After a run of expansive movies with world-altering plot twists and far-reaching foreshadowing, Ant-Man is a major change of pace for Marvel. The most standalone entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since, well, the first Iron Man, it tells a story on a much smaller scale (ha!) than we've come to expect, allowing for more focus on character and developed humour. But that doesn't mean it's totally disconnected from the rest of the MCU. In fact, for all its internal focus, the film actually has a more seismic impact on the universe than the likes of Avengers: Age Of Ultron. There's overt clues to the future of the film's various heroes, as well as some pretty cool hints at what to expect in the other films coming in Phase 3, particularly Captain America: Civil War. Here are the six biggest implications.
6. Spider-Man Already Exists
It's such a throwaway reference, delivered in the middle of joke right at the end of the film, but Ant-Man features the first MCU reference to Spider-Man. Everything else is pretty much academic after this. When Luis is recounting the conversation trail that leads back to Falcon, hinting at Scott's inclusion in the Avengers, various other heroes are mentioned, including some who can "climb walls" and "swing". Yes, there's no one else that could be referring to other than Peter Parker, which is pretty massive; ignoring all the precedent stuff, this confirms that Spider-Man is already well-established in the MCU timeline. So no protracted origin story (there'll probably be flashback to it in his first stand-alone movie though) and a totally in situ cameo in Captain America: Civil War. In fact, this line hints at how that appearance may work; as Spidey's prolific enough to get mentioned alongside corporate saboteur Scott Lang, he'd be an early target for Iron Man or Captain America in the Superhero Registration Act conflict. Interestingly, the climbing and swinging are mentioned independently, suggesting that there could be another street-level hero out there (Daredevil?), which leaves the door open for more character introductions down the line.
