'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania' features the fiercest villain in MCU

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will officially begin when the latest film in the Avengers franchise opens on Friday.

Action News reporter Alicia Vitarelli sat down with the star-studded cast of "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" - and this one features a super villain.

Jonathan Majors first entered the MCU in the Disney+ series "Loki."

Now, his character Kang the Conqueror is down in in the Quantum Realm, where Ant-Man and the Wasp face their greatest threat yet.

"It feels much bigger," said Paul Rudd, who plays Ant-Man. "It's setting up the beginnings of Phase Five and introducing Kang the Conqueror."

Kang can rewrite existence and shatter timelines.

"Kang is somebody that's like on a Thanos scale," said Rudd. "It's cool that we're introducing that guy in our franchise. He's not somebody you want to mess with."

Majors says while he brings the treachery as Kang, he also elicits empathy.

"I feel what Marvel's really offered me is the opportunity to bring a human being to the screen," he said. "He's a baddie, but not only a baddie."

Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas return as the Wasp's parents and this time, they get help from Cassie Lang, Ant-Man's daughter, who emerges as a new superhero.

"It's an honor to be a part of the MCU," said Kathryn Newton, who plays Cassie. "I'm a huge fan of Marvel and this character is so personal to me. I feel a really strong connection to her. We're both impatient and think we know what we're doing. I have a good heart, and she leads with her heart."

The female power in this film is strong. It's something Evangeline Lilly, who plays the Wasp, has been fighting for.

"I have been banging on Marvel's door for three films now asking for quirky or weird or more like zany, interesting, fun, and clumsy female characters," she said. "I feel like they really did that with Cassie."

"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" is in theaters nationwide Friday, February 17.

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