Ant-Man and the Wasp: Janet Van Dyne’s quantum-based powers explored

Towards the conclusion of Ant-Man and The Wasp, Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfieffer) made an appearance. During that drop-in, Janet unveiled her new set of powers.

Spoiler Alert! Spoilers for Ant-Man and The Wasp follow. If you haven’t seen the movie, stop reading now.

During the final act of Ant-Man and The Wasp, Hank Pym ventured into the Quantum Realm to retrieve Janet. Pym managed to find Janet’s location and rescued her himself. Once out, the two of them helped Ghost with her illness. She’d been suffering from quantum displacement and the effects were becoming more and more painful. Lucky for Ghost, Janet provided her with a temporary fix.

More from Marvel Movies

• The ladies of Madame Web and their marvelous powers
• The Marvels movie review: Absurdist masterpiece or serious let-down?
• The Marvels closes out 2023 for Marvel as fans await Deadpool’s MCU debut
• The Marvels is likely to stream on Disney+ in early 2024
• The Marvels cast: Which Marvel stars return in the new movie?

To help, Janet used some of her own powers to heal Ghost. No one knew it at the time but Janet absorbed energy from the Quantum Realm, gaining abilities in the process. She only used her abilities once but it was long enough to determine that quantum energy has bonded to Janet’s body. She could wind up using it for a specific purpose in the future, though it’s much more feasible for Janet to become an ancillary hero for Team Pym.

What’s interesting about Janet’s abilities is that they’re unlike those of her comic counterpart. In the comics, Janet has some control over the bioelectricity in her body but it’s not quantum energy like the MCU’s Janet van Dyne. The two could share some similarities, though there’s likely a purpose for Janet to possess quantum-based powers.

Whatever happens with Janet, we won’t learn the extent of her abilities until she’s resurrected. Having been erased in Thanos’ culling, Janet won’t be seen again until Avengers 4—if not, a future film.

Will Janet Van Dyne be resurrected post-Infinity War?

Additionally, Michelle Pfieffer, the actress who plays Janet, hasn’t officially signed on for more Marvel movies so there’s no telling when Janet will be back. Of course, the secrecy behind the MCU keeps details like that from the public so plans could already be in place for Pfeiffer to return in Ant-Man 3.

Speculation aside, it makes sense for Janet to be revived along with the others. Hope (Evangeline Lilly) was one of the people erased and she’s bound to make at least one more appearance, what with her becoming Wasp. That said, it goes to reason that Janet will join her daughter once the Thanos’ snap is reversed. Besides, no one expects the erased to remain gone, especially with Doctor Strange and Spider-Man lined up for sequel films in the coming years.

The question now is, what will Janet and Hank do once they’re resurrected? They seemed to have set up their home on a deserted island but are also operating in the city. The post-credits scene of Ant-Man and The Wasp showed them on a rooftop, working to find healing energies for Ghost.

Next: How many days before Infinity War does Ant-Man and The Wasp take place?

Details of their deal with Ghost weren’t shown but they’ve presumably come to some kind of accord. Assuming they have, a team could be assembling. Scott and Hope are the main two heroes but their group of allies is growing. Bill Foster and Ghost haven’t officially joined Team Pym yet but their willingness to work together is a good sign they will. If they do, Ant-Man’s corner of the MCU could hold enough heroes to fill out a team-up film.

Ant-Man and The Wasp is currently in theaters. Avengers 4 opens in theaters on May 8, 2019