Ant-Man 3: Everything It Needs To Fix About The Franchise

Let's compare both Ant-Man film antagonists. In the first, there was just Yellowjacket really, whereas the sequel featured characters butting heads with the likes of Ghost, FBI parole officers and also Sonny Bunch (and all his henchmen). You don't need a storytelling connoisseur to tell you that's way too much.

Having too many villains in a single film has been a sticking point for many a Marvel feature (just ask the previous Spider-Men). The narrative problem it provides is two-fold, as not only do you need to give each of them a plot-based reason to influence the story, but you also have to provide all of them with enough screen time for them to be impactful and compelling.

And unfortunately, it's safe to say that Ant-Man & The Wasp failed on both fronts, especially because none of the antagonists were that related to the other. Because of this, they were all dealt with rather separately. Not only does it make the film feel unsatisfyingly disjointed, but it also renders characters like Sonny completely useless and unnecessary.

So, Reed&Co, try to limit yourselves to one or two villains. And if you do go for the latter, at least connect them to each other.