Ant-Man
Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.
Despite a considerable budget of $130.0M, Ant-Man became a solid performer, earning $519.3M worldwide—a 299% return.
Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award4 wins & 34 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Ant-Man (2015) showcases deliberately positioned dramatic framework, characteristic of Peyton Reed's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 57 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.7, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Scott Lang / Ant-Man
Dr. Hank Pym
Hope van Dyne
Darren Cross / Yellowjacket
Luis
Cassie Lang
Main Cast & Characters
Scott Lang / Ant-Man
Played by Paul Rudd
A former thief and electrical engineer who becomes the superhero Ant-Man to help his mentor pull off a heist that will save the world.
Dr. Hank Pym
Played by Michael Douglas
The original Ant-Man and brilliant scientist who recruits Scott Lang to wear the suit and protect his shrinking technology from falling into the wrong hands.
Hope van Dyne
Played by Evangeline Lilly
Hank Pym's daughter and skilled fighter who initially resents Scott but becomes his trainer and ally in the mission.
Darren Cross / Yellowjacket
Played by Corey Stoll
Hank Pym's former protégé who becomes corrupted by ambition and creates the dangerous Yellowjacket suit to weaponize shrinking technology.
Luis
Played by Michael Peña
Scott's best friend and former cellmate, an enthusiastic and talkative getaway driver who helps with the heist.
Cassie Lang
Played by Abby Ryder Fortson
Scott's young daughter who he desperately wants to reconnect with and be a hero for.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (2% through the runtime) establishes Scott Lang is released from San Quentin prison after serving time for burglary. He is a skilled thief trying to turn his life around, estranged from his daughter Cassie and ex-wife Maggie, with no job prospects due to his criminal record.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Scott learns he cannot pay child support or see Cassie due to his inability to find legitimate work. Desperate and dejected, he reluctantly agrees when Luis tells him about a tip for "one last job" - an old rich guy's safe that should be easy to crack.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 28 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Scott chooses to trust Hank Pym. The ants help him escape from his jail cell, and he actively decides to embrace this bizarre opportunity rather than run away from it. He puts on the Ant-Man suit again, this time willingly, and enters Hank's world., moving from reaction to action.
At 59 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat False victory: The plan is set. Scott has proven himself by successfully infiltrating the Avengers compound. Hope kisses Scott, showing she now believes in him. Hank reveals the truth about Hope's mother Janet becoming lost in the Quantum Realm, deepening the emotional stakes. The team seems ready to stop Cross, but Cross is watching and preparing his countermove., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 87 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Antony, Scott's ant companion, is killed by Cross, providing the "whiff of death." Cross escapes with Hank as hostage and the Yellowjacket technology. The heist has failed catastrophically, Cross is getting away with the dangerous technology, and now he knows Cassie's address - putting Scott's daughter directly in danger., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 93 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 79% of the runtime. Scott synthesizes everything he has learned. He will use the suit's greatest risk - going subatomic - as a weapon against Cross. Hank warned him never to go smaller than an ant, but Scott realizes he must break the rules and trust himself completely. He chooses to embrace the hero role fully, risking his own life to save Cassie., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Ant-Man's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Ant-Man against these established plot points, we can identify how Peyton Reed utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Ant-Man within the action genre.
Peyton Reed's Structural Approach
Among the 5 Peyton Reed films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.3, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Ant-Man represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Peyton Reed filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional action films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Peyton Reed analyses, see The Break-Up, Down with Love and Yes Man.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Scott Lang is released from San Quentin prison after serving time for burglary. He is a skilled thief trying to turn his life around, estranged from his daughter Cassie and ex-wife Maggie, with no job prospects due to his criminal record.
Theme
Luis tells Scott, "We got a shot at the big leagues now." Later, Hank Pym will articulate the real theme: it's not about the suit, it's about the man inside it. The story explores whether Scott can become the hero his daughter believes he can be.
Worldbuilding
Scott attempts to go straight with a job at Baskin-Robbins but is fired when his criminal record is discovered. He reconnects with his daughter Cassie but is blocked by his ex-wife Maggie and her fiancé Paxton, a cop who dislikes Scott. Meanwhile, Hank Pym is forced out of his own company by his daughter Hope and protégé Darren Cross, who is dangerously close to replicating Pym's shrinking technology.
Disruption
