Rumor: Ant-Man Could Undergo A Giant Change In 'Captain America: Civil War'

When you really look at it, that first Captain America: Civil War trailer doesn't give away much at all. Watching Captain America and Iron Man throw down is so exciting (and upsetting!) that you don't really miss a big Spider-Man reveal. Catching tiny glimpses of Black Panther in action is cool enough that you don't need to see the exact line-up of Tony Stark's allies. There was enough satisfying stuff on display that we could go on for a few more months without knowing exactly what kind of role Paul Rudd's Scott Lang / Ant-Man plays in the finale film.

That changes now! Sort of. Much like how toys and LEGO sets spoiled major plot points and characters for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Avengers: Age of Ultron, a new Captain America: Civil War toy may very well have given up one of the most intriguing developments in the next Marvel Cinematic Universe adventure. Possible spoilers lurk below, so tread cautiously.

Still with us? Okay. We're well aware that reporting about potential spoilers in movie tie-in toys is a preposterous business, but this 2016 and we live on the internet. This is the kind of thing that happens. Anyway, today's bit of preposterous business comes to us via a Twitter feed dedicated to Funko's massively popular Pop! Vinyl figures (via CinemaBlend). They have an image of the Ant-Man figure that will be part of the upcoming Captain America: Civil War line and... well, he's not Ant-Man at all.

Yes, that may be the Ant-Man costume, but as the name (and the larger size of the figure) implies, he's a new superhero altogether: Giant Man. Let's do some basic Marvel 101 for the normal (i.e., sane) folks who don't know what this means.

In the world of Marvel comics, the Ant-Man name has exchanged hands several times, passing between originator Hank Pym, Scott Lang, and Eric O'Grady (who probably won't be popping up in the MCU anytime soon). With other people taking up the Ant-Man mantle, Pym toyed with his shrinking technology and reversed its effects, allowing the user to grow to extreme sizes. With his new powers, Pym became Giant-Man, allowing him to continue fighting the good fight in the Marvel universe while Lang kept the Ant-Man costume.

In current comics continuity, Lang is still Ant-Man while another guy altogether has become Giant-Man. But that's another story for another day.

Anyway, this toy seems to indicate that Civil War will find Lang taking on the abilities (and maybe the name) of Giant-Man, especially since Michael Douglas' Hank Pym won't be around to put on the suit himself. And it certainly makes sense! This transforms the former Ant-Man into a serious heavy-hitter, capable of taking on the likes of Iron Man and War Machine. Plus, it'll be all kinds of fun to watch the never-not-charming Rudd stumble around with his newfound abilities.

But here's the bucket of cold water on any enthusiasm: movie tie-in toys don't always reflect what's actually in the finished movie. This could easily just be a stand-alone Giant Man figure, manufactured for the nerds who actually know who he is. However, more than any other kind of merchandise, Pop! figures tend to carefully reflect the property they're representing. It would be truly unusual for Funko to create a figure that's not directly based on a character that will be in the final film.

In any case, Ant-Man will remain Ant-Man whether he gains new powers or not, because Ant-Man and the Wasp is due out on July 6, 2018. We'll know for sure if the character is about to earn some new powers when Captain America: Civil War opens on May 6, 2016.