Amazon Fire Stick sales regularly drop the prices of the retailer's streaming sticks, so you can completely reinvent your TV's offerings without breaking the bank. You'll have access to hundreds of apps and, in turn, thousands of shows and movies, all with a handy HDMI plug-in. Not only that, but you'll also be able to bring your TV into your wider smart home ecosystem with Alexa support running all the way through.
We're rounding up all the latest Amazon Fire Stick prices right here, bringing you the best deals across the web on all the newest (and cheapest) models. Whether you're after a particularly budget-friendly device like the Fire Stick Lite or an all-in-one powerhouse, you'll find plenty of offers just below. We've also included the powerful Fire TV Cube, which acts as a combination of an Echo speaker and Fire TV device, and the US-exclusive Fire TV Recast, which allows you to record free over-the-air content - one for all you cord-cutters out there.
The main advantage we've seen with the Amazon Fire TV devices over competitors like Roku and Now TV is the now-standard inclusion of Amazon's Alexa smart assistant, thanks to the voice remote that comes with every Fire TV device. Several available apps and games just can't be matched by competitors either. So if you want the smartest of smart TV experiences for less, these Amazon Fire Stick sales are the way to go. You can also find some of the best Fire Stick sales at the upcoming 2022 Black Friday deals event.
The best cheap Fire TV Stick sales and deals
1. Amazon Fire Stick Lite
Amazon's cheapest streaming device
Picture quality: Up to 1080p Full HD | Voice remote: Yes | Alexa-enabled: Yes | Storage: 8GB | Ethernet port: No - requires aditional adapter | Launch price: $29.99/£29.99
Alexa Voice Remote
Affordable
Full HD
No TV controls
The Fire TV Stick Lite was released in 2020 to the Amazon Fire TV family, and it's the cheapest device that Amazon has put out yet. The budget streaming stick allows you to stream your favorite content from apps like Hulu, Amazon Video, Netflix, and more. You'll get access to tens of thousands of channels, Alexa skills, and apps, and the Alexa voice remote allows you to browse shows, launch movies, adjust the volume, and more completely hands-free.
2. Amazon Fire TV Stick
A super cheap option for making your basic TV smarter
Picture quality: Up to 1080p (Full HD) | Voice remote: Yes | Alexa-enabled: Yes | Storage: 8GB | Ethernet port: No - requires aditional adapter | Launch price: $39.99/£39.99
Easy to navigate
Alexa well-integrated
Speedy interface
No 4K
Amazon's 3rd generation Fire TV Stick was released last year as an updated version and retails for $39.99/£39.99. The 2021 Fire TV Stick now includes an Alexa voice remote allowing you to use your voice to launch movies, apps, shows, and more. While this model only supports HD streaming, the Fire TV Stick is 50% more powerful than the 2nd generation, and the Alexa remote includes all-new preset buttons, including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video, and Disney Plus, allowing you to get your apps faster.
If you're wondering the difference between the FIre TV Stick Lite and the Fire TV Stick - you're getting Dolby Atmos with the Fire TV Stick delivering a more immersive audio experience. If this isn't important to you, we suggest going with the Fire TV Stick Lite, which comes with a much cheaper price tag.
3. Amazon Fire Stick 4K
The best for streaming 4K content
Picture quality: Up to 4K HDR10+ | Voice remote: Yes | Alexa-enabled: Yes | Storage: 8GB | Ethernet port: No - requires aditional adapter | Launch price: $49.99/£49.99
Alexa Voice Remote
4K and HDR 10+
Dolby Atmos Audio
Amazon's 2021 Fire TV Stick 4K streaming device packs a wealth of features into a thumb-drive-sized stick for $49.99/£54.99. The updated Fire TV Stick features 4K Ultra HD capability with support for Dolby Vision, HDR, and HDR10+. You're also getting a 1.7GHz quad-core processor, and Dolby Atmos Audio—something very few streaming sticks have. Plus, you also get Alexa, Amazon's smart assistant, and its voice control capabilities.
4. Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max
Amazon's most powerful streaming stick
Picture quality: Up to 4K HDR10+ | Voice remote: Yes | Alexa-enabled: Yes | Storage: 8GB | Ethernet port: No - requires aditional adapter | Launch price: $54.99/£54.99
Wi-Fi 6 support
Fast performance
Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support
Expensive
The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max was released in October of last year with a starting price of $54.99/£54.99. The Fire TV Stick Max is Amazon's most powerful streaming stick, with support for Dolby Vision, HDR 10, HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos. Unlike the Fire TV Stick 4K, the 4K Max supports Wi-Fi 6 and features the new quad-core 1.8 GHz processor that Amazon claims offers 40% more power than the previous generation.
5. Amazon Fire TV Cube
Like an Echo Dot and Fire TV Stick in one
Picture quality: Up to 4K Ultra HD with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision | Voice remote: Yes | Alexa-enabled: Yes | Storage: 16GB | Ethernet port: Yes | Launch price: $119.99/£109/AU$160
Hands free streaming
Supports 4K content
HDR10+ support and Dolby Vision
Amazon's Fire TV Cube is a hybrid between a smart speaker and a streaming media player. Calling itself the "first hands-free streaming media player with Alexa." Amazon seems to be betting on this combined functionality to sway consumers away from rival Chromecast or Apple TV devices.
Like the Amazon Echo speakers, customers can navigate Fire TV and play/pause/fast-forward content without the need for a remote while still using Alexa for all their weather/shopping/trivia concerns. Don't worry, you get an actual remote control too.
The Cube comes with its own Ethernet port, 16GB of storage, a built-in speaker, and top-of-the-range picture quality, as long as your TV can display it. Users can also control other compatible smart home devices, including additional speakers, soundbars, thermostats, and security cameras. Compared to Amazon Fire Stick prices, the TV Cube doesn't come cheap, retailing for $119/£109.99. You are getting complete control of your Amazon smart home in one neat little black box, making it the easiest way to combine all your connected tech.
6. Fire TV Recast
Watch and record live TV with Alexa
Picture quality: Up to HD | Tuners: 2/4 | Voice remote: Yes | Alexa-enabled: Yes | Storage: 500GB/1TB (up to 75/150 hours of HD TV content | Ethernet port: Yes | Launch price: $229.99/$279.99
Amazon's own DVR
75/150-hour capacity
Compatible with Alexa-enabled products
Only available in the US. Amazon has released its own DVR (Digital Video Recorder) to record free over-the-air content and watch it via an Amazon Fire TV device or Echo Show (so you'll need one of those too). There are no subscription fees here, so it's a tempting option for all you cord cutters out there and with a 500GB capacity on the cheapest model, you're looking at around 75 hours of storage, so there's no need to pick up an external drive to save content, which is an issue with some DVRs.
There's a larger 1TB capacity version if you want to double down. Hook it up to a HD antenna and you'll be able to watch and record content from the likes of ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS, and The CW. Better yet, just ask Alexa to do it for you if you've got a modern Fire TV device with a voice-remote.
Which Fire Stick prices are right for you?
The Fire Stick and the Fire Stick 4K prices are fairly similar to begin with ($39.99/£39.99 and $49.99/£49.99 respectively. So, when the sales do come around, you may well find that the more popular 4K model is cheaper than the original HD-only version. Even if you don't own a 4K TV, there's little point in picking up the older version when this happens (and it seems to regularly). In fact, even if the original Fire Stick prices are cheaper than the 4K offering, if there's a sale on both regardless you might as well pick up the latest model and future-proof your purchase.
Just in time for the holiday season, Google Search is getting three new shopping features to help you sniff out good deals on the internet.
The upcoming tools are all about making life easier for online shoppers, especially during these economically rocky times. Google states it expects to see a 43 percent jump in American shoppers looking for discounts or special deals compared to last year. To facilitate this, a new “Special Offer” tag will appear on product thumbnails on both mobile and desktop results that have a coupon available. These tags are meant to make promotions a lot more visible when browsing.
