Janet Van Dyne Works for Kang - MCU Theory Explained

A new Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever theory claims Janet worked for Kang in the Quantum Realm, solving several of the MCU's big mysteries.

The MCU's next big threat, Kang the Conqueror, will be the villain in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum of Fury, and a new theory suggests that Janet Van Dyne might actually be working for him. The trailer for the third Ant-Man movie reveals that Janet, aware of the dangers Scott, Hope, and others would encounter in the Quantum Realm, warns Cassie Lang that sending a signal to the Quantum Realm is a bad idea. It's not known how Janet Van Dyne knew of Kang's danger before everyone was sent to the Quantum Realm, but this new Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever theory is the perfect explanation.

In the Ant-Man films, Janet Van Damme is Hank Pym's wife and wearer of the original Wasp suit. After entering the subatomic state, Janet was trapped in the Quantum Realm for years and was presumed dead until Hank Pym rescued her in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Considering Janet was trapped in the Quantum Realm from 1987 to 2018, she likely had a lot of adventures that were never explained in the MCU. After staying here for so long, she should have met Kang the Conqueror gave her a vision of the danger in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Madness.

Janet Seems To Know Kang From The Quantum Realm

In the first trailer for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever, Janet quickly warns Cassie and Scott of the danger of the quantum satellite, almost immediately screaming for them to turn it off. This means that Janet knows that the mighty Kang the Conqueror will intercept the signal sent by Cassie. Based on the trailer, Kang seems to have somehow brought the Ant-Man family to the Quantum Realm after sending the signal. For someone who has lived in the Quantum Realm for over 30 years, it makes sense that Janet understands the dangers to come - and Kang seems to be the biggest danger.

Kang & Janet Could Have Met (Despite Loki)

Considering the Quantum Realm shown in the trailer, it seems more likely that Kang and Janet will meet. While Ant-Man and the Wasp portrayed the Quantum Realm as a barren wasteland, Scott and co encounter a vast quantum civilization in the trailer, the largest of which is Kang's. Kang is shown to manage a large technological army and live in a sprawling kingdom. Wandering in the Quantum Realm for such a man For a long time, it only made sense that Janet would encounter the largest Quantum Realm. Kang wants to escape the Quantum Realm, and it makes sense that he wants to meet people outside the Quantum Realm.

A counterargument to this theory is that the rules laid down in Loki make it impossible for Janet to have seen Kang before. In Loki, He Who Remains is a Kang variant running the TVA, pruning the alternate universe to prevent other Kang variants from appearing. Kang in Ant-Man and the Wasp exists in the Quantum Realm, where time works very differently as the MCU has established it. It's entirely possible that the kingdom protected Kang, or that it prevented the bereaved from seeing Kang. Either way, Loki's He Who Remains rules don't seem to have any major conflicts with theory.

Working With Kang Explains An Ant-Man 2 Mystery

Janet Van Dyne was trapped in the Quantum Realm for over 30 years, and although she was rescued in Ant-Man and the Wasp, exactly how she survived for so long in such an extremely dangerous environment has remained a mystery. When Janet went subatomic, all she had was her wasp suit and wasn't carrying any survival gear Any kind of quantum realm. With no source of food or water, and the Quantum Realm fraught with dangers of all kinds, there's only one explanation for how she survived: Kang.

Kang's kingdom in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever proves that the villain has no problem conquering the Quantum Realm, and that his technology and powers allow him to do whatever he wants with ease. If Janet becomes close to Kang, and possibly even works for him, Kang may give her in return what she needs to survive. He Who Remains reveals that Kang's variant has the ability to manipulate time and the multiverse, meaning he could even give Janet the powers she needs to survive in the Quantum Realm.

The second mystery this theory solves is why Janet was so silent about what happened to her in the Quantum Realm. The Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever trailer shows Kang hiring Scott to steal for him, and Kang may have made a similar arrangement with Janet before. However, Janet is clearly aware of the horrors and atrocities Kang committed, which means she may not want to tell her family that she worked for him. There are still many questions about Janet's time in the Quantum Realm, and Kang has answered almost all of them.

What Janet Knowing Kang Means For Ant-Man 3

If Janet actually knew Kang the Conqueror before the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever, it has several significant implications. The first is that Janet's prior knowledge may be the key to defeating Kang. While the various Ant-Man heroes are undoubtedly less powerful than Kang, Janet's insider knowledge of Kang's powers and how his Quantum Realm works could give the heroes the upper hand. The trailer (and Loki) show that Kang is a powerful manipulator, and Janet's experience with Kang can inform Kang's tactics to herself, Scott, Cassie, Hank, and Hope.

Another story detail that Janet knew Kang would hint at had to do with why she had been hiding it. If Janet does work for Kang, she'll have to reveal this to the other heroes at some point in the movie, which means Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever could have a cheater-unmasking storyline. Hank and Janet appear to be separated from Scott, Hope, and Cassie in the trailer, and this betrayal of trust could explain why the group separate. While Janet van Dyne's theory hasn't been proven, she knew Kang before Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Fever, which answers too many untrue questions.