he is happy with how the movie and the arcs of the various characters have turned out. He mentioned that he went to watch the film and found the audience enjoying it. This made the writer think that everyone needs to stop grouping themselves into various camps on social media and just enjoy the things they want. He specifically brought up Jonathan Majors’ Kang and Michelle Pfeiffer’s Janet Van Dyne and said that he was proud of what he wrote for their characters.
While many will agree that out of all the other characters, Pfeiffer’s Janet and Majors’ Kang are the standouts, even then, there were grumblings of displeasure in the MCU fandom. Fans thought that it didn’t make sense for Janet to keep secrets from the group even after everyone got stuck in the Quantum Realm. As for Kang, a large majority complained that after hyping up the next biggest threat for the MCU, who was supposedly better than Thanos, the movie showed him getting defeated by ants and losing to Scott Lang before getting imprisoned in his multiversal engine.
Then there’s the entire issue with Scott Lang.
Jeff Loveness Defends The Ending Of The Film And MODOK
Before “Ant-Man 3” was released in theaters, the plot points of the film were leaked on the Marvel Studios Spoilers subreddit. As per the leak, the movie was supposed to end with Scott and Hope getting stuck in the Quantum Realm. The post mentioned that Kang was the one who was originally going to escape from the subatomic realm. The film was supposed to end with Cassie Lang trying to find a way to get her father and Hope out. However, that didn’t happen in the movie. But every plot point mentioned in the leak matched the theatrical version, except the ending. This made many think that the ending was switched at the very last minute.
Loveness was questioned about the ending, and he explained why they went with the one shown in the theatrical version. It’s because if Scott and Hope had been stranded in the Quantum Realm before coming out to help during an Avengers movie, then it would mirror the same plot of “Ant-Man 2” and “Avengers: Endgame,” except instead of Thanos, the villain would be Kang this time around. During an interview with IGN, Loveness remarked that it was more revolutionary to have Scott win at the end. He said that even though the titular hero was ready to sacrifice himself, his family saved him at the last minute. This changes the audience’s expectations and results in a more unconventional ending than the one audiences have been expecting. After all, most recent MCU films have ended with characters dying. For example, Jane died in “Thor 4,” Wanda died in “Doctor Strange 2,” etc.
The writer also urged fans to give the movie a second or third viewing because he had drawn parallels between Scott and Janet that probably weren’t clear during the first watch. Loveness stated that Scott and Janet are in polar opposite situations in the movie. In the beginning, it is Janet who keeps secrets, while at the end, it is Scott who couldn’t tell anyone about his suspicions regarding Kang and that he might still be alive.
Several viewers complained about MODOK as well. Some thought he looked and acted too goofy to be taken seriously. It was a stark contrast to his comic counterpart, who is a legitimate threat. Loveness defended his and Peyton Reed’s interpretation of the character and said that the reviews are wrong and he’s right. He expressed that the character turned out great, and he doesn’t care what anyone else thinks. During an interview with Vital Thrills, the writer went a step too far and expressed that if he gets another opportunity, he will make the character even stupider and won’t portray MODOK as a serious threat.
Is Jeff Loveness Right About Ignoring All The Criticism For ‘Ant-Man 3’?
As the writer of “Ant-Man 3,” it was expected that Loveness would defend the film. However, many MCU fans are irked by his not even acknowledging that there’s something wrong with the movie. Also, several fans are agitated over being sold the wrong film. The trailer hinted at a different movie than the one everyone watched. The clips insinuated that Scott bartering with Kang for more time with Cassie since he lost five years due to the blip and couldn’t watch her grow up. Also, almost every trailer for the movie hinted at Scott Lang’s death.
But neither happened. Even though Scott and Cassie’s relationship is still the core of the film, it was executed unsatisfactorily. Basically, the movie lacked stakes. Historically, “Ant-Man” films had low stakes, but this installment was promoted to be Avengers-level since it was going to introduce the next villain of the MCU. However, there’s no way to change “Ant-Man 3” now. One can only hope that since Loveness is penning “Avengers: Kang Dynasty,” he will come up with a script that’s better than the third Ant-Man film.
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