If any of theAvengersare likely to die in the upcomingDoomsday, it’s Scott Lang’s Ant-Man. Paul Rudd has played the eponymous character ever since the 2015Ant-Manmovie. He then proceeded to reprise the role in four additional MCU movies, but if Ant-Man’s onscreen journey is anything like his on-panel history, then his time is coming to an end.
On-panel, Ant-Man dies alongside The Avengers, and his death directly leads to his daughter, Cassie Lang, becoming a superhero. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Cassie is already a superhero working alongside Scott, which is a key difference between the comics and the movies.
However, that doesn’t mean that Scott’s death still can’t play a significant role in Cassie’s hero’s journey. Beyond just being comic-accurate and faithful to Marvel’s original storylines,it’s essential for Scott Lang to die inAvengers: Doomsdayin order to truly usher in a new wave of heroes for the MCU’s next generation.
…Scott Lang’s death proved the tipping point for Cassie’s journey; it gifted her the opportunity to create a legacy of her own…
Ant-Man Is Killed at Avengers Mansion by Jack of Hearts
Avengers#500 by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch
Scott Lang’s death occurs in the“Disassembled”arc, one of the most devastating storylines in Avengerslore. Several Avengers members are made into casualties as a result of The Scarlet Witch’s mass meddling with reality.Upon recalling repressed memories of Mephisto taking away twin children that never really existed, Wanda Maximoff’s state of mind becomes far more erratic, leading to her manifesting some rather unhinged creations. The first to fall as a result of her actions is Ant-Man.
Her first misdeed comes when she reanimates the previously dead, underrated Avenger,Jack of Hearts. Upon arriving at Avengers Mansion, the doorstep is answered by Scott Lang, andJack spontaneously combusts into oblivion, taking Scott and the remnants of the Avengers' home base with himin the destruction. This was just the first of many shocking deaths the Avengers suffered during“Disassembled,”leading to the team’s disbandment at the end of the storyline. Scott’s death is a major source of trauma for the team, grieving for him, but none more than Cassie Lang.
Cassie Lang Stands Alongside a New Wave of Young Avengers
Cassie Doesn’t Become a Superhero Without Ant-Man Dying in the Comics
In a world without the Avengers, a new crop of young heroes tries to step up in their place. When a teenage Kang the Conqueror learns about his future as a supervillain, as well as his nefarious self’s new plans, he tries to garner the original team’s attention by adopting their costumes and lineage. Cassie isn’t a part of the initial team, but as she tells Kate Bishop when asked if she’s a young Avenger,“I’m gonna be.”She views the emergence of the Young Avengers as an opportunity to continue her father’s research and legacy.
This conversation between Cassie and Kate takes place inYoung Avengers#2 by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung.
Scott Lang’s research, spare uniforms, his helmet, and mantle had long been abandoned by the time Cassie Lang steps into the picture, but all of which are given to Cassie at his death. She vows to use them to become the new Ant-Man.Up until this point, Cassie had no powers or interest in being a superhero.Still, in an effort to feel closer to her late father, whom she misses, and to respect his legacy, she changed the trajectory of her entire life.
Cassie Lang Didn’t Just Inherit Ant-Man’s Powers, She Earned Her Own Legacy
Rejected by the Young Avengers, Cassie’s Rage Unleashed Her True Potential
When Cassie finally meets the Young Avengers, they initially reject her,withfounding member Patriotgoing as far as to dismiss her entirely as a“little girl.”Cassie is so enraged at the notion that she unintentionally grows to the size of a giant, much like her father would in becoming Giant-Man. Every Ant-Man needed their high-tech suit to grow big or small, but neither was necessary for Cassie. She was unknowingly exposed to the Pym Particles, which her father frequently experimented with.
Because Cassie spent much of her childhood around her father, she was unknowingly exposed to the Pym Particles he often used in his experiments. These were the same particles that allowed him to grow and shrink through his suit. In time, the Young Avengers welcomed Cassie into their ranks, andinstead of adopting her father’s superhero name, she chose to become Stature.While Scott Lang’s death was the turning point in her journey, it allowed Cassie to create a legacy of her own. She became a hero for herself, not just in her father’s shadow.
Cassie Lang’s Death Leads to Scott’s Rebirth
Doctor Doom Revives Ant-Man Moments Before Killing Stature
While it’s the tragedy of Ant-Man that brings Cassie’s superhero career to life,it’s her death that leads to the original Avenger’s resurrection.The nine-issueAvengers: The Children’s Crusadesees Doctor Doom steal the Scarlet Witch’s reality-bending powers while intervening in one of her spells made to reverse the damage she’s previously done. Promising to rebuild the world in his image, Doom attempts to assert his power over the heroes by essentially performing miracles in real time like a Christ-like figure. Among these miracles is the revival of Scott Lang.
Almost instantaneously, Scott joins the fight against Doom and gets seemingly squished for his efforts. Enraged, Stature strikes Doom, but outmatched by power and inexperienced,Doom kills Cassie with ease.Even after Doom is defeated, Scott is dismayed to find his dead daughter in the rubble. Everything comes full circle in a bittersweet twist, made even more fitting when considering the MCU. In the comics, it’s Doctor Doom who tears the Lang family apart; a fate that seems just as likely to unfold inAvengers: Doomsday.
Ant-Man’s Death Could Be the MCU’s Most Important Catalyst for Its Next Generation
Cassie Lang’s Hero Journey Mirrors the Comics, But This Time, She’s the One Left Standing
Obviously, because the MCU has alreadymadeadjustments when adapting the comics, the story won’t align perfectly with what happens between the two. However, the sentiment nonetheless still applies, albeit in a different way. In the comics, Cassie’s primary motivator as a superhero is to uphold the legacy of Ant-Man in his memory. When Ant-Man is alive again, her mission is complete, and thus, it’s Scott who is left to reel from her death instead. Similarly, in the MCU,Scott becomes a superhero to protect his daughter.
Now, his daughter is all grown up and old enough to protect herself, thanks in part to her father’s training and teachings. He’s prepared her for any and everything… except his death. If one thing can take Cassie’s superhero career to the next level in terms of character development and positioning her on a higher hierarchy on the MCU totem pole, it’s the death of Ant-Man. Ant-Man’s comic death is wholly important to Cassie’s hero aspirations, and even more so now if the MCU truly wants to revamp theAvengersfranchise with a new generation of young superheroes.
Every issue of The Avengers'“Disassembled"storyline,Young Avengers, andAvengers: The Children’s Crusadeare available now from Marvel.
The Avengers
Cast
The sixth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers is an action superhero film that sees the heroes assembled across the franchise face off with a deadly galactic threat. With the arrival of Thor’s brother, Loki, heroes such as Captain America, The Hulk, Iron Man, and Black Widow are brought together to stop him from unleashing an alien race upon earth.
