Marvel Unveils First 'Ant-Man' Footage [Comic-Con 2014]

All those production delays meant Ant-Man didn't go in front of cameras early enough for Marvel to show us Paul Rudd or Michael Douglas in action at Comic-Con. But it wouldn't be like Marvel to show up to Hall H completely empty-handed, and so they "filmed a little something to show you guys," as Kevin Feige put it.

We were treated to a brief bit of Ant-Man footage, really an FX test with voiceover. Hit the jump to get our Ant-Man footage recap and reaction.

The clip opens on a science lab. In contrast to the super-sleek ones we've seen at, say, Wayne Enterprises or Stark Industries, this one looks older and smaller, almost homey. The camera moves around the room, showing various flasks and vials, a jar with moving ants inside, and Ant-Man's famous helmet.

Meanwhile, we hear Scott Lang and Hank Pym's voices over the scene. Lang sounds hesitant: "Dr. Pym, you seem nice, but..." Eventually, he gets to the point: "I'm not a superhero."

Pym makes it clear he doesn't hold superheroes in high esteem to begin with. "You're not an egomaniac," he agrees. "Superheroes, what a goddamn joke." Pym continues confidently over Lang's protests. "I think someone already shrunk your balls," he says. "It's a small job."

The video then cuts to a city at night, with flashing lights and tall buildings in the background. We see a tiny figure in the Ant-Man suit, running across a rooftop. It's Scott, and we can hear him speaking to Hank remotely. It sounds like Scott is on his first adventure, and Hank is instructing him in what to do.

A flying insect flies toward Scott and he tries to get on, but the damn thing won't budge. Hank tells Scott to just jump, so Scott launches himself off the building... and he's immediately caught by a flying ant. Scott rides it through a vent, as other insects follow. "Okay. I got this," Scott says.

The Ant-Man footage was an intriguing first look at a film we've been waiting to see for years and years. The entire concept of Ant-Man — he's the rare superhero who gets smaller instead of bigger — brings a new spin to typical Marvel-style action, and Hank and Scott's conversations teased an interesting relationship.

It felt very different from the Ant-Man test reel we got from Edgar Wright in 2012. The new reel had humor and action, but it felt more straightforward and less overtly comedic. Less Edgar Wright-y, for lack of a better term.

How Peyton Reed's Ant-Man turns out, we won't know for another several months. Production begins next month, with the film scheduled to open July 17, 2015.