As filming gets underway for Ant-Man 3: Quantumania, a new face has been added to the cast. Kathryn Newton (last seen in the horror-comedy Freaky) will be taking on the role of Scott Lang’s (Paul Rudd) daughter, Cassie.
The actress is now open about how excited she is to take on the role and perhaps become a heroine herself in the MCU.
Stature’s rise
In the comics, Cassie is Scott Lang’s daughter, the second Ant-Man who had taken the role from Hank Pym (later Yellowjacket).
In 2005’s Young Avengers series, Cassie discovered that long-term exposure to the “shrink gas” her father used had given her the ability to shrink in size or grow to nearly thirty feet tall. She took on the name Stature to become a heroine.
The character would later serve with Hank Pym in an Avengers team. She was briefly killed off but resurrected. Most recently, Cassie changed her name to Stinger to join with her father.
Smart and capable, Cassie loves being a heroine, working with her father and the Wasp (both Janet van Dyne and the recent Wasp, Nadia van Dyne.
The new Cassie
In the first two Ant-Man movies, Cassie was played by Abby Forston. She learns of her father’s identity as Ant-Man and happy to help him out.
The final scene of Ant-Man and the Wasp had Scott trapped in the Quantum Realm while Hank (Michael Douglas), Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Hope (Evangeline Lilly) were all “dusted” by Thanos’ snap (which the MCU calls “The Blip”).
In Avengers: Endgame, Scott escapes the Quantum Realm to discover five years have passed, and Cassie is now a teenager played by Emma Fuhrmann.
When Ant-Man 3’s new title was announced, it was also stated that Fuhrmann was being replaced as Cassie by Newton.
There was controversy over the recasting, with many fans wanting to see Fuhrmann continue as Cassie. The actress has been mostly silent, tweeting that she appreciated the support and “can only hope that this means there is something else for me in the future of the MCU.”
The Young Avengers?
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Newton didn’t respond to the recasting controversy but made it clear that becoming part of the MCU is a dream come true as a Marvel fan.
“I still feel like I can’t talk about it because I’m not on set and I just don’t want to jinx anything until I’m really there, making the movie. But it’s a dream come true for me to be a part of the MCU, and I’m so honored and so grateful because I love the Marvel universe so much. Five years ago, if you asked me what my dream was, I would have said, ‘To be in a Marvel movie.'”
It remains unclear whether Cassie will become Stature in the movie. Details are tight, but it’s confirmed the film will have Jonathan Majors as Marvel’s futuristic villain Kang the Conquerer, which indicates time travel will play a part in the film.
The addition of Cassie comes alongside Hailee Steinfeld playing Kate Bishop in the Hawkeye series, and Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan in Captain Marvel 2.
Add in how WandaVision has Wanda’s twin sons (who, in the comics, become Wiccan and Speed), and it appears Marvel is setting up a Young Avengers project.
With Newton’s star rising, her taking on the size-changing Stature role fits her growing fame in Hollywood.
Ant-Man 3: Quantumania is planned for release in 2022.