10

One of the main themes in the Ant-Man movie was his relationship with his daughter, and how being on the wrong side of the law made it much harder for him to see her, or spend any time with her.

After resolving that, why would he jeopardise it by joining up with the team that are on the wrong side of the law in Civil War?

I can appreciate his distrust of Stark, or that he might find Captain America's morals more aligned with his own, or whatever, but I'd have thought that he'd keep away from a situation that would likely end up with him in jail or on the run, which is exactly what does happen to him.

Improve this question
7
  • 7
    Isn't keeping away from a situation that would end up with him in jail exactly what didn't happen for his entire solo movie?
    – Radhil
    Aug 2, 2017 at 17:03
  • 1
    @Radhil there's a lot of exposition that explains why he does that in his solo movie, and also how he comes to regret it
    – SpoonMeiser
    Aug 3, 2017 at 8:59
  • 1
    Please don't add extra bits to your question that invalidate the answers
    – Valorum
    Aug 3, 2017 at 10:43
  • When Ant-Man decides to join in, Captain America and his team are not "on the wrong side of the law", they are against governmental control. If anything, the Civil War Debate about governmental control is not a law yet, it is an open topic of discussion.
    – Flater
    Aug 3, 2017 at 11:23
  • 1
    @SpoonMeiser: S.H.I.E.L.D. is not the government. Being a fugitive from S.H.I.E.L.D. does not necessarily make you a fugitive from the law.
    – Flater
    Aug 5, 2017 at 13:55

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
15

While this isn't really clearly spelled out, we do see that there's a bit of hero worship, a bit of distrust of Stark, and maybe a little bit of rogueish nature peeking through as he shrugs off being on the wrong side of the law again.

Put them all together, and he's joining up with Cap's team.

All quotes from the transcript:

Scott Lang: What timezone is this?

Clint Barton: Come on. Come on.

Scott Lang: [Scott shakes Steve's hand with an amazed look.] Captain America.

Steve Rogers: Mr. Lang.

Scott Lang: It's an honour. I'm shaking your hand too long. Wow! This is awesome! Captain America. [He looks at Wanda.] I know you, too. You're great! [He turns back and feels Steve's shoulders.] Jeez. Ah, look, I wanna say, I know you know a lot of super people, so... Thinks for thanking of me. [To Sam.] Hey, man!

Sam Wilson: What's up, Tic Tac?

Scott Lang: Uh, good to see you. Look, what happened last time when I...

Sam Wilson: It was a great audition, but it'll... it'll never happen again.

Steve Rogers: They tell you what we're up against?

Scott Lang: Something about some... psycho-assassins?

Steve Rogers: We're outside the law on this one. So, if you come with us, you're a wanted man.

Scott Lang: Yeah, well, what else is new?

Later on, he muses that he was told to never trust a Stark.

Scott Lang: Hank Pym always said, you never can trust a Stark.

It's also worth noting that Sam Wilson had already been in contact with Scott earlier in the movie, enlisting his help to free Bucky.

That said, I don't really get the feeling that he's got a strong moral allegiance, and may have joined up with Tony had he approached first.

Improve this answer
8
  • 4
    Also keep in mind that The Falcon was the first of the Avengers to "discover" Ant Man. And it becomes clear that Sam Wilson and Scott Lang become friends by the end of the movie. Given this information, it seems likely that Sam contacted Scott, otherwise Ant Man might have just stayed out of the situation entirely.
    – jared.nesbit
    Aug 2, 2017 at 19:58
  • 1
    Plus, as an ex-con, if Scott did register under the Sovokia Accords, who’s to say he wouldn’t end up in superhero jail within a year or two anyway?
    – Paul D. Waite
    Aug 3, 2017 at 6:54
  • 1
    "It's also worth noting that Sam Wilson had already been in contact with Scott earlier in the movie, enlisting his help to free Bucky." He did?
    – DisturbedNeo
    Aug 3, 2017 at 9:32
  • 2
    @DisturbedNeo It's implied. Steve and Sam are discussing getting Bucky freed from the big vise holding his arm, and that Tony can't know. Sam says "I know a guy" who could help. While Scott isn't mentioned by name, the fact that the scene also acted as a post-credit scene in Ant-Man indicates that we're supposed to assume he's referring to Scott. youtube.com/watch?v=C4UF1OFAc_g
    – phantom42
    Aug 3, 2017 at 12:19
  • 1
    Also remember that in Ant Man hank Pym was very much against any kind of establishment for super heroes, this combined with his inherent distrust of Stark makes me believe that given a choice he would prefer Scott to take Caps side.
    – Richard C
    Aug 4, 2017 at 15:00

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.