Selecting the item will give you a coupon code that you can enter at checkout. However, the coupon code won't say how much money you’ll be saving. Google states it has plans to add a new “coupon clipping feature,” which is basically the ability to copy and paste the code without having to type it in. “Special Offer” tags are slated to roll out within the coming weeks, but no hard date was given.
Price insights
Price insights from the Shopping tab are also set to make their way over to the main Search page, on both desktop and mobile. This means you can check prices from multiple stores and see how a product’s price tag fluctuates. It'll help you see when it was at its cheapest. This small but helpful change means you won’t have to hop back and forth between tabs. Everything is right in front of you. And launching by the end of November is a new, mobile exclusive side-by-side view for comparing deals. Instead of having full-priced and on-sale items jumbled together in a mess, Google will group products in a “Deals” category for quick browsing.
All the shopping features will be exclusive to US users “at present,” according to a company representative. So it’s possible other countries will see these features at a later date. The same goes for the side-by-side view, as it may see a desktop version in the future but not much is known beyond that.
Expanding tools
During the Search On 2022 event back in September, Google revealed a wave of features to make shopping more personable. Search results will show you complementary pieces and accessories to go with a potential new jacket, for example. Helpful buyer's guides have been added to more complex products such as mountain bikes. A guide will have an FAQ of sorts to answer common questions, such as what type of suspension or brakes should you get. Combined with the Search update and Chrome’s price tracker feature, you might be able to find exactly what you're looking for at a good price.
If Google’s discount-hunting tools weren’t enough, be sure to check out TechRadar’s Black Friday deals for 2022. You can read up on our predictions for this year’s event, where we expect to see steeper discounts than in previous years and sales starting earlier.
Netflix has called time on popular teen drama series Fate: The Winx Saga after just two seasons.
The news comes by way of showrunner Brian Young, who announced the cancellation in an Instagram post. “This is not fun news to share,” he wrote, “but Netflix [has] decided not to move forward with season 3 of Fate: The Winx Saga.”
A live-action adaptation of animated Nickelodeon series Winx Club, Fate: The Winx Saga debuted on Netflix back in January 2021 before returning for a second season in September this year. Its recent episodes were watched for a total of 49 million hours in their first month of release, making Fate: The Winx Saga the number one show in 76 countries between September and October 2022.
Clearly, though, the series’ chart-topping popularity wasn’t enough to convince Netflix executives of its longevity.
“This is especially tough because I know how many of you loved [season 2],” Young told fans on Instagram. “It’s a heartbreaking silver lining, but a silver lining all the same. I’m so proud of everyone who worked on the show, and so happy we got to tell the stories we did.”
“Our cast and crew put in a ton of hard work creating this world and these characters,” the showrunner added. “I’m grateful for each and every one of them, and for all of you for watching. It’s been an amazing four years. Hopefully we’ll see each other again in the future.”
Frustratingly for fans of Fate: The Winx Saga, season 2 concluded with a huge cliff-hanger ending. “This can’t end like this,” one viewer wrote on Twitter, while another complained: “Hey Netflix, can you at least FINISH the show before canceling it? Seriously, it's getting annoying.”
HOW can Netflix cancel a show that’s been breaking records and has SO much potential?! I truly do not get it. Fate: The Winx Saga deserves better. Explain. @netflixNovember 1, 2022
Generally speaking, though, the future looks bright for Netflix movies and TV shows – brighter, at least, than it seemed earlier in 2022. The company’s finances are supposedly in good shape as the year draws to a close, and its operating profit looks set to further balloon in 2023 and beyond.
Evidently, Netflix's business shake-up looks to have come too late for Fate: The Winx Saga, but here's hoping that more of the best Netflix shows are safe from cancellation following the company's strategy shift.
Microsoft is looking to help users get some peace and quiet to be productive thanks to a new Outlook update.
The email client is introducing "Focus Time", which will allow users to silence all notifications for a set period of time, allowing them to power through those vital tasks.
In an update on the official Microsoft 365 roadmap, the company notes that users will be able to block out time in their Outlook calendar to get a little peace. Doing so will mute notifications not just from Outlook, but also from Microsoft Teams, cutting users off from two of the most disruptive presences for many workers.
