Michael Douglas Says Marvel Blocked Hank Pym Death After Second Ant-Man
The actor told the Happy Sad Confused podcast he wanted Hank Pym killed off in the third standalone Ant-Man film, with a shrinking, exploding effects scene.
Michael Douglas has said Marvel would not let him leave the Ant-Man franchise by killing off his character Hank Pym after the second film. The actor made the comments in an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, according to Variety.
Douglas said he wanted Pym to die in the third standalone Ant-Man film and described his idea for the scene: the character shrinking to ant size and then exploding, a sequence that would lean heavily on special effects.
Pym, the original Ant-Man in Marvel's comics, was played by Douglas across several films rather than as the lead. In 2015 he debuted as Hank Pym in Ant-Man, and he returned in 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp, 2019's Avengers: Endgame and 2023's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
In 2024, Douglas said on The View that he had asked Marvel to kill off Hank Pym in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, where he also pitched a special-effects death scene.
Quick answers
What did Michael Douglas say about leaving Ant-Man?
He said Marvel would not let him quit by killing off Hank Pym after the second Ant-Man movie, and that he wanted the character killed off in the third standalone film.
Which films has Michael Douglas appeared in as Hank Pym?
Ant-Man in 2015, Ant-Man and the Wasp in 2018, Avengers: Endgame in 2019 and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in 2023.