Ant-Man & The Wasp – Potential Villains?

While Ant-Man & The Wasp is years away, there is a great deal of speculation already, as it is the newest addition to the Phase 3 lineup. While we have already had plenty of time to mull over Doctor Strange or Black Panther, even having confirmed villains for those, the thought of Ant-Man is new. Like most Marvel movies, the driving force in the plot is likely to be whatever villain is chosen.

So who does Ant-Man & the Wasp have for villains? Truthfully, not many. There are some options, however.

Eric O’Grady

With Ant-Man #1 (Pym) and #2 (Lang) already involved in the film, Ant-Man #3 could be introduced. While O’Grady was technically a hero for a while, he was never entirely morally acceptable. Occasionally using his stealth shrinking abilities to act as a peeping Tom, O’Grady eventually was transformed into the Black Ant, a sort of evil Ant-Man.

He acts as an anti-Lang, where a criminal gets his hands on the costume and this time doesn’t turn into a hero. It could be an interesting way to develop Lang’s character further, by posing a polar opposite against him.

Egg Head

Yes, his name is stupid. Let’s set that aside for a moment. Egg Head is actually the mastermind villain of Ant-Man in the comics. For years, he was a super-smart antagonist that crossed Ant-Man at every turn. He was even introduced in comics before the Wasp was, demonstrating his long history with the pint-sized Avenger.

I know. His name is Egg Head. But it could be changed, similarly to how Wilson Fisk was never referred to as Kingpin in Daredevil. Using his actual name, Elihas Starr, might be a way to get around the terrible association of the name, while staying true to the actual nemesis of the character.

Taskmaster

Taskmaster has been building in popularity over the past couple years. While he was never to be confused as a full-time adversary of Ant-Man, he did fight him one on one a couple times. While always maintaining a sense of humor, Taskmaster can replicate any physical feat he observes.

Taskmaster is one of the combat villains that is not merely the Anti of the hero (he doesn’t just shrink like Ant-Man does). He is also a good villain that is becoming more recognized around popular culture, possibly drawing a larger crowd.

Hank Pym

While Yellowjacket was significantly changed in the film, that doesn’t mean that there can’t be a Yellowjacket 2.0. Pym was a psuedo-villain for a little while, taking on the roll of Yellowjacket for most of his career (from late 60’s all the way up to mid 2000’s). Hank has been established as a force to be reckoned with. If that force were directed against Lang for one reason or another, it would be a very interesting twist in their relationship.

It would be hard to pull off with Pym’s emphasis on morality, but it wouldn’t be the first movie of Phase 3 with two heroes fighting each other.

Borrowed Villains

Let’s face it. Ant-Man doesn’t have many villains to himself. While the character is rich and conflicted, his Rogue’s gallery isn’t exactly the thickest (especially with Ultron being usurped by Stark). Marvel as a whole, however, doesn’t lack for villains. While hinted at with the Taskmaster, Marvel could very well borrow a villain from another Rogue’s gallery.

There are plenty of options, with The Leader already established in the Universe, Spider-Man’s gallery open wide to Marvel now, several villains in Agents of SHIELD (Graviton and Absorbing Man especially), and frankly any Avengers villain desired, such as Count Nefaria, The Hood, or Korvac.

There are good ones out there that won’t be used elsewhere. Marvel doesn’t have to limit themselves.

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Who do you want to see fight against Ant-Man? Are you excited to see the Wasp join up in the superhero world? Sound off in the comments, answer the poll, but for now only time will tell.