Paul Rudd explains why Ant-Man is Marvel’s most relatable superhero

Ant-Man might not be Marvel’s biggest or most powerful superhero, but Paul Rudd is absolutely fine with that.

“I think that’s part of the character’s thing, and part of the charm,” he says, while chatting to the Herald via Zoom.

“And the whole Rodney Dangerfield, ‘I don’t get no respect’ angle is funny.”

It’s that self-deprecating humour and charm that makes Ant-Man/Scott Lang the most relatable of the Avengers, despite his ability to shrink to the size of an ant. He cracks dad jokes, he got fired from Baskin Robbins, and his biggest enemy is his own impostor syndrome.

Lang is just a nice, “regular guy”, Rudd says, and the actor himself is no different. He really is that nice in person, pausing before our chat begins to ask me how I’m doing.

Kathryn Newton plays Scott Lang's daughter Cassie alongside Paul Rudd in the film. Photo / Jay Maidment / Marvel Studios

And even over Zoom, it’s clear that at 53, he’s barely changed since the first time he appeared as Ant-Man in 2015. Let’s not forget he was named People’s Sexiest Man Alive in 2021.

It’s been five years since the last Ant-Man film, and now Rudd returns in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, hitting screens in New Zealand tomorrow.

It’s a slightly darker turn for the character often painted as Marvel’s underdog.

“Do I think this [film] will change that perception? You know, I don’t know,” Rudd shares.

But he thinks it’s important that someone like Ant-Man gets to take on someone who may just be the scariest Marvel villain yet: Kang the Conqueror, played - terrifyingly - by Jonathan Majors.

“I do think that this film will certainly make people aware of Kang and feel the weight of that villain because he really is one of the antagonists in the MCU and in Marvel history,” Rudd reveals.

Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne/Wasp and Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Photo / Marvel Studios

“And Jonathan does such an incredible job, and you believe him as that role. So I like that it’s Ant-Man that has to go up against him for the first time.

“And that’s gratifying, that Ant-Man has been entrusted to kick off Phase 5.”

Phase 4 of the MCU - Marvel Cinematic Universe - is set after the defeat of the villain Thanos and sets up the Multiverse Saga. Phase 5, which includes upcoming films Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels, continues that saga and is all about the mysterious quantum realm, another layer of worlds beneath ours.

In the newest film, Lang is navigating his new-found fame, taking selfies with fans and touring the country to promote his very own tell-all memoir, before his daughter Cassie’s experiments land him and his family in the quantum realm.

“He really is this regular guy who did happen to defeat Thanos, who has now gone up against Kang the Conqueror, who has come up with these theories of time travel,” Rudd says of the character.

“Like, he knows his role in it, but he doesn’t dwell on it ... except for the fact that he wrote a book telling everybody he did,” he’s quick to add with a laugh.

In the film, Scott Lang pulls a Prince Harry and releases his very own celebrity memoir: Look Out For the Little Guy, all about his experiences as an Avenger. If you’re a die-hard fan, you can actually buy your very own copy online.

And talking about the book, Rudd appears to slip into his character’s voice and mannerisms for just a moment.

“It’s a new book, I hope you like it, and I hope you read it,” he says with a chuckle.

“And maybe, you know, maybe that’ll change some perceptions, right?”

But something tells me Rudd is happy to keep playing Ant-Man just the way he is - and his fans love him for it.