Kevin Feige Teases The Quantum Realm's Function In The Future Of The MCU

From the moment the Quantum Realm was introduced in 2015's Ant-Man, it was clear it was going to play an important role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is teasing the Quantum Realm's involvement in the future of the MCU, and while the implications are obvious for Avengers 4 and maybe even another Ant-Man movie, there's also the possibility that it could factor in to the Marvel shows on Disney's streaming service as well.

Marvel has teamed up with Titan to release a hardcover book celebrating 10 years of the MCU. ComicBook got their hands on a copy of the book, which contains an interview with Feige in which he discusses the future of the Quantum Realm:

"At the end of Ant-Man we followed Scott Lang into the Quantum Realm for the first time. We were beginning to peel back the onion that would later be completely peeled back in Doctor Strange as we go into the multiverse. So that was our little test into that.

But now the Quantum Realm is a whole other territory that we can play with to tell our stories. This Quantum Realm is much larger than we ever imagined, and there are all sorts of adventures to be had at that level, which perhaps we will explore in another film."

There are a couple of threads to pull there. First, there's the reference to "another film," which is almost certainly Avengers 4. The end of Ant-Man and the Wasp saw Scott Lang trapped in the Quantum Realm while Hank Pym, Hope van Dyne, and Janet van Dyne were dusted by Thanos' snap, so the Quantum Realm will definitely feature into the events of the new movie in some way. Many have speculated that it could be a key to the movie and maybe even a means of time travel, which would align with the fact that several Avengers 4 set photos have recreated moments we've already seen in MCU history.

Second, the notion that the Quantum Realm is a territory to tell "our stories" may not be limited just to the big screen – we know Marvel Studios is developing TV shows centered on Loki, Scarlet Witch & Vision, and Winter Soldier & Falcon for Disney Play. If a few of those characters don't make it out of Avengers 4 alive, maybe the Quantum Realm could be utilized to go back in time and spend time with them before Thanos wreaks havoc.

And finally, the line about there being "all sorts of adventures to be had at that level" indicates that we might be seeing more stories within the Realm itself – not only as a conduit for action outside of it, but as its own setting. The Quantum Realm being bigger than even the people at Marvel imagined means they can do plenty with it – maybe even have it serve as the backdrop for an entire show or movie set with the domed city that can briefly be seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp.

I was skeptical of that image at first. I thought it may have been doctored because I didn't remember seeing it in the actual movie. But it's really there, in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment (it's at 3:07 in the video below):

Some early concept art of the original Wasp indicated that the characters from one of those civilizations were going to appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Who exactly is living in that city? And what other worlds are located in the Quantum Realm? It sounds like we're going to find out.