James Garcia on how Avengers: Age of Ultron accidentally eliminated the one thing that makes Ant-Man stand apart from the crowd. Be warned, Age of Ultron spoilers abound…
For Avengers: Age of Ultron, director Joss Whedon was faced with several enormously difficult tasks; he had to make a riveting follow-up to his much beloved first Avengers team-up, give each of the film’s new and returning cast members their due, and spend some of that screentime laying the groundwork for several upcoming Marvel projects as well. While he managed, for the most part, to succeed in those three tasks, he also inadvertently stepped on one of the only things that makes Ant-Man – the Avenger up to bat – stand apart from his MCU brethren.
The lead has been buried in the film’s marketing in favor of selling audiences on the rather goofy premise, but at Ant-Man‘s core is a story about fathers and daughters. Michael Douglas’ Hank Pym is father to Evangeline Lilly’s Hope van Dyne, and Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang has a daughter of his own, making him the first of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes with children. Or, at least he was, until Hawkeye came along and stole that from him.
One of Age of Ultron‘s most unexpected surprises was the reveal that Hawkeye has a wife (played by Linda Cardellini) and kids, whom he’s been keeping secret from his fellow heroes to ensure their safety. It’s a way for Whedon to give Clint Barton – who undeniably got the short shrift the first time the Avengers assembled – more of a part to play in the sequel, and fit nicely into the film’s themes of heroism. Unlike the others on the team, who all have love interests and an obligation to save the world because of their gifts/abilities, Hawkeye suits up to ensure that his wife and children will have a future. It’s a selfless and extraordinary thing to do… but it was kind of Ant-Man’s thing to do.
Our very own Anghus Houvouras has already put together a piece on how Ant-Man is, for all intents and purposes, basically just Iron Man 2.0. He’s a sarcastic rogue with a super suit. Add a daughter into that equation, and you not only separate Scott Lang from Tony Stark, but you separate him from every other big screen superhero. Except for Hawkeye, apparently.
I don’t mean to suggest that, because of this Hawkeye revelation, Ant-Man’s fatherhood becomes meaningless. Peyton Reed will have plenty more screentime to devote to the concept than Whedon did, meaning we’ll likely get a more realized and compelling story out of it. The Bartons twist felt a bit shoehorned into the larger Age of Ultron scheme, as a way for Whedon to force the audience to care about a character we’ve been prone to make fun of since The Avengers.
Still, there’s no denying that the twist takes a bit of the wind out of the sails for Ant-Man, especially since he’ll be a part of Captain America: Civil War. His familial situation could have been an enthralling reason for whatever side of the Superhero Registration Act he falls on, but now there’ll be a bit of a “been there, done that” quality to the whole thing. And all for some hammy bait-and-switch meant to convince us that Hawkeye would be killed off… Psyche!
James Garcia is a mild-mannered freelance writer and LEGO photographer. Follow him on Twitter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszFLSgML6ddazw180SXMvMz5&v=8HTiU_hrLms
Originally published May 22, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
