SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS: ENDGAME AHEAD

Avengers: Endgame was the blockbuster which was not just a finale to Marvel’s Infinity Saga but it also capped off 11 years of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. Over the full course of its runtime the three hour movie paid homage to, in some form or the other, nearly all the 21 movies which came before it. The movie featured each and every major character who had graced the big screen since 2008’s Iron Man, and it also very cleverly delivered nods to movies like 2012’s The Avengers and 2013’s Thor: The Dark World.

Going into the highly hyped film, everyone knew beforehand that certain MCU movies would be more crucial to Endgame’s plot than others. Movies like Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War and Ant-Man and the Wasp were considered to be some of them. But many people couldn’t really imagine how big of an effect MCU 2015’s movie, Ant-Man would have in the movie.

In What Ways Was The First Ant-Man Movie Important In Avengers: Endgame?

Before, Avengers: Endgame was released, Ant Man and the Wasp was thought to be critical to Endgame because of how the quantum realm was bound to play a big role in it. But the first Ant-Man also played a huge role because of many crucial plot points therein.

If someone had never seen Ant-Man, then there’s a good chance that they won’t understand a lot about Endgame. This is because in order for all the original Avengers to travel back in time and collect the Infinity Stones, they will all have to be outfitted with Ant-Man costumes which will allow them to shrink down into the Quantum Realm. Sure, the suits are different when it comes to their design but when they put on the helmets, there’s no mistaking that they are Ant-Man helmets.

But there’s more than just the shrinking suits, the energy source which fuels the suits, called the Pym Particles are barely mentioned in Ant-Man and the Wasp but they come back to the forefront in Avengers: Endgame. In Endgame, Scott Lang briefly explains to the Avengers that their supply of Pym Particles is limited. This is the warning which leads to Tony and mainly Steve to take more of the Pym Particles when they travel further back to get the tesseract. It’s an important scene in the movie and it is only further enriched by the knowledge which is gained in Ant-Man.

Wait, the connections don’t just end here. In Ant-Man it was established that the Howard Stark, Tony’s father and Hank Pym worked together and this is shown in Avengers: Endgame as well when Tony and Steve go back to the 70s. There is also Luis’ van which should be counted in as well. The van was featured in Ant-Man and became a gag of its own due to its “La Cucaracha” honk. This signature honk can also be heard during Endgame’s final climactic battle when Thanos and the Avengers are fighting for control of the Infinity Stones.

Sure, there’s the other movies which are referenced to as well but Ant-Man really had a major impact on Avengers: Endgame. So it should be included in the rewatch list before Endgame for sure.

(Source: cbr.com and bleedingcool.com)