Michael Douglas, the Oscar-winning actor who plays Hank Pym in the MCU's Ant-Man movies, wanted his character to die... but only in the most "fantastic" way possible.
Douglas appeared on The View earlier this week to talk about his new Apple TV+ series Franklin, and was asked about comments he's made about only returning for a fourth Ant-Man movie if Hank Pym dies. He clarified that his death wish for Hank actually came before that, with last year's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
"This actually was my request for the third one," Douglas said. "I said... with all these great special effects, there's gotta be some fantastic way where I can shrink to ant size and explode. I don't know, whatever it is. I want to use all those effects."
Michael Douglas wanted his 'Ant-Man' character Hank Pym to be killed off in the Marvel franchise — and he has thoughts on how it should happen! https://t.co/cVclFZQmjA pic.twitter.com/bMpjVDI6wY
— The View (@TheView) April 16, 2024
"But that was on the last one," he continued. "Now, I don't think I'm gunna show up."
As mentioned, Douglas did previously say that he would return for a potential Ant-Man 4, telling THR his one condition: "As long as I can die." Clearly, Douglas really wants Marvel Studios to kill off Hank Pym already.
Obviously, Hank did live to see the end of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, although Marvel Studios hasn't revealed whether or not it plans to continue the Ant-Man series. Quantumania was profitable at the box office, grossing $476 million worldwide (per Box Office Mojo), but it struggled with critics and made less money overall than its two predecessors.
The special effects that Douglas mentions, too, were at issue, with reports emerging that Quantumania was prioritized below other MCU movies, making the VFX situation even tougher. Marvel's VFX workers have since gone public with their unionization effort, a potentially groundbreaking push for the industry.
In short, we don't know if there will be an Ant-Man 4, but if there is, let's hope Hank Pym gets the sweet release of death that Douglas wishes for him.
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
