Bill Murray confirmed that he was set to appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania earlier this year (which Marvel Studios bosses were reportedly not too happy about), but despite getting a quick glimpse of his character in the first teaser, we still know very little about his role.
The Ghostbusters legend did indicate that he might be a villain, and a rumor that he could be playing a minor Incredible Hulk baddie named Krylar has been doing the rounds.
Now, director Peyton Reed has given us a little more to go on.
"Bill Murray plays a character from Janet van Dyne's past," the filmmaker tells EW. "It's a crucial role. A big theme in this movie is the things that parents and kids don't say to each other, the secrets that they keep in families. In the last movie, when Hank and Hope rescue Janet, Evangeline Lilly's character had this idea of: Oh, I'm going to be reunited with my mom, this is going to be great, we're going to talk about everything. But what happens if the other person, in this case Janet, puts up a wall and maybe is not comfortable talking about certain things and doesn't reveal certain things about her past?
"As we know from great stories, you can put the past behind you, but the past will always find a way to show up again. Bill's character represents that in this movie," he added.
So, an old flame of Janet's from the Quantum Realm that fell in with Kang the Conqueror, perhaps? Or was she fighting with him on the "wrong" side of the conflict?
Murray might still be playing a version of Krylar, of course, but whoever he is, it sounds like his character is going to have a more substantial role than we'd been led to believe.
In Quantumania, Super-Hero partners Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope’s parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), 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. Jonathan Majors joins the adventure as Kang. Peyton Reed returns to direct the film; Kevin Feige and Stephen Broussard produce.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters on February 17, 2023.