Let's be real for a second. When you look at the cast of Ant-Man 3, you're not just looking at a list of actors. You're looking at a weird, wild bridge between the old-school Marvel vibe and the absolute chaos of the Multiverse Saga. Honestly, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania had a lot of weight on its shoulders. It had to introduce a big bad, fix a daughter-shaped plot hole, and somehow make Bill Murray fit into a subatomic war.
Some people loved the result. Others? Not so much. But regardless of how you feel about the CGI, the actual humans behind the masks (and the giant floating heads) are fascinating.
The Core Team: Scott Lang’s Growing Pains
Paul Rudd is basically ageless. We know this. But in this flick, he’s playing a Scott Lang who is kinda... coasting? He wrote a book, "Look Out for the Little Guy," and he’s enjoying being the guy who helped save the universe. It’s a fun meta-commentary on fame. Then you’ve got Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne. She’s busy running a foundation, basically being the adult in the room while Scott drinks free coffee.
But the real heart of the "Ant-Family" this time around isn't just the leads. It’s the legacy.
- Michael Douglas as Hank Pym: He’s still grumpy. He still loves ants. Seeing him lead a literal ant army later in the film is probably the most "Michael Douglas" thing to happen in the MCU.
- Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne: She is the MVP here. Janet spent 30 years in the Quantum Realm, and Pfeiffer plays her with this "I've seen things you wouldn't believe" energy. She’s the one holding all the secrets about who Kang really is.
The Cassie Lang Recasting Drama
Okay, we have to talk about Kathryn Newton. This was a big point of contention for fans. In Avengers: Endgame, Cassie was played by Emma Fuhrmann. When the cast of Ant-Man 3 was announced, Marvel had swapped her for Kathryn Newton.
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Why? Basically, they wanted a "name" for what they hope will be a future Young Avenger. Newton brings a lot of energy—she’s the social justice warrior of the family—but the swap definitely felt jarring for some who liked the continuity of the Endgame actress. Honestly, though? Newton handles the "I'm a teen who accidentally started a revolution" vibe pretty well.
Kang the Conqueror: The Jonathan Majors Paradox
You can't talk about the cast of Ant-Man 3 without the elephant in the room. Jonathan Majors was meant to be the next Thanos. His performance as Kang the Conqueror is, frankly, the best thing in the movie. He’s quiet. He’s terrifying. He doesn't need to scream to make you feel like the world is ending.
The nuance he brought to the character—that specific "banished king" loneliness—made the stakes feel real. Of course, looking back now from 2026, we know how the real-world legal issues and his eventual departure from Marvel changed the entire trajectory of the MCU. It makes watching his performance in Quantumania feel a bit like looking at a time capsule of what could have been.
The Variants and the Council
One of the wildest scenes is the mid-credits bit. Majors isn't just playing one guy. He’s playing thousands. You've got Immortus, Rama-Tut, and the Centurion. It was a massive flex of his acting range, even if the VFX in that particular scene looked a bit like a PlayStation 3 cinematic.
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The Weird Guys: Bill Murray and the "Hole" Obsession
Now, let’s get into the stuff that makes people go "Wait, who was that?"
Bill Murray plays Lord Krylar. He’s basically a former freedom fighter turned collaborator who may or may not have had a "thing" with Janet back in the day. Murray is just being Murray here. He’s dry, he’s weird, and then he gets eaten (maybe?) by a giant squid-thing. It’s a small role, but it added that weird, 70s sci-fi flavor the movie was going for.
Then there's David Dastmalchian.
He played Kurt (the "Baba Yaga" guy) in the first two movies. In the cast of Ant-Man 3, he doesn't play Kurt. He voices Veb. Veb is a pink slime creature obsessed with how many "holes" humans have. It’s ridiculous. It’s gross. It’s exactly the kind of humor you expect from this franchise.
The MODOK Situation
Corey Stoll returned! If you remember the first Ant-Man, his character Darren Cross (Yellowjacket) got shrunk into oblivion. Well, he didn't die. He became MODOK (Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing).
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People hated how he looked. His giant, stretched-out face was the subject of a million memes. But if you lean into the absurdity, Stoll is clearly having a blast being a "pathetic little freak." His redemption arc—where he decides "not to be a dick"—is one of the funniest, most bizarre character deaths in Marvel history.
Why the Ant-Man 3 Cast Matters for the Future
Even though the movie had a rocky reception, the cast of Ant-Man 3 set up a lot of dominoes. We got our first real look at the Quantum Realm's indigenous people, like Jentorra (played by Katy O'Brian) and Quaz (William Jackson Harper from The Good Place).
These characters represent the "Star Wars" side of Marvel. They aren't just background noise; they’re the reason Cassie Lang finally finds her feet as a hero.
Real-World Takeaways
- Legacy is Key: The movie is less about Scott and more about his daughter. If you're tracking the MCU, keep an eye on Kathryn Newton.
- The Villain Pivot: Because of the Jonathan Majors situation, the "Council of Kangs" we see at the end of this movie became a bit of a narrative dead end. It’s a lesson in how fast the movie business changes.
- The "Weird" Factor: Marvel is at its best when it lets actors like David Dastmalchian be absolute weirdos.
If you're planning a rewatch, pay attention to the background. There are cameos from Randall Park (Jimmy Woo) and even some uncredited bits from people like Gregg Turkington as the Baskin-Robbins manager. It’s a dense movie, and the cast is doing a lot of heavy lifting to keep the heart beating under all that purple CGI.
The best way to appreciate this lineup is to view it as a transition. It’s the end of the "heist movie" era for Ant-Man and the start of something much bigger, even if that "something" didn't quite go as planned. Stick around for the credits, not just for the teasers, but to see the sheer scale of the production team it took to bring these subatomic characters to life.