It’s hard to come up with something that becomes a cultural mainstay, and Eminem did it unintentionally: His 2000 hit “Stan” is about an obsessive fan, and it was such a popular and descriptive depiction of that sort of person that the word “stan” is now commonly used to describe passionate devotees. The word “stan” has become its own thing distinct from Eminem at this point, as Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania stars Evangeline Lilly and Kathryn Newton proved in a recent interview.
In a PopBuzz presser, the two were asked about the word and it turned out they had complementary sets of knowledge: Lilly hadn’t heard of the term “stan” but was aware of the Eminem song, while Newton is up on her slang but didn’t know the word’s origins.
Newton explained how the word is used, which prompted Lilly to wonder if it was the Eminem song that spawned the word. The burden of confusion shifted from Lilly to Newton at that point, who had apparently never made the connection between Eminem and the word “stan” before until after Lilly explained what the song is about.
Warning: Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania spoilers ahead.
Ant-Man 3 is already a smash hit at the box office. It is exceeding expectations in numbers. However, the story could have gone in an entirely new direction. Evangeline Lilly‘s character, Hope van Dyne, originally had a son in early stages of the project’s production. The mother of Lucas Grant (Five Nights at Freddy’s) posted some on-set photos on his official Instagram account. She also shared that his role was removed from the film’s final cut.
In the post, Grant shoots some scenes with Lilly and a second child. Lilly and the two kids are wearing civilian clothes in the middle of what would become a CGI location. Lilly also has long hair with highlights, different from Lilly’s dark pixie cut that we see in the film. From this, we can infer that Lilly’s character, Hope, was meant to have these children at some point in the film. Grant’s post did not mention who his character’s father was or who the second child in the photos is.
Grant’s appearance in the film could have played out in a number of different ways. Hope van Dyne could have split up with Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) prior to Quantumania, with her character starting a new family. It also could have been a flashback to a hidden past of Lilly’s character. Additionally, the film’s ending could have been different, with Hope and Scott remaining trapped in the Quantum Realm after missing out on their chance to leave so they could defeat Kang the Conquerer. If that was the case, these kids could be Hope and Scott’s kids from their time in the Quantum Realm. That would explain the need for the CGI blue room. It would also explain the length of Hope’s hair, but not why the color changed.
The answer could have also been less complex. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania follows Hope van Dyne and Scott Lang as they fight Kang the Conquerer, the newest big bad of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s able to manipulate time and space. As a method of convincing the Lilly and Rudd’s characters to stop their fight, Kang could have shown and promised them an alternate, peaceful timeline where they were always together. It would explain the little girl in the photos. She could possibly be a young Cassie. These, obviously, are all speculations. It’s near-impossible to know the truth of Grant’s role in the film. Maybe we’ll find out eventually, but until then, Quantumania is available to watch in theaters.
