Ant-Man And The Wasp: 5 New Characters To Look Forward To

In just under two months, Ant-Man and the Wasp - the anticipated sequel to 2015's Ant-Man - has the unenviable task of following up the massive hype and success that continues to surround Avengers: Infinity War. Rather than picking up where that film left off, the sequel is turning the clock back a bit to catch up with Scott and his allies in the aftermath of the events of Captain America: Civil War, bridging the gap between that film and the titular heroes' appearance in next year's fourth Avengers film.

Though Ant-Man and the Wasp will feature the return of several familiar faces, including the lovable grump that is Hank Pym and the scene-stealing Luis, it's also bringing with it a healthy dose of new blood to the MCU, with actors like Laurence Fishburne, Walton Goggins, and Michelle Pfeiffer joining the franchise to breathe life into heroes and villains alike, some of whom are destined to help expand the mythology of the MCU in whole new ways.

With the wait for the film's release on July 6th looming ahead of us, let's take a look at the newcomers we'll soon be meeting to explore why they're worth getting excited about seeing and what their arrival could mean for the lives of the characters we've already come to know and love.

All the way back in the second season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., fans were teased when Agent Melinda May whipped out her cell phone and a name was listed among her contacts: Jimmy Woo. Though the Easter egg never went anywhere on the series, the simple act established that Woo - an FBI agent turned S.H.I.E.L.D. agent whose comic legacy dates all the way back to 1956 - exists within the MCU.

Thanks to Ant-Man and the Wasp, we'll finally get to see the character in the flesh, portrayed by actor Randall Park. Though he's been absent from the footage we've been given so far, the first image revealed of him on set suggests that his character will be responsible for monitoring Scott, who - as we learned in Infinity War - accepted house arrest following what went down in Civil War. Fingers crossed there will also be an acknowledgement of his past as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, if even just for the sake of keeping continuity with the namedrop back in 2014.

Park is a gifted comedic actor, and seeing him try to deal with Scott as Ant-Man is called back into action will undoubtedly play into the film's sense of humor. How big or small his role will ultimately be is anyone's guess, but hopefully the sequel can tap into his decades-long history as a hero in the comics to keep him along for the ride rather than reduce him to a one-note punchline of a character.