The big reveal of the Ant-Man trailer was so miniscule you probably wouldn't even have caught it on the fourth or fifth run through. It's tucked away on a computer screen, off towards the far corner of the frame, for a fraction of a few seconds. That bit where Michael Douglas is silhouetted by his computer screens? That was the beginning of a whole new era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Because on that screen were Pym Particles, possibly the biggest maguffin-cum-get-out-of-jail-free-card-cum-secret-origin in the Marvel comic books. Discovered early on in his career, trapping this unusual set of subatomic particles within two separate serums using magnetic fields allowed him to create the size-altering formula he used as Ant-Man, Giant-Man, all the Men. Their appearance in a Marvel film similarly means big things. In the comics Pym Particles have since been utilised by Spider-Man, Hawkeye, The Punisher, Beast, various Norse people and lower-level supervillains and heroes for various purposes. They could be a game changer when it comes to the movies. At least, it might give some other members a fighting change against the Hulk when that big suit of Iron Man armour gets ripped to shreds...
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
