It feels safe to say everyone is in some way familiar with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Whether you are a die hard fan or a casual watcher, the MCU has impacted millions of people around the globe, and just last weekend we were introduced to the newest installment in the franchise, Antman and The Wasp: Quantumania. Does this new film hold up to the previous lineup of Marvel films and shows, or is this a step down for the franchise? 

Directed by Peyton Reed and written by Jeff Loveness, this new film is the 3rd installment in the Ant-Man trilogy, and is at a much larger scale than the previous two films. The film’s tone is very similar to the previous two, which are light-hearted and animated. However, the larger stakes does create a more exciting and curious viewer experience. The biggest part of the film is the introduction of Kang The Conqueror played by Johnathan Majors. Kang is set to be the next big bad and continuous threat in the current MCU.

Unfortunately, Major’s performance could not save his character or the film. Kang was uninteresting and bizarre for most of the film. While he still remains to be the best part of the film, with the best performance between all of the actors, the character falls flat in motivation and good dialogue just as the rest of the characters in the film. This is the second appearance of Johnathan Majors as Kang and it is definitely the more inferior between the two. What was initially an interesting and very intimidating character in the TV Series ‘Loki’ now feels like just another bad guy that our hero has to overcome and defeat. Additionally, Quantumania’s story and overall writing feels very tame, lacks any exciting buildup, or meaningful conversations between characters.

Currently there are 31 films and 8 TV shows in the MCU, and Quantumania does not rank highly on the long list. The MCU has made over 26.6 billion dollars since 2008, making it the biggest franchise in cinematic history. However in recent years the popularity has waned, and the general audience is starting to suffer from the overworked role of the. Antman and The Wasp: Quantumania is not likely to turn things around for the MCU as it follows the deep spiral the MCU is currently in of mediocracy compared to their previous, record-breaking films, plots, and tv shows.