The MCU’s Hope Pym actor Evangeline Lilly opens up about Hope’s relationship to her mother Janet in the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania star Evangeline Lilly describes her character Hope’s shaky reunion with her mother Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer). Lilly debuted as Hope Pym in 2015’s Ant-Man, starring alongside Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas as the daughter of previous Ant-Man Hank Pym (Douglas) and Scott Lang (Rudd)’s love interest. The Pym family had a tragic past due to the loss of Hope’s mother when Hope was young due to Janet, also known as the Wasp, sacrificing herself while on a mission with Hank and becoming lost to the Quantum Realm. In 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp, Hope’s mother was finally retrieved from the Quantum Realm and reunited with the family.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will presumably pick up where the Ant-Man sequel left off, seeing Hope adjust to having her mother back in her life and the world finally going back to some semblance of normal after Avengers: Endgame. Despite the touching joy that both mother and daughter expressed at being reunited in Ant-Man and the Wasp, Lilly teased during the Marvel panel at Brazil’s Comic Con Experience that the way forward won’t be simple for the pair. In a video shared by Hyper Omelete from the convention, Lilly states that “there’s a lot that Hope doesn’t know” about her mother, which may make the rekindling of their bond more difficult. See what she had to say below:
“So of course, Hope was so excited to get her Mom back. And she was thinking, this is gonna be a fantasy, and I’m going to have my mom, and we’re going to be best friends and we’ll tell each other everything and life will be intimate and my life will be perfect. And life is never perfect, especially with our parents. Especially with parents who spent thirty years in the Quantum realm. And so there’s a lot that Hope doesn’t know, and doesn’t find out about her mom until this journey begins. And it’s a dark and difficult thing to deal with for her.”
How Family Plays An Important Role In Ant-Man Movies
The Ant-Man franchise is unique among the Marvel Cinematic Universe in that family has always been deeply woven into the fabric of Scott’s story, as well as the Pyms’. Though many MCU heroes, such as Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.), have trauma associated with their parents, Scott is a parent himself, so his decisions are often informed by doing what’s right for his daughter Cassie (Kathryn Newton). Scott’s experience as a parent is what allows him to relate to Hank and eventually earn Hank’s trust in Ant-Man.
Additionally, Scott being a parent leads him to invest more fully in helping Hope reunite with her mother since the blended family he has formed with Cassie, his ex-wife, and her new husband is so important to him. As a hero, Scott faces a difficult position at times since his actions as Ant-Man can often put Cassie in danger and their family unit at risk. Despite the risks, Scott draws strength from Cassie’s pride in her father’s acts of heroism and strives to continue being a person that Cassie can be proud of by remaining Ant-Man even when it becomes difficult.
The Pym family’s dynamics also play an important role in the Ant-Man franchise, since Hank’s regret over Janet’s disappearance led to him being overprotective of Hope, keeping her from donning the Wasp suit until Ant-Man and the Wasp. While Scott seeks to do right by Cassie in the present, Hank has the reverse journey of realizing and attempting to correct his past mistakes. With Janet finally stepping into a lead role in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, it will be interesting to see how her complex relationships with her daughter and husband inform the family’s actions in the upcoming film.
Source: Hyper Omelete