—
(Spoilers follow.)
The title “Ant-Man and the Wasp” stresses that there are two main characters in the film.
One is a man; the other, a woman.
The former’s realization that he needs the latter is a main theme of another excellent Marvel film, an adaptation of the Ant-Man story created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby. That theme involves Scott Lang becoming a bigger person (literally, in this case).
Scott/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) also realizes that there is gave and take – in his case, in size – in order to be a hero to the degree that Hope Pym/the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) is.
Scott has a suit that is, as he called it, a “work in progress.” For that reason, Scott is incapable of accomplishing a key task. (He’s not a big enough person – again, literally.)
We learn in the last film that Scott is an ex-convict. He turned around his life in “Ant-Man,” but it’s clear that he still needs to learn to work with a team – and with a female partner.
In his dysfunctional suit, Scott is no bigger than a small child. He jumps as high as he can but is unable to reach items that Hope can reach with ease as a normal adult.
This sequence even focuses on Scott being child-like. It indicates that Scott still has a lot of growing to do.
Scott later makes his “work in progress” reference to the suit while trying to save someone. It only works after he has been humbled and is willing to work as a team with Hope.
Many men are a work in progress, as alluded to through the suit. And in that state, they are often not as capable as the females in their lives. Some men are not able to reach some things and need women’s help.
Scott also had to be diminished to be saved by Hope, but then be a bigger man (literally) in order to save her. He had to be in a humble position, even able to be raised up by her, to get the help he needed to avoid peril. He could be salvific himself once he was capable of being a bigger person, accomplished only after the “work in progress” suit becomes fully functional.
Hank Pym, who invented the technology for Ant-Man, seems to believe apply these beliefs to Scott and Hope. He tells Scott that the wings and gun he just gave Hope, he did have available when Scott became Ant-Man three years back.
Scott gets thinking about involving his female partner when he asks Hope if she would have come with him when he helped the Avengers in “Captain America: Civil War.” At that time, he became a bigger person, but neglected teamwork, not even asking Hope to go with him. She says that if he had included her, he wouldn’t have been caught.
Scott has improved his life but must continue with that by being willing to collaborate with a female partner. He does this, clearly, when he rescues Hope (and Hank).
At that point, she falls in love with him.
Men, let’s become bigger people and involve the extraordinary women in our lives, even trading off in prominence. It might even be necessary to be saved.
—
—
Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash