Ant-Man 3's CGI Suffered Because Marvel Prioritised Black Panther 2

Ant-Man 3 has been criticized for its lacklustre special effects, and you can blame that on Marvel Studios prioritizing Black Panther 2. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was highly anticipated because it is Marvel’s first film of Phase 5. It’s the one that is supposed to set the tone for the Multiverse Saga. It is also Ant-Man’s first major event that he and his family would be facing without the help of the Avengers.

Unfortunately, when the movie was released, it got a lot of criticism. It is considered to be one of Marvel’s worst films. It also has earned Marvel’s second rotten ranking from Rotten Tomatoes. Other than it being criticized for trying to do too many things, the special effects were not up to par compared to other MCU films.

It seems like Marvel Studios is making too many projects and has been spreading itself way too thin. And Ant-Man 3 is one visual proof that the quality of the film is suffering.

Ant-Man 3 Visual Effects Lackluster Quality Blamed On Marvel Prioritizing Black Panther Sequel

A report from Vulture talks about projects being affected because of being overworked on multiple projects. Ant-Man 3’s lack of quality can be attributed to Black Panther: Wakanda Forever being on the priority list.

Many of Vulture’s interviewees had their names removed to protect their identities.

One VFX tech said:

This was like a second wave of what happened with James Cameron on Titanic, where the compositors were basically taking naps under their desks, because there wasn’t enough time between shifts to go back home, then come back. Now, the entirety of the industry that has been touched by Marvel is permanently seared, and that’s what’s causing the most burnout.

There were high expectations for Wakanda Forever. Other than it being the final film of Phase 4, the original film is one of the highest-rated Marvel films of all time. Considering it’s a superhero movie that received an award nomination at the Academy Awards is high praise. It’s also a film dedicated to the late Chadwick Boseman. Wakanda Forever had a lot to live up to.

For the most part, it succeeded. But it heavily affected the production of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Another VFX technician who worked for Marvel for both Quantumania and Black Panther said:

For Ant-Man, there were a lot of editorial changes happening toward the latter third and fourth of the project that were just too late. There’s a point of no return. Why certain things were changed, why certain notes were nitpicked longer than they should have been — that’s on Marvel.

Another VFX artist who worked on Quantumania had their studio work on Wakanda Forever said:

Wakanda Forever took precedence. It felt like the higher-up and supervisor roles were shifted around to put that on their plates and there was a smaller team working on Ant-Man. It was on the back burner — less of a pressing thing.

Ant-Man 3’s Quality Affected Because Of Marvel Projects are Spread Too Thin

Credit: Marvel Studios

Even though Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has suffered some bad special effects, so far, the film is still going strong. It’s only far into its second week, and so far, it has already gained $287 million, based on The Numbers. And even though it has received a rotten rating, the audience score is positive at 84%.

Marvel is Disney’s biggest money maker in terms of film divisions. There is a lot of pressure on Marvel to keep on succeeding. But it seems that they are pushing more than they can handle.

Even though I enjoy the MCU, I still think that Marvel should slow down and give precedence to quality. Phase 4 hasn’t been the best, especially on the movie side of things for me. It’s good that the last phase ended on a high note with Black Panther Wakanda: Forever.

I enjoyed the TV shows that Marvel has done, actually. But still, I think everyone feels that the overall quality of the MCU has gone down, and its fans are getting tired.

What do you think of Ant-Man 3’s CGI being less of a priority than Black Panther: Wakanda Forever? Does it matter to you as fans of the MCU franchise? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

What do you make of this story? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook, Twitter or Instagram pages! And if you enjoy listening to film podcasts, why not check out our podcast, The Small Screen Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts!