Paul Rudd hilariously tries to explain the infamous Ant-Man vs. Thanos Marvel fan theory to his Death of a Unicorn co-star Jenna Ortega.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had its fair share of fan theories over the years, but few have been as infamous—or as absurd—as the “Thanus” theory. Fans long speculated that Ant-Man, played by Paul Rudd, could have defeated Thanos by shrinking, entering the Mad Titan’s body, and then expanding to destroy him from the inside. And now, years after Avengers: Endgame, Paul Rudd is still fielding questions about it—this time, while trying to explain the theory to Jenna Ortega.
While promoting their new movie Death of a Unicorn, Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega sat down with ComicBook for an interview where the bizarre fan theory resurfaced. When asked whether Ant-Man could have used the same strategy on Robert Downey Jr.’s upcoming Doctor Doom in the next Avengers film, Paul Rudd pondered the logistics, saying:
“I often wonder, though, could he really have stopped Thanos in that way? Because didn’t he, at that point, have the Space Stone or whatever?”
He’s got a point. By the time Ant-Man would have had the chance to take down Thanos, the villain had already assembled most of the Infinity Stones, making him nearly invincible. But that didn’t stop fans from keeping the theory alive.
During the interview, Paul Rudd took the opportunity to break the theory down for Jenna Ortega, who seemed unfamiliar with the entire concept. The exchange was nothing short of hilarious:
Paul Rudd: “Do you know what we’re talking about? There was a theory—going against Thanos, why didn’t Ant-Man just … instead of Thanos, it was ‘Thanus,’ go up Thanos and then expand.”
Jenna Ortega: “I thought he was already big … the purple one?”
Paul Rudd: “I get really small.”
Jenna Ortega: “Oh, that’s right, you’re called Ant-Man!”
Jenna Ortega, who previously had a small role in Iron Man 2 as a child actress, clearly hasn’t kept up with the MCU over the years. Still, the fact that this theory continues to haunt Paul Rudd years after Endgame shows just how much Marvel fans love to dissect every possibility—no matter how bizarre.
Since Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania struggled at the box office, the future of Paul Rudd’s character in the MCU remains unclear. While a fourth Ant-Man movie has not been confirmed, fans expect the hero to return in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars. Both projects are currently in development, but with Marvel keeping details under wraps, it’s uncertain when (or if) Scott Lang will suit up again.
One thing’s for sure: Even if Paul Rudd never plays Ant-Man again, he’ll probably be answering “Thanus” questions for the rest of his career.