Focus time in Outlook
The post also added that users will be able to block out "focus events" directly from their Outlook calendar, which should be visible to anyone else that has access to a specific calendar, meaning colleagues, co-workers or clients should leave you in peace.
The update is still listed as being "in development" at this time, but has a mooted general availability date of January 2023. When released, Microsoft is looking to make the feature available to Outlook users across Web, desktop, iOS and Android.
The news is fairly similar to a feature previously introduced by Google Workspace to its calendar app. Its "focus time" tool allows users to block out periods of time where they can avoid meetings and get their heads down for actual work.
Setting such a marker in a Google Calendar will also allow users to automatically decline meetings, meaning no last-minute rush to finish off work.
The firm's calendar app is also making it easier to spot some free time for an appointment or meeting with an upgraded schedule sharing feature that could boost smaller businesses by upgrading its "booking page" system, where users can display their availability with other contacts, by adding a new Share button for smoother sharing.
If you're the type of superfan who loves getting the most of their Slack experience, a new update should help you feel more in contact with your team than ever before.
The collaboration platform has announced it is introducing typing indicators for threads, letting users know exactly when their colleagues or friends are replying.
The update, which mirrors what already happens in Slack channels, was revealed on Twitter by Johnny Rodgers, principal software engineer at Slack, and is rolling out now to users across the world to start enjoying.
Slack threads
Slack says the change should help users focus on the conversations they value the most, particularly in big businesses where users may be part of a large number of channels and conversations.
But if you aren't a fan, they can be disabled by heading to the preferences menu, where in the “Messages & media” section, users can uncheck the box next to “Display information about who is currently typing a message.”
(Image credit: Slack)
The update is the latest in a series of upgrades made by Slack as it looks to help users get more out of the platform.
Other recent additions include the ability to launch quick video chats in Slack Huddles, its impromptu meeting tool, alongside audio calls. It also added multi-person screen-sharing, emojis and reactions, and message threads that pull through to the associated channel after the call has ended.
The company also recently launched a new-look version of the Slack Workflow Builder, its tool that allows any worker to automate their workflows, without having to wait on overburdened dev teams or write the code themselves.
The launches come after a recent survey by Slack found many workplace leaders are feeling the pressure of the “new normal”, and are leaning back on “old habits” to compensate. Overall, hybrid and remote workers were 52% more likely to say their company’s culture has improved over the last two years, with flexible work policies being the leading reason. As a result, 11% reported greater work-life balance, 25% less stress, and 6% higher productivity.
- Launches worldwide in February 2023
- First trailer publicly released in October 2022
- Story picks up after Avengers: Endgame
- Marks live-action debut of Kang the Conqueror
- Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly among returning cast from Ant-Man and the Wasp
- Directly sets up 2025's Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
- May tie into Fantastic Four movie and set up Young Avengers project
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania marks the start of Marvel’s Phase 5 slate. The forthcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie is going to be a big one, too, with Kang the Conqueror making his official live-action debut – Loki’s He Who Remains doesn’t really count – so it’s high time you got up to speed on the keenly anticipated superhero film.
Below, we’ve compiled everything worth knowing about Ant-Man’s third solo movie. That includes its release date, first trailer, all-star cast, potential plot points, how it’ll impact the MCU, and more. Once you’re done, you’ll be an expert on all things concerning the diminutive hero’s next Marvel outing.
A word of warning before we begin: full spoilers follow for both Ant-Man movies, Avengers: Endgame, andLoki season 1. Also, potential story and cast spoilers for the forthcomingMarvel Phase 5film follow, but we’ll notify you when you’re about to reach them if you’re avoiding spoilers ahead of release.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania release date
The third solo Ant-Man film arrives early next year.(Image credit: Disney/Marvel Studios)
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will launch in theaters worldwide on February 17, 2023.
It was originally due to arrive in late 2022, but its release has been changed a few times, most notably because of development issues on The Marvels. Per Variety, Ant-Man 3 is simply further along the production line than The Marvels, hence why it’s releasing first.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’s first trailer was released publicly on October 24.
