Who Is the True Villain of ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’?

Lawrence Yee
Movies MCU
Movies MCU

SPOILER ALERT: Warning, this article contains major spoilers from Ant-Man and the Wasp. Proceed at your own risk.

There’s an old saying that there’s no honor among thieves, and that holds true in Ant-Man and the Wasp (read our review here).

Like the original Ant-Man, the sequel is a superhero heist films, with multiple parties (including the titular characters) seeking a prize — something locked away in the Quantum Realm. But who is the main villain, and are there more malevolent forces at work? Let’s start at the bottom and work our way up.

Agent Woo

Ant-Man and the Wasp Agent Woo

More foil than foe, Agent Jimmy Woo is determined to prove Scott Lang/Ant-Man is violating his house arrest. Played to bumbling perfection by Randall Park (who stars on the ABC sitcom Fresh Off the Boat), Woo hopes by catching Lang outside so that he can lock him up in a federal facility. Unfortunately for Woo, Lang finds creative ways of duping Woo, including attaching his ankle monitoring bracelet to a giant ant.

Sonny Burch

Ant-Man and the Wasp Sonny Burch

Many heists films have small-time criminals, and in Ant-Man and the Wasp, it’s Sonny Burch. A black market dealer who possesses more hired muscle than bravery, Burch is happy to cut and run. He’s determined to make a profit off Hank Pym’s research without really understanding it, going so far as to steal Pym’s portable lab.

Ghost

Ant-Man and the Wasp Ghost

Touted as the villain in the Ant-Man and the Wasp marketing materials, Ghost — aka Ava Starr — actually knows the value of Pym’s research. Her father Elihas was a former partner of Pym’s who was fired and discredited. Elihas and his wife were killed when one of his quantum energy experiences went awry. The accident left Ava in a state of “molecular disequilibrium,” allowing her to phase through solid objects. Unfortunately, her powers are also killing her, so she turns to …

William “Bill” Foster

Ant-Man and the Wasp William Foster

Like Elihas, Bill Foster is a former colleague of Hank’s. Pym enlists Bill’s help in tracking his portable lab, which Ghost steals. After Hank, his daughter Hope, and Ant-Man are captured, Bill reveals he’s been helping Ghost all along. Their goal — like Hank’s — is to extract Hank’s wife Janet from the Quantum Realm. But instead of rescuing her, they want to use the quantum energy Janet has stored to heal Ava.

In the end, it’s a win-win. Janet is freed and uses her powers to stabilize Ava temporarily. Ant-Man returns to the Quantum Realm to harvest more energy to heal Ava. Meanwhile, in the outside world, Hank, Janet, and Hope assist him with navigation when all contact is cut. Like 50% of the universe, they fall victim to the biggest baddie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Thanos

Avengers Infinity War Thanos

While the arch-villain does not physically appear in the film, Thanos’ snap heard ’round the universe has major consequences. Hank, Hope, and Janet disintegrate, leaving Ant-Man trapped in the Quantum Realm.

As the post-credits scene postulates: Will Ant-Man and the Wasp return? And what role will they have in restoring the universe? Fans will find out in May 2019 when the Infinity War sequel is released (read our theories here).

Lawrence Yee
Lawrence is Editor in Chief of FANDOM. He grew up loving X-Men, Transformers, and Japanese-style role playing games like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. First-person shooters make him incredibly nauseous.