Avengers: Age of Ultron teases the arrival of a famous Marvel Comics character who could appear in the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quauntumania.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania may finally pay off a tease from Avengers: Age of Ultron. Not only will the upcoming Ant-Man sequel kick off Phase 5, the middle chapter of the Multiverse Saga, but it will also introduce Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors, ahead of his highly anticipated battle with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. However, one of the most exciting possibilities from the film hinges on a Marvel Comics character teased all the way back in Avengers: Age of Ultron, whose origin story wasn’t made possible until Janet Van Dyne’s return.
Quantumania will finally deliver on Michelle Pfeiffer’s casting as Janet van Dyne, making her a featured character throughout the entire film. Prior to the upcoming Ant-Man sequel, Janet has had a very limited impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in only a handful of scenes so far. After spending decades trapped in the mysterious Quantum Realm, Janet was finally freed by her surviving family during the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp, settling down once more with her husband, Hank Pym. Now, Janet is about to embark on her first onscreen adventure in the MCU, opening up a world of possibilities, which she inherits from her comic book counterpart.
The events of Age of Ultron created many MCU mysteries that future films have endeavored to solve, but Janet’s return from the Quantum Realm means that one such Easter egg can finally come to fruition. After JARVIS becomes the superhero Vision, Tony Stark elects to put a new AI system into his Iron Man armor. While he ultimately chooses FRIDAY, the AI interface that would serve him until his death, two alternate choices can be seen on his desk, including TADASHI, a reference to the Marvel heroes known as Big Hero 6, and JOCASTA, a prominent character from Marvel Comics with a close connection to Janet van Dyne.
JOCASTA may be one of several new superheroes introduced in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, thanks to Janet’s renewed presence in the franchise. In Marvel Comics, JOCASTA is an AI interface with a robot body originally built by Ultron as his new wife. Hank Pym was even tricked into uploading Janet van Dyne’s mind into JOCASTA’s body. While JOCASTA was eventually freed of Ultron’s will, she continued to display the personality traits of Janet van Dyne, essentially becoming her duplicate. Now that Janet is a functional part of the MCU, a comics-accurate adaptation of JOCASTA can make her debut, once again taking her attributes from the former Wasp.
How JOCASTA Can Affect Future MCU Projects
JOCASTA could play an integral role in several upcoming MCU projects. Especially with rumors that Ultron will return in Armor Wars, the MCU’s newest sentient robot could have a major role to play in War Machine’s upcoming solo film. JOCASTA has always had a close connection with Ultron in the comics and would like a natural fit in a project depicting the villain’s long-awaited return–even if it means that she may assist him in his villainous actions as his robot bride. Furthermore, if JOCASTA’s programming did originate with Tony Stark, as Age of Ultron implies, she would also fit well into Rhodey’s endeavors to clear up his best friend’s legacy.
Conversely, Marvel may look to flip JOCASTA’s story from anything seen in the comics. Vision Quest, Vision’s recently announced WandaVision spinoff, certainly offers a chance for the character’s return, especially with its focus on the MCU’s original synthezoid. However, JOCASTA may be better suited to teaming up with the Young Avengers during their heavily rumored team-up film. This seems especially likely given JOCASTA’s potential connection to Cassie Lang, the future Young Avenger known as Stature. Regardless of where JOCASTA may show up next, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania offers the first real chance for the character to make her exciting live-action debut.
