Paul Rudd has been part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for more than a decade now, with his character, Scott Lang, having debuted in Ant-Man back in 2015. Since then, Lang has gone from ex-con trying to reconnect with his daughter to full-blown Avenger, quantum realm survivor and one of the few heroes who can say he helped undo Thanos’ snap. Now, as Avengers: Doomsday approaches, Kevin Feige’s latest description of Ant-Man makes it pretty clear that some of the MCU’s fan-favorite heroes are entering a new age bracket.
In a new profile of Paul Rudd, The Hollywood Reporter quoted Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige, as he described where Scott Lang fits into the massive upcoming superhero movie ensemble headed for the 2026 movie schedule. According to Feige:
More of an elder statesman now, dealing with other newer characters.
For longtime Marvel fans, that comment might feel like finding your very first gray hair. Ant-Man — the goofy guy who once got fired from Baskin-Robbins — and the dad who accidentally became one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, is now one of the older guys in the room.
It makes sense, even if it stings a little. Scott Lang has been around since Phase Two, and he has already crossed paths with Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange the Guardians-adjacent cosmic weirdness of the quantum realm and Kang. While Rudd looks like he never ages, his character has seen enough world-ending nonsense to earn a folding chair at the veteran heroes’ table.
That “elder statesman” label says a lot about where Avengers: Doomsday may be heading. The movie is expected to bring together multiple corners of Marvel’s current and past screen universe, with the first trailer and teasers hinting at returning MCU characters, new heroes and legacy names from the Fox-era X-Men films. Robert Downey Jr. is also returning to Marvel, though this time as the big bad, Doctor Doom, rather than Tony Stark.
Scott Lang may be getting older, but he could still serve as a connective piece between the older MCU and the newer lineup. That role fits him better than it might seem. Scott was never the team’s main strategist or strongest fighter, but he has always been one of Marvel’s most human heroes. He is a dad first, a thief second and an Avenger somewhere after “guy who really needs this plan explained twice.”
If you’re someone who’s seen all the Marvel movies in order, you know Ant-Man was introduced as the scrappy outsider looking up at icons like Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. Now, he may be the one standing across from younger heroes with the battle scars and war stories. And hey, I kind of dig that.
The funny thing about Marvel’s shared universe is that it has now been around long enough for its comic book problem to become a movie problem. These characters do not stay frozen in amber—actors age. Storylines pile up. New heroes enter. Older heroes either leave, die or retire.
For Rudd, that is especially amusing because, as I mentioned, so much of his public image has been built around the joke that he does not age. The new profile even digs into that long-running perception while Rudd jokes that he is “a withering 80-year-old man on the inside.”
Still, Feige’s description gives Doomsday an interesting emotional angle. This does not sound like Scott Lang being treated as comic relief. It sounds like Marvel understands he has history now, and he is ripe for the mentor role. The guy who once felt like the least likely Avenger may now be responsible for helping the new kids survive the next impossible fight.
Check out Ant-Man’s return in Avengers: Doomsday, hitting theaters on December 18, 2026. Until then, fans can revisit his past appearances by streaming all the MCU entries with a Disney+ subscription.