If a second round of Ant-Man is in your plans this weekend, keep an eye out for these 16 easter eggs and nods to the original Marvel comics that inspired the movie.
1. Tales to Astonish
During Darren Cross’s speech to a group of investors, he calls the rumors of Hank Pym’s Ant-Man, “propaganda, tales to astonish.” This is a reference to the Marvel comic book series Tales to Astonish, which ran from 1959 to 1968. The series featured a bunch of Ant-Man firsts, including the first appearance of Hank Pym in issue #27, and the introduction of his Ant-Man alter ego in issue #35.
2. The Milgrom Hotel
The building where Scott Lang lives after he’s released from prison is called the Milgrom Hotel, a nod to comic book artist Al Milgrom.
3. Jack and Darby
When Scott Lang is working at Baskin-Robbins, his name tag reads “Jack,” and he asks a “Darby” to take over for him. Jack and Darby are the names of Paul Rudd’s real-life kids.
4. Who’s To Blame For Sokovia?
In a clear reference to the events of Age of Ultron, a passenger on a San Francisco cable car is reading a newspaper with the headline, “Who’s To Blame For Sokovia?”
The fallout from the Battle in Sokovia leads right into both the Ant-Man post-credits stinger, and subsequently, Captain America: Civil War in 2016.
5. The Original Ant-Man
During his first run in the Ant-Man suit, Scott Lang crash-lands on the roof of a taxi cab. The driver of that cab just happens to be Garret Morris, a comedian who played Ant-Man in an SNL sketch in the late 70s.
6. Little Red Chair
In Hank Pym’s house, you can spot a brief glimpse of a tiny red chair on a mantlepiece. This is a reference to Hank Pym’s first appearance in the comics, where he manages to miniaturize a chair using Pym Particles.
7. Ant #247
Scott Lang’s little buddy Antony is designated number 427, referencing Tales to Astonish #27 and Marvel Premiere issue #47, the first appearances of Hank Pym and Scott Lang respectively.
8. It’s A Small World
During the Cross Industries heist, Luis insists on whistling to blend in. The song he picks happens to be “It’s A Small World,” from the iconic Disney theme park attraction of the same name.
Marvel is definitely getting some mileage out of being a part of the Disney family, with Ultron similarly giving a classic track from Pinocchio a go in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
9. Cassie
Scott Lang’s daughter is just a little kid in this movie, but in the comics, Cassie Lang grows up to be a superhero herself after her father dies. Due to her exposure to Pym Particles, Cassie is able to grow to superhuman sizes, and takes on the name Stature.
As a little bonus easter egg, you can also catch a quick glimpse of a stuffed toy Flounder from The Little Mermaid in Cassie’s room, another nod to Marvel’s Disney overlords.
10. The New Avengers Facility
The Avengers base from the end of Age of Ultron makes an appearance in Ant-Man, but that’s not the only thing to keep an eye out for.
According to Kevin Feige, “If you were to do a freeze frame of that reveal in Ant-Man of the Avengers facility, you’ll see the part that you saw at the end of Ultron, but you’ll also see a section you didn’t see in Ultron, but will be a primary section in Civil War.”
11. The Mandarin’s Still Around
The Ten Rings, the terrorist organization introduced in Iron Man, and brought back in a much bigger way in Iron Man 3, makes a small cameo. In the scene where Mitchell Carson (the former SHIELD guy turned HYDRA agent) is purchasing the Yellowjacket tech, some of the men accompanying him have Ten Rings tattoos on their necks.
Could this mean that HYDRA and the Ten Rings are linked?
12. Mitchell Carson
Speaking of Mitchell Carson, Martin Donovan’s character happens to share a name with a comic book character. Unlike the movie version though, comic book Carson isn’t a HYDRA traitor. Instead, he’s a SHIELD agent who is chosen to become the next Ant-Man.
The suit is stolen before he gets a chance to use it though, and Carson goes a little crazy. It’s later revealed that he’s a psychopathic serial killer who’s been using his SHIELD influence to cover up his murders. So, not exactly the guy we saw in the movie.
13. Pew Pew
If the sound of Yellowjacket’s plasma cannons firing felt familiar, there’s a good reason. Skywalker Sound re-used sound effects from the AT-ATs in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
14. Spider-Man?
Towards the end of the film, a reporter says that there are a whole bunch of new superheroes running around, “we’ve got one that jumps, we’ve got one that swings, we’ve got one that crawls up the walls.”
This sure sounds like a reference to everyone’s favorite webslinger, who’s set to make his MCU debut next year in Captain America: Civil War.
15. Stan Lee
These Stan Lee easter eggs aren’t exactly subtle, but they’re still super fun. His Ant-Man appearance comes late in the film, during Luis’s complicated explanation of why the Avengers are looking for Scott Lang. He plays a bartender who agrees that a particular woman was, “super fine!”
16. A Civil War Tease
It’s not an easter egg per se, but the post-credits scene featuring Captain America, Falcon, and Bucky does have some cool trivia behind it.
According to Kevin Feige, the scene wasn’t originally shot for Ant-Man‘s stinger. Instead, it’s actually footage shot for Captain America: Civil War, and a different version of the scene will be featured in the film proper next year. Consider it our first teaser for Phase Three!
Paxton Page = Death’s Head, Daredevil villain and Karen Page’s father
Well you missed the Peter Pan Easter egg when Scott Lang is by the lamp and flies away just like Peter and his shadow did in Disney’s movie