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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is home to dozens of locations different from our world. Asgard, Xandar, and Wakanda are only scratching the surface of the places that these stories have taken fans and audiences over the years. In its next phase, the MCU will be traveling not to just places, but different universes and dimensions thanks to the introduction of the multiverse.
One important piece of this puzzle is the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which will not only give the next villain of the MCU — Kang the Conquerer — more screen time, but also let fans dive more into the illustrious Quantum Realm. The Quantum Realm, along with the multiverse, is shaping up to be a vital piece in the next phase of the MCU, with beloved heroes shifting between time and space. But what exactly is the Quantum Realm?
Like other things in the MCU, the Quantum Realm isn’t the same as the original comics — it’s actually a mash-up of two important concepts from Ant-Man’s lore: the Microverse and the Quantum Zone. The Microverse, first mentioned in a 1947 comic and further explained in 1964, is a dimension so small that it was believed to be hiding between the atoms that held the universe together. In the comics, the Microverse was home to an onslaught of characters — most notably the Micronauts. The Micronauts were based on action figures of the same name that were popular during the early 1980s. Eventually, the figures were discontinued and the comic series as well. When it came time for an Ant-Man film, the MCU had a problem: they didn’t own the licensing for the Micronauts, so a name change was in order. But where does the quantum come from in Quantum Realm? Its origins come from the second Ant-Man concept mentioned — the Quantum Zone. Though only mentioned a few times in the comics, the Quantum Zone is important, as it’s the realm where all the energy in the Marvel comics originates as potential energy.
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Both these pieces combine into the Quantum Realm, a name which was coined by physicist Dr. Spiros Michalakis, who served as a scientific consultant on the Ant-Man films. Dr. Michalakis described the rules of the Quantum Realm as fluid, calling the minuscule dimension “a soup of pure possibilities.” In a place like the Quantum Realm, the laws of physics that govern the world we know are merely suggestions and almost anything is possible — if one knows how to interact with the Realm.
The Quantum Realm starts its journey in the MCU with the first Ant-Man film, as Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) tells Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) about his time in the dimension, which his wife Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) is trapped in. Audiences first experience the Quantum Realm at the end of the film, when Lang shrinks to a subatomic state in order to defeat Yellowjacket (Corey Stoll.) He shrinks further and further down until he flies past atoms and dust mites until he reaches darkness. The result is a few moments of psychedelic imagery until Lang adjusts the Ant-Man suit and returns to his normal size. The Realm then appears in 2016's Doctor Strange, as the Ancient One sends Stephen Strange through multiple dimensions, among them the Quantum Realm, after arriving in Kamar-Taj.
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It’s also thanks to Lang’s time in the Quantum Realm at the end of Ant-Man and the Wasp that the time-traveling events of Avengers: Endgame are able to take place. After being trapped in the Realm during the Snap, Lang was unable to return and was trapped inside the Quantum Realm — which resembles a swirling, colorful mist of clouds based on the former Disneyland attraction Adventure Thru Inner Space — for five years. When he reunites with the remaining Avengers, Scott remarks that the time only felt like five hours. It’s the technology of quantum-level traveling that allows the Avengers to go back in time and reverse the events that let Thanos cause the Snap in the first place.
The next outing for the Quantum Realm will be in early 2023 with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. While the plot is still under wraps, the title makes it pretty obvious that Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lily) will be getting into some trouble inside the Quantum Realm. The tiny dimension just may be the way that Kang the Conquerer (played by Jonathan Majors), the infamous villain of Quantumania and the MCU’s next era, finds his way to entangle into Ant-Man’s and other characters’ lives. Fans won’t be sure until more photos and teaser trailers finally premiere, but it’s important to go into Quantumania with an idea of what the Quantum Realm is.