Original article written by Jesse Schedeen at IGN.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania kicks off Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with several major introductions. Not only will we see the big screen debut of Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror and the inimitable MODOK, but Quantumania as well. will mark the first time we will see Cassie, Scott Lang’s daughter, turned superhero. Another young avenger has emerged in the MCU.
Cassie has been a part of the Marvel Universe almost as long as her father. While we wait for Quantumania to reveal the future of this superhero universe, Let’s break down Cassie’s colorful story in the comics and his role in the movies so far.
Here are the sections we cover here:
- Cassie Lang’s superhero origin
- Cassie Lang: Height or Sting?
- Superhuman powers of Stature
- Height Connection to Kang the Conqueror
- Cassie Lang in the Ant-Man and MCU movies
Cassie Lang’s superhero origin
Being a superhero often runs in the family in the Marvel Universe, and that’s definitely true of the Lang clan. Cassie Lang appeared in the 1979 Marvel Premiere #47, shortly after her father Scott inherited the mantle of Ant-Man from Hank Pym. Cassie spent much of her childhood surrounded by the Fantastic Four and the Avengers.although he was slow to discover that his father was Ant-Man.
Unfortunately, his parents’ divorce and his mother’s and stepfather’s distrust of superheroes have often served to keep Cassie and Scott away. It didn’t help that Scott was one of the Avengers killed by a psychotic Scarlet Witch in Avengers Assembled (2004). But that tragic death also paved the way for Cassie to follow in Scott’s footsteps.
Cassie transitions from civilian to superhero in 2005’s Young Avengers. In that series, the time-traveling Iron Lad arrives in the 21st century to assemble a new team of teenage heroes. Though not initially on her recruiting list, Cassie proves her worth when it becomes apparent that her regular exposure to Pym Particles has given her the same size-changing powers as Scott and Hank.
Cassie becomes a regular member of the Young Avengers and joins the Iron Man 50 States Initiative after the events of Civil War in 2006. She and her companions even find a way to undo the events of Disunited and bring her father back through the power of time travel. Tragically, Scott is forced to watch his daughter die in combat against Doctor Doom.
That might seem like the end of Cassie’s short career as a superhero, but Doom himself brought her back during a rare moment of guilt. Today, father and daughter have defied the odds to become a true superhero team and a force for good in the Marvel Universe.
Cassie Lang: Height or Sting?
Cassie may be Scott Lang’s daughter, but he’s more like Hank Pym in that he hasn’t quite settled on a codename. When Cassie first became a costumed hero in Young Avengers, she adopted the name Stature. But more recently she has taken to calling herself Stinger, in reference to the fact that she also shares certain abilities with the Wasp.
The change to the codename Stinger came after Cassie was resurrected by Doom. Death has a habit of changing people, and it was an uphill battle for Cassie to regain her lost powers and win her parents’ approval to continue risking her life. When she returns to active duty, Cassie is no longer the same hero that she was.
Cassie will suit up for the first time in the MCU in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and it is unclear which of the two codenames he will use.
Superhuman powers of Stature
As we have already said, Height / Sting has at his disposal the powers of Ant-Man and Wasp. Like his father, he can shrink and grow at will (although sometimes his teenage hormones trigger his powers unexpectedly). It can become as small as an ant or expand to several hundred meters in height.
Cassie’s costume gives her other useful powers. He can use the suit’s helmet to control insects, and can also generate energy wings and bioelectric blasts similar to the Wasp’s.
Height Connection to Kang the Conqueror
It’s surely no coincidence that Cassie Lang makes her superhero debut in the same MCU film that also features the first big-screen appearance of Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror. The two characters have an important connection in the comics that could carry over to the MCU..
The Young Avengers were originally led by Iron Lad. Despite his name and appearance, Iron Lad is not related to Iron Man, but is actually a teenage variant of Kang from the far future. Horrified by the crimes his adult self will commit, this underage Nathaniel Richards travels to the 21st century to assemble a team to take on Kang. In the process, he and Cassie end up falling in love..
Though he kills his older self, Iron Lad realizes he has no choice but to go back to the future and fulfill his destiny. But he leaves behind a part of himself in the form of a reconstructed Vision, whose android mind contains the collective memories of the original Vision and Iron Lad. That Vision names herself Jonas and continues his romantic relationship with Cassie. At least, until both heroes die during the events of The Avengers: The Children’s Crusade.
Will that relationship be transferred to the UCM? Majors has already played two versions of Kang so far, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see a younger actor take over the role of Iron Lad as Kang’s plot becomes more complex. Right now, the MCU features just about every character needed for a Young Avengers movie or series.
Cassie Lang in the Ant-Man and MCU movies
The UCM has been slowly feeding the list of Young Avengers for several years, but Cassie Lang was the first to arrive. She has been a part of the MCU since the days of Phase 2. Cassie originally made her debut in 2015’s Ant-Man, where she was played by Abby Ryder Fortson. Fortson reprized the role in 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp, and then Emma Fuhrmann took over the role after the five-year timeskip in Avengers: Endgame. Cassie will return in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, this time played by Kathryn Newton.
Thanks to that convenient Endgame time jump, Cassie is now old enough to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a superhero.. We don’t know exactly where she’ll get his new supersuit, but at some point in the sequel she’ll don a purple suit and fight alongside Scott and Janet inside the Quantum Realm. We know that Kang is trying to escape the Quantum Realm and return to the real world, and he’s seeking Scott’s help with the promise to pay him back for the time he lost with Cassie. Scott will surely be tempted by this Faustian deal, but will Cassie also be tempted to help Kang in exchange for more time?
Whatever happens in this film, we have no doubt that Quantumania is grooming Cassie for a continued role in the MCU. She will join other Young Avengers characters like Kate Bishop, Eli Bradley and Wanda Maximoff’s twin sons Billy and Tommy. It may not happen until the Multiverse Saga ends, but it seems like only a matter of time before the Young Avengers make the leap from the comics to the MCU.
Here’s our Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania review, so you know what our spoiler-free take on the new Marvel movie is.
