The grand finale battle of Avengers: Endgame brings together each and every hero from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Avengers, the Guardians, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange…even Howard the Duck. There are two notable exceptions, though: Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, the original Ant-Man and the Wasp. Sure, the duo are retired, but they still have their superhero suits from the old days. So why didn’t they lend a hand when the fate of the universe hung in the balance?
In a feature on what was cut from the battle, The Guardian reports that writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely originally thought about including Pym and Van Dyne but ultimately elected to remove them from the third act. It was thought that there were just too – or, specifically, two – many costumed characters to keep track of if they were on board.
You can understand why Markus and McFeely were worried about overstuffing things but, honestly, as we’re taking about this enormous ensemble fight scene that the whole MCU has been building towards for 10 years, no one would’ve minded if there were two more superheroes thrown into the mix.
It’s a shame the married couple weren’t involved, too, as this would’ve finally seen the OG Ant-Man and Wasp joining the Avengers, something that’s been denied to us so far in the franchise even though Hank and Janet are founding members in the comics. Janet’s even responsible for naming the team.
On the bright side, at least Michael Douglas got to do something earlier in the movie as a de-aged Hank during the visit to the S.H.I.E.L.D. base in the 70s. Michelle Pfeiffer then later appeared alongside Douglas at Tony Stark’s funeral, but only in a silent cameo. With Ant-Man 3 not confirmed, though it’s rumored, let’s hope this isn’t the last time we get to see the Pyms in the MCU and Avengers: Endgame didn’t drop the ball with giving the characters more to do.