“Welcome Back” Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Ending Explained?!
“That doesn’t make any sense. But you know what?? Who said life has to make sense??”
March 10, 2023
DISCLAIMER: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!
Please DO NOT continue reading this article if you intend on seeing this movie since it does contain MAJOR Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania spoilers (originally released exclusively in theaters on February 17th, 2023).
Previous Articles
(SPOILER FREE) Go check out a previous Quantumania article, “Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Official Trailer Breakdown and Hidden Details”, which broke down the first official Quantumania trailer released in October. The trailer was to Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” as it did fit perfectly into Quantumania on a “thematic level”.
(SPOILER FREE) Go check out a previous Quantumania article, “Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania New Trailer Breakdown and Hidden Details”, which broke down the most current Quantumania trailer, released as ticket sales began to drop.
(MINOR SPOILERS) Go check out a previous Quantumania article, “Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Movie Review”, where Val Kohan critically reviews the third installment in the Ant-Man trilogy, Quantumania.
“Welcome Back”
“Welcome back, your dreams were your ticket out. Welcome back, to the same old place that you laughed about.” The MCU has long been using classic songs and ballads, fans must know every song was chosen specifically. Most of the time they have double meanings surrounding the plot. Quantumania’s comedic use of the Welcome Back, Kotter theme, “Welcome Back”, may have a mind boggling alternate meaning behind the use of it. This theory can completely change the ending of Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania making it out to be one of the best endings Marvel is leaving us with.
This being said, did Quantumania end the way fans think it did?? The film ends with Scott reflecting on the events of Quantumania, his supposed victory over Kang, with momentary paranoia completely rethinking his decision, followed by his switch back to peaceful, carefree, bliss. But some details prove that the final minutes of the film are suspected to be a part of a multiversal simulation. Is this a warped timeline or a nightmare all scripted and planned out by the Kang Dynasty as seen in Loki.
Quantumania ends with Scott and Hope barely escaping the Quantum Realm, which fans believe was too easy as Cassie just used her Quantum device (seen at the beginning of the film which ultimately sucked them into the Quantum Realm in the first place). This was conveniently placed and quite impossible, as if someone scripted this to play out this way. The movie then loops back to the routine the movie started in where Scott was walking down the street to “Welcome Back” as if he didn’t just fight in a multiversal battle. One of the biggest and blizzard details is, in the beginning Scott’s voice over narration was revealed to be just an excerpt from a book reading of his memoir, “Look Out For the Little Guy”. But who is Scott talking to when he says, “My life doesn’t make sense. I used to ask myself a lot of questions about that. Scott you just saved the Quantum Realm with your family, and drank a guy without holes. Why does this stuff keep happening to you?? That doesn’t make any sense. But you know what?? Who said life has to make sense??” Is he talking to himself trying to make sense of everything that just transpired or has He Who Remains (or another Kang variant) scripted this to be an inner monologue?? It seems as if when Scott is saying the line above, he himself is trying to figure out what and why he is saying that.
Not only is Scott’s inner thoughts shifted but so has the world around him, the cafe owner knows his actual identity but makes him pay for the coffee now and Dale (Scott/Jack’s former Baskin Robbins boss) comes out of cake making retirement to make a big theme cake, “Happy Bithday Cassie”. Not only is this throwing fans off but Scott as well. Why is the community treating Scott any differently than they did at the beginning of the film?? It isn’t like him saving the Quantum Realm was public. Scott senses all this sudden change, stating, “It’s been a pretty wild ride. One day you’re fired from Baskin Robbins, the next you’re beating a time-traveling space king. We did beat him, right??” “Welcome Back” completely cuts off as Scott comes to the realization, “I mean that’s what happened. He was gonna get out, and he didn’t get out. I think. He also said something bad was coming. And that everyone would die if he didn’t get out. Wait, so did I just kill everyone?? Is everyone going to die because of me?? Oh my god. What did I do?? What did, what did I do?? You know what, it’s probably fine. Like I said before, life doesn’t make any sense. Maybe stop asking so many questions, Scott. Stop overthinking it.” At Cassie’s “birthday” dinner, Scott’s attack of paranoia continues as he says, “This is good. We’re all together. You’re fine. Everything’s probably fine. Kang´s gone… you did it!! Never have to worry about that guy anymore.”
Some details during this scene are key to the explanation, there is graffiti of Ant-Man’s helmet in a heart which is a bit out of place because if the public doesn’t know about the Quantum Realm fight, why is he getting the spotlight all of a sudden?? It was also pointed out that a majority of Avengers graffiti in the MCU is for the fallen heroes. As Scott is walking down the street, a jogger recognizes him, points at him and continues to jog. Up until the jogger stops abruptly in his tracks, take a double take, as if he is shocked to see Scott. Another detail that is shocking is a majority of the pedestrians are wearing vibrant shades of purple or green, which mirrors Kang’s costume seen in the film. If fans pay attention to the background pedestrians a lot of them are reused, as if Scott is stuck in some Matrixs Loop, Scott himself even catches this, bringing him to stop dead in his tracks.
The theory is, Scott hasn’t returned to his timeline but a new timeline that is warped and controlled by the Kang Dynasty. They are so frightened that an Avenger has killed “the exile one” they have secluded him to a seemingly perfect timeline to halt any multiversal incursions. So, is Marvel taking The Truman Show route?? “Welcome Back” eerily plays at the ending but if fans truly listen to the lyrics, are they giving away Scott’s fate?? With lyrics like, “Welcome back, to the same old place that you laughed about” or “Was there something that made you come back again”.
Scott basically just spirals in and out of control during the final minutes, questioning everything as fans should too.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is exclusively in theaters now!!
