Bill Murray’s Ant-Man Villain Role Revealed?
Ant-Man 3 director Peyton Reed revealed Bill Murray's character is someone from the Wasp's past that she would best want forgotten.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania won’t be released until February 17, but we’re already hearing news about Bill Murray’s role in the upcoming film. We already know that the more-seriously-themed Ant-Man 3 will delve into undisclosed information about the past of Janet van Dyne, who was rescued in 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp. Now, thanks to an interview that Entertainment Weekly had with director Peyton Reed, we know that Bill Murray’s as-yet-unnamed character plays a “crucial role” in the film. According to Reed, Murray plays a character who has an uncomfortable history with Janet van Dyne — something that she chose not to share with her children about her time stuck in the quantum realm.
Janet van Dyne’s disappearance into the quantum realm has played a major part in every single Ant-Man movie so far. In the first Ant-Man movie, her tragic disappearance played a role in Hank Pym’s decision to give up the mantle of Ant-Man, eventually choosing to pass it on to cat burglar Scott Lang. Lang briefly visited the quantum realm at the end of the first movie, leading to the revelation in Ant-Man and the Wasp that he had become quantumly entangled with Janet.
This led to the heroes rescuing Janet by the end of the second movie. Now, in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the characters return to the quantum realm and run into the villainous Kang the Conquerer, along with Bill Murray’s character, who apparently played a role in Janet’s life while she was trapped.
While Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will mark Bill Murray’s first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there were actually plans to include the famous comedic actor long ago. According to reports, Robert Downey Jr. wanted Bill Murray to appear in the original Iron Man movie that launched the MCU as we know it today. The exact role they wanted him to play is unknown, though potential roles include the villainous Obadiah Stane or the artificial intelligence J.A.R.V.I.S. Unfortunately for Bill Murray fans, the only way to get in touch with Bill Murray is to leave a message on his answering machine — and the offer was never received by the reclusive actor.
In the time since the Iron-Man offer fell through the cracks, however, there has been some controversy surrounding Bill Murray. Accusations have come up about his actions on-set, ranging from claims about bullying, violent behavior, and sexual harassment toward female cast members. However, this controversy was apparently not enough to discourage Ant-Man‘s cast and crew from choosing Bill Murray for a vital role in the movie.
While we now have a small amount of information about his upcoming role in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, we can only speculate about the actual role that Bill Murray will play. Neither the role he has played in Janet van Dyne’s past, nor his place in the quantum realm, nor even his name has been revealed. Whether he’s a villain, an unfortunate acquaintance, or even an ex-lover are all possibilities. Chances are, we will have to wait until February 17, 2023, before we know the whole story.