The teaser, well, teased plenty of tantalizing moments. Chief among those is the live-action debut of Kang the Conqueror, who needs Ant-Man’s help with a job he’s suitably skilled for (more on this shortly).
Kang’s MCU arrival isn’t the only worthwhile tease. We also get a good look at legendary actor Bill Murray’s Krylar (more on him in a bit), Kathryn Newton’s grown up Cassie Lang – in her superhero costume, no less – and the Quantum Realm itself. We only caught a glimpse of this dimension in 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp but, given this Marvel film is primarily set in this realm, we’ll get to see more of it when the movie arrives.
Interestingly, the Quantum Realm has shades of the Star Wars universe – just look at that eclectic mix of races and those stunning vistas – about it. Additionally, what appears to be Kang’s army – those ships that surround Giant Man are surely Kang’s, right? – are reminiscent of those we’ve seen in 2018’s Black Panther and 2022’s Wakanda Forever. Did Kang, well, conquer Wakanda in another Marvel universe? It would be a big deal if he did.
Curiously, the publicly released teaser differs from the one San Diego Comic-ConandD23 Expo 2022 attendees saw. In that trailer, fans got a very brief glimpse at another Quantumania villain – MODOK – and learned that Kang killed a version of Ant-Man in another universe. Maybe Marvel considered those bits to be too spoiler-y to include in its public Quantumania trailer? Here’s hoping we see them in the film’s official teaser pre-release.
Ant-Man 3 is positioned as being a darker entry in the character’s film series, based on the trailer seen at Comic-Con and D23. However, the public teaser shows it'll retains the humor and levity we’ve come to expect from an Ant-Man movie. So, don’t fret if you were forecasting a more sombre, drama-fuelled third Ant-Man flick.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania cast
Ant-Man 3 marks the official debut of Kang the Conqueror in the MCU.(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
Here’s the confirmed cast for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania so far:
Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man
Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne/Wasp
Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror
Michael Douglas as Hank Pym
Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne
Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang
Bill Murray as Krylar
Randall Park as Jimmy Woo
Rudd, Lilly, Douglas, Pfeiffer, and Woo all reprise their roles from Ant-Man and the Wasp. Meanwhile, Newton makes her first proper appearance in an MCU movie, replacing Emma Fuhrmann’s teenage Cassie from Avengers: Endgame. That film also marked the last time we saw Rudd’s Lang and Lilly’s van Dyne as their superhero alter-egos.
In terms of newcomers, Majors’ Kang is the most notable cast addition. Majors played one of Kang’s variants – He Who Remains – in Loki’s season 1 finale. Following He Who Remains’ death, the Sacred Timeline he’d been watching over no longer exists, meaning He Who Remains’ variants can cross over from the Marvel multiverse into the MCU. That includes Kang, a time traveler with genius intellect who conquers other universes thanks to his combat expertise, advanced weaponry, and ability to teleport to any realm he sees fit. You can read more about Kang the Conqueror in our in-depth character explainer.
As for those who aren’t returning, David Dastmalchian’s Kurt isn’t back (per ScreenRant), while Michael Peña's Luis, Bobby Cannavele’s Jim, and Jude Greer’s Maggie haven’t been confirmed to feature. Maybe there just isn’t room for them to be supporting cast members or even make cameos this time around.
Potential cast spoilers follow from now on. Turn back or skip ahead if you’re avoiding them pre-release.
Murray’s Krylar is an unknown quantity. The legendary actor previously revealed he was playing a “bad guy” but, until recently, we didn’t know who that was. There’s a character called Krylar in Marvel comics, an individual who exists in the Microverse, which the Quantum Realm might act as a stand-in for here. However, Krylar only had the tiniest of roles in The Incredible Hulk #156, which was released in July 1972, so we don’t actually know much if anything about Krylar in the source material. As such, Murray’s adaptation has no major comic history to draw from.
That said, we have some idea of the role Krylar will play. Per the Comic-Con and D23 trailer, Krylar has a romantic history with Janet van Dyne, with the latter living in the Quantum Realm for decades before she was rescued by Hank Pym in Ant-Man and the Wasp. With Janet inadvertently returning to this dimension alongside her family – thanks, Cassie – she’ll come face to face with her former flame once more. And we suspect he won’t be so keen to let her leave again.
