How Much Time Has Scott Lang Lost Throughout The MCU?
"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" is set to hit theaters next month, and the hype around it is strong, partially thanks to the introduction of Kang (Jonathan Majors), who fans are already cheering for. Along with Kang unleashing chaos in the second trailer, the heroes themselves will also see their biggest heist yet as they try to steal back lost time. "You've lost a lot of time, like me," Kang says in the newly released trailer. "We can help each other with that." Shortly after he says that, the Marvel Cinematic Universe's new big-bad promises that he can give Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) more time — a currency of high value to someone whose had so much of it taken from him.
In fact, Scott feels the pain of lost time in every single Marvel Cinematic Universe film he appears in. Though the trailer evokes memories of his reunion with his daughter, it also puts into perspective how much of their relationship Scott has spent in some form of confinement. By looking back at each event that separates Scott from Cassie (Kathryn Newton), it becomes clear why Ant-Man is seemingly willing to make a deal with Kang.
Scott missed Cassie's entire childhood
Scott's most memorable period of absence is arguably from 2018 to 2023 — the five canonical years between "Ant-Man and the Wasp" and "Avengers: Endgame." The hero is left stranded in the Quantum Realm after Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and her family fall victim to Thanos' snap during an experiment with the Quantum Tunnel, which uses Luis' modded out van as a gateway. He only escapes when a rat happens to jumpstart the machine, at that point forgotten in a storage facility, thus bringing him back to the events of "Endgame."
Prior to this, Scott served four years in prison for attempting to illegally right the wrongs of a corrupt CEO, as mentioned in the beginning of "Ant-Man." Several years later, after the ratification of the Sokovia Accords in "Captain America: Civil War," Scott sides with the titular super soldier in a battle again Iron Man's team, and after being caught, he faces legal repercussions yet again. In the time afterward, Scott is placed on house arrest for two years, where he is seemingly only allowed to see Cassie on weekends.
Take into consideration how old Cassie is, and this gets even sadder. Director Peyton Reed confirmed (via CBR) that Cassie is 18 by the time "Quantumania" takes place. Of those 18 years, Scott has been forcibly absent for about 11. Scott hasn't just missed a few years here and there. He missed the near entirety of her childhood. His pact with Kang definitely seems misguided and will certainly lead to irrevocable damage down the line, but Scott's actions are at least more understandable when considering all the time that's been taken from him and his daughter.