Quirky cameos are nothing new to the MCU. Whether we're talking Stan Lee's pop-ins, Bruce Campbell's pugnacious pizza vendor, or the cross-universe reunion of Spider-Mens, anything is possible in Marvel's sprawling superhero saga. But the coolest cameo in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is of the blink-and-you'll-miss-it variety. (No, I don’t mean Bill Murray.) And if you did clock it, you might not have realized how meta this celebrity appearance really is. One hint: It's all about the multiverse, baby.
Any guesses?
Well, there are two correct answers. We'll accept Mark Oliver Everett or E, as he’s long been known to fans of the band Eels.
Who does Mark Oliver Everett play in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania?
Credited as Jogger With Dog, Mark Oliver Everett appears in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania's opening sequence.
When Scott "Ant-Man" Lang (Paul Rudd) is happily strolling through his hometown of San Francisco, the chipper Avenger crosses paths with a starstruck fan who eagerly asks, "Will you take a picture with my dog!?" That's Everett.
Just as Mountain Goats fans were quick to spot frontman John Darnielle popping up in Poker Face, this long-time Eels devotee swiftly recognized E's signature beard and glasses. My first introduction to his band came in 1996, when their dreamy jam "Novocaine for the Soul" played in the indie romantic-comedy Dream for an Insomniac. And I've been bopping along to every heartbreaking, soul-soaring song ever since.
When it comes to movies and television, soundtracks are most often how Everett contributes. Eels songs been heard on over 100 films and shows, including Scream 2 ("Your Lucky Day in Hell"), Daria ("Novocaine for the Soul"), The Jinx ("Fresh Blood"), and the first three Shreks ("Beloved Monster," "I Need Some Sleep," and "Royal Pain").
All these Hollywood ties might have been reason enough to pop Everett into Ant-Man 3’s opening. But as this movie deals with the continued madness of the multiverse, there’s a deeper reason for this particular rock star to appear.
What does Mark Oliver Everett's cameo in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania mean?
Everett isn’t just a singer/songwriter/musician with a gift for crafting songs that blend bubbly joy and bitter pain. He's also the son of the late Hugh Everett III, the physicist who came up with the Many Worlds Theory of quantum mechanics, which theorizes — per Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy — "that there are many worlds which exist in parallel at the same space and time as our own."
Essentially, Everett is the scientist who originated the idea of parallel universes (aka the multiverse), a concept that has inspired a slew of spectacular sci-fi films including 11-time Oscar nominee Everything Everywhere All At Once.
His father's theory and legacy have been an inspiration in Mark Oliver Everett's own work. The twin themes of family life and loss also feature prominently in the band's discography. For example, Electro-Shock Blues is an album of remembrance and grief. In his autobiography Things the Grandchildren Should Know, E describes his father as "a humble mechanic…a quiet man...depressed by a sad childhood and then being dismissed as a kook, only later—too late — to be recognized as a genius."
Initially published in 1957, Everett's Many Worlds Theory was generally scorned. In "The Many Worlds of Hugh Everett," investigative reporter Peter Byrne notes that this negative reaction spurred him to "abridge his Ph.D. thesis on the topic to make it seem less controversial." Eventually, "Everett left physics and worked on military and industrial mathematics and computing."
It wasn't until the 1970s that his theory began to gain traction, but sadly Everett died not long after, in 1982. At the time, his son could not grasp the enormity of his father's theory. But over the decades to come, Mark Oliver Everett would become an advocate for his father.
In 2007, a 60-minute documentary called Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives followed E as he sought to understand the Many Worlds Theory, which is still a debated theoretical idea, and the complicated man behind it. A deeply personal journey scored by Eels songs, the doc features the musician interviewing colleagues of his father's, as well as other scientists and admirers. Viewers are welcomed along in the quest, aided by a soothing narrator and playful animations to break down heady concepts.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania plays with Everett's Many Worlds Theory.
In the movie’s third act, Ant-Man is tasked with retrieving a power source for Kang. But as he gets closer to this mighty MacGuffin, Scott begins to duplicate, becoming swarmed by the hims that could be if he’d made different choices — including staying employed at Baskin Robbins.
Hope "Wasp" Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) experiences a similar complication, as she soars toward Scott, surrounded by variants of herself. Even the film's mid-credit and post-credit scenes play with the idea of variants, though not likely in the ways Everett imagined.
Superpowers aside, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is undoubtedly inspired by Everett's theory. Thus, his son's inclusion in the movie is a grateful nod to his genius — in this universe and possibly beyond.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is now in theaters.