Stoll, who played the antagonistic Darren Cross/Yellowjacket in 2015’s Ant-Man, is slated to make his second MCU appearance. This time, though, he’ll be voicing MODOK – a mutated, cybernetically enhanced individual with genius-level intellect. MODOK was the primary antagonist in Marvel’s Avengers video game, while the character also had his own Hulu series, which wasn’t canon in the MCU and only aired for one season before being canceled in May 2022.
#D23Expo dove into the Quantum Realm with a peek inside Marvel Studios' Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania: https://t.co/HpUgtq9iJM pic.twitter.com/LsJL016ZtQSeptember 11, 2022
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In the comics, MODOK, whose real name is George Tarleton, is the product of – yep, you guessed it – an experiment gone wrong. A bunch of scientists, who work for the criminal organization Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M) use advanced mutagenics to turn Tarleton, one of their fellow researchers, into a superhuman to help them study the Cosmic Cube. However, Tarleton’s mutation turns him into a bloodthirsty, ambitious supervillain, resulting in him taking full control of A.I.M and going onto become one of Marvel’s most famous villains.
Given Stoll will portray MODOK in the MCU, it’s inevitable that MODOK’s origins story will have been altered to factor into his Ant-Man 3 appearance.
In 2015’s Ant-Man, Lang overrode Stoll’s Yellowjacket regulator during the climactic battle, causing Stoll to shrink uncontrollably and presumably killing him. However, it’s clear that Stoll survived, and we think Kang saved his life before using the Quantum Realm and/or a mutagen experiment to turn Stoll into MODOK. Per MCU leaker MyTimeToShineHello, MODOK will be Kang’s advisor and a secondary villain, so expect him to have a big role in proceedings.
Per Variety, William Jackson Harper (The Good Place, Midsommar) has also joined the cast in an undisclosed role. The identity of Harper’s character is a closely guarded secret, though some fans have immediately begun speculating that he’s playing Redd Richards, aka Mister Fantastic. We’d be surprised if this is the case, even with Quantumania potentially tying into Marvel’s Fantastic Four film reboot (more on that later).
Lastly, MyTimeToShineHello suggests we’ll see a character from Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD TV show appear. However, they won’t be portrayed by the same actor from that ABC TV series, so don’t expect any character continuity here. If the rumor is true, that is.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania plot
Quantumania appears to be a darker entry in Ant-Man's MCU film series.(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
Here’s the official plot synopsis for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, courtesy of Marvel Studios: “Superhero partners Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible.”
Not much to go on in an official capacity, then, but that’s intentional. Marvel isn't going to give too much away, especially as this superhero film properly kicks off the studio’s Multiverse Saga. Marvel’s Phase 4 slate was largely experimental, but Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania seems like it’ll really get the Multiverse Saga up and running.
There are some other basic story elements that we know, based on the trailer and what the cast and crew have said. For starters, it looks like Lang and van Dyne are celebrities post-Endgame. We see them walking a red carpet in the teaser, while Lang has his own podcast and autobiography. Given they were involved in the defeat of Thanos, that’s hardly surprising, but it’s still fun to see them enjoying the limelight.
Even so, our heroes will go on thematically dense journeys in Quantumania. Speaking at Comic-Con (via Variety), Lilly teased what we can expect to see from Hope van Dyne’s character arc, saying: “The second film is all about how powerful she is. This one is about her vulnerabilities.”
Janet van Dyne inadvertently returns to the Quantum Realm.(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
Elaborating to Entertainment Weekly (EW), Lilly added: “I was really excited to have an opportunity where she’s gone from a caged-off woman to a woman who has opened her heart three separate times. One to Scott, then her reparations with her father, and then bringing her mother back from the Quantum Realm. So, she was sort of like the Grinch. Her heart had grown three times as big, which makes it three times more vulnerable. I was really excited to show a side of her where she would make mistakes, be fragile, and wouldn’t always have the right answer.”
