One of the many downsides to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania being greeted with a largely apathetic reception is that it’s ended up having a knock-on effect on the excitement levels for not just the rest of Phase Five, but the entirety of the Multiverse Saga.
There were no shortage of optimistic fans keeping their fingers crossed that Phase Four was a mere bump in the road, and one that would be smoothed out when Paul Rudd’s third solo adventure laid the first building blocks for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. Instead, the franchise is on shakier critical and commercial ground than ever before, with the hype for Quantumania scribe Jeff Loveness penning the next assemblage of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes hardly instilling much in the way of confidence.
The Rick and Morty alum has shrugged off the backlash to focus his efforts and energies towards knocking The Kang Dynasty clear out of the park, a feat everyone is hoping he accomplishes given how important and integral the Avengers crossovers have always been to the MCU.
Fortunately, Loveness has found a high-profile backer at long last, with Ant-Man veteran David Dastmalchian opining to The Direct that he’s the right person for the job.
“It’s such a smart choice, bringing Jeff on board to help craft this world and these stories, because, A.) He has written and understands comic books more than almost any comic book screenwriter out there. I mean, he has actually been in the trenches for a long time. B.) He is so smart. He sees all the moving pieces at one time, and his brain is this fascinating place.
He’s got, what I would describe as like, a beautiful mind. He’s this very sweet, loving, very funny guy, but his brain is like… if he wasn’t writing movies, maybe he’d be inventing, doing something with atomic energy. I don’t know. And all that combines into this deep love and passion for the characters when he talks about them. His passion, much like Peyton, which is why I think that they hit it off so well, is infectious. It’s like talking to a 12-year-old.”
Naysayers are predicting that when the Multiverse Saga is when the wheels well and truly come off the MCU, and while that’s hardly the most enthusiastic of sentiments to have, there are few things better than being proven wrong in such instances. With that in mind, let’s hope The Kang Dynasty delivers, and does it in style.