Marvel star confirms beloved MCU character will never return

One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s biggest stars has proclaimed that they won’t be returning to the franchise again, even though their character is still alive after starring in four separate live-action films.

Michael Douglas, who portrayed Hank Pym in the MCU, has revealed in a recent interview that he doesn’t see himself returning to Disney’s blockbuster films in any future projects.

During an interview with Deadline’s Andreas Wiseman regarding Douglas’ career, the actor was asked if he would star in any more MCU projects following his role in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

“I don’t think so. I had the experience, and I was excited to do it. I’d never done a green screen picture before,” Douglas replied.

“I did The Kominsky Method because I wanted to work with Chuck Lorre and try some comedy. But I’m enjoying my hiatus and enjoying my life. It was overwhelming running the production company and acting at the same time.”

Of course, the real question is… is this just another case of MCU actors trying to hide the fact that they’ll be making a surprise appearance in another Marvel film down the line?

Surprisingly, the fan base seems to think that’s not the case, at least if the comments in a thread discussing the interview over on the r/MarvelStudiosSpoilers subreddit are anything to go by.

“I don’t think this is a werewolf situation. I think he’s telling the truth,” commented user xAvengingHero2012.

“He probably was in Loveness’ Kang Dynasty script. Which would make sense, since Quantumania was actually going to matter when Kang was still the main villain.”

“I really got the vibe that Quantumania killed a lot of the fun/excitement for him,” replied user Billyb311.

“He talked very positively about playing Hank before that film with some hopes of things he wanted to do with that character… Since then, he's seemed checked out of the MCU and said he'd come back if they killed his character.”

Yeah, I am more than inclined to agree with the fanbase on this one.

The MCU’s plans for Hank Pym would have dramatically shifted after plans had to pivot following Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole ordeal put Douglas off of returning entirely (especially if he liked what they had originally planned for his character).

A shame, really. He was always one of the best characters in the Ant-Man films. Here’s hoping they do manage to give him a solid send-off, somehow.