Director Peyton Reed also explained what makes Quantumania unique from previous Ant-Man films. “We wanted to take a hard left turn and make a movie that was even more epic,” he told EW. “But still progress the story of these family dynamics. Cassie is now 18 years old, and maybe Scott doesn’t know quite how to relate to her as an adult because he lost those five years from the events of Avengers: Endgame. We also knew we wanted to put our heroes up against a very formidable opponent. To put them up against Kang the Conqueror was a huge thing for us. So we went big – and we also went small.”
Speaking at D23 Expo 2022 (via Marvel.com), Rudd teased: "This thing is bananas. And while it seems like a bit of an oxymoron if something so small can do something so huge, this is going to be unlike anything you’ve seen from [Marvel]. And not to mention [Jonathan] he’s incredible. It throws this whole thing into such new territory."
In The North State magazine, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania lead writer Jeff Loveness also said fans should expect “a lot of surprises” from the MCU film. So, what could some of those surprises be?
Potential spoilers are incoming, so skip to the next section if you want to go into your screening with no prior knowledge of what’s to come.
1ST look at ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA! Poster I illustrated for @MarvelStudios @Comic_Con Honored to work again w/ @MrPeytonReed #PaulRudd @EvangelineLilly & 1st time Cassie @kathrynnewton & KANG #JonathanMajors #antmanandthewaspquantumania #Quantumania #antmanwasp #kang pic.twitter.com/Mf8tL3wg6wJuly 23, 2022
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Based on the Comic-Con and D23 teaser, Kang takes Lang’s family hostage – or, rather, Cassie – as leverage. Kang wants Lang to conduct a heist for him, so Cassie is used as a bargaining chip to ensure Lang will comply.
So, what does Kang want Lang to steal? His levitating Time Chair, which allows Kang to traverse all of time and space. According to Marvel insiders GeekVibeNation and CanWeGetSomeToast, Kang tasks Lang with stealing it back – or its power source, the leakers can’t agree on which it is – presumably with the aim of using it to escape into the wider multiverse.
It’s unclear who has stolen the chair and/or power source, but we suspect Janet van Dyne might have had something to do with it. She was the original Wasp before she was lost in the Quantum Realm. Maybe she learned of Kang’s plan to conquer the multiverse, stole the chair/power source, and hid either or both away so Kang couldn’t execute his masterplan?
We can largely rule Krylar and MODOK out as individuals who stole Kang’s favorite seat. The pair are believed to be working alongside Kang, with both having ulterior motives to do so. MODOK has a past with Lang’s Ant-Man from the 2015 movie, while Krylar will want some form of revenge on Janet for leaving him in Ant-Man and the Wasp. The movie’s secondary villains are likely afraid of what Kang could do to them if they don’t comply, so why wouldn’t they fall in line and aid him in escaping the Quantum Realm?
Elsewhere, Cassie will be suiting up to join her father and Hope van Dyne as a superhero. We see her in a purple suit in the teaser and, based on what we know of Cassie from the comics, she adopts two heroic pseudonyms – those being Stature and Stinger. Which version will she portray here? It could be both, depending on how the plot unfolds.
Finally – and this is a big warning – a full plot leak is circulating online. Marvel leaker KC Walsh seemingly confirmed as much in a tweet teasing a screen testing for Quantumania, so be hyper vigilant out there for any major story spoilers.
How will Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania affect the MCU?
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania could set up two big MCU movies.(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
How will Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania affect the MCU moving forward? Speaking at D23 Expo 2022 (per IGN), Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige teased that it’ll be “a direct line into Phase 5 and [Avengers: The] Kang Dynasty.”
It sounds like we might not see Kang crop up in the MCU again until much later down the line, then. The other Marvel Phase 5 films don’t seem like they’ll contain a Kang cameo, or even have him pulling the strings in the background. So it’s possible Ant-Man 3 may be the first and only time we see Kang until Phase 6.
As for potential films Quantumania might set up outside of The Kang Dynasty, a Young Avengers movie seems likely.
We’ve already been introduced to a bunch of young superheroes in Phase 4 films and Disney Plus shows – Wiccan and Speed (WandaVision), Skaar (She-Hulk), Ms Marvel, Kate Bishop (Hawkeye), America Chavez (Doctor Strange 2), Kid Loki (Loki season 1), and Dominique Williams/Ironheart (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) – so could Cassie be the one to bring them together? The Avengers are on hiatus/in flux right now, and there’s only the anti-hero-styled Thunderbolts movie, who are getting their own film in Phase 5, who could potentially stand between Kang and his conquest of the MCU’s mainline Earth, aka Earth-616.
Could Cassie bring the Young Avengers together?(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
If Cassie escapes the Quantum Realm alone, maybe she’ll track down other young superheroes to fill the Avengers void and create the Young Avengers. We’d be surprised if Marvel doesn’t greenlight a Young Avengers film for Phase 6, particularly as it’s been laying the groundwork for such a team up over the past few years. Could the Young Avengers be teased in Quantumania’s post-credits scene? It’d be a crowd pleasing moment for sure.
Then there’s the mini six degrees of separation theory that ties Quantumania to Marvel’s Fantastic Four movie. In the comics, Kang occasionally works alongside Doctor Doom, the Fantastic Four’s most famous adversary. Additionally, the Fantastic Four have dabbled with quantum physics in Marvel’s source material, which acts as another possible link between Ant-Man 3 and the iconic quartet’s solo MCU movie. Hopefully, we’ll get some form of tie-in between the two films when Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania arrives in theaters next year, or when Fantastic Four finally joins Marvel’s cinematic juggernaut in February 2025.
In the wake of Elon Musk’s official takeover of Twitter, rival social media platform Mastodon has emerged as the new platform of choice for the legions of people looking to flee Musk’s version of Twitter for greener pastures.
Some 70,000 new users joined Mastodon in the day immediately following Musk’s assumption of the Twitter reins. No doubt Mastodon being designed to specifically disallow primary control of its platform by eccentric billionaire types like Elon Musk is one element of the attraction. But beyond the numbers and the PR talking points, what is Mastodon – and is it really the best Twitter alternative out there?
On paper, Mastodon is an open source, decentralized social media platform that functions very similarly to Twitter. You’ll find comparable microblogging features and can make posts up to 500 characters – referred to as ‘toots’ instead of ‘tweets’, which is objectively amusing. There are, however, some clear ways in which Mastodon differs from Twitter which help it stand out. The most prominent of these is how the platform’s servers operate.
Choose your point of entry
When signing up to Mastodon for the first time, you’ll find yourself being asked to select a server. You can choose from broad country-based servers like ‘Australia’ (aus.social), or more local regional servers like ‘San Francisco’ (sfba.social), or servers based around more specific interests/communities like the LGBTQ+ friendly mastodon.lol. From a user perspective, there’s no concrete difference between which server you choose, so opting for something in your geographical vicinity makes the most sense.
Mastodon itself describes this server process as being similar to email; for example, while your email domain might be Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook or whatever else, you are nonetheless able to email anybody, anywhere.
Where Mastodon’s decentralized design does have an effect is in redundancy and network resilience. While Twitter offers one central privately owned domain – twitter.com – for users to access its service, Mastodon’s disparate and independent servers work in concert with each other to keep the network alive.
The founders and developers behind Mastodon consider this one of the platform’s key selling points. Without centralized control, they argue, the platform is protected against serving the singular interests of specific people or businesses. Mastodon also argues that this makes the platform more cost-effective – meaning it doesn’t need to worry about monetisation or profitability.
A long way from critical mass
Still, if you’re hoping to follow your favourite celeb or influencer on Mastodon, you might find it tough… for now. Unsurprisingly, popular Twitter users with sizeable followings seemingly aren’t in a rush to abandon the platform yet, although a small trickle that includes Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes, actress Tea Leoni and singer Sara Bareilles have recently announced their departures from the bird site.
Nonetheless, if Elon Musk continues to make contentious changes to Twitter, it might only be a matter of time before your faves make the switch and start tooting to their heart’s content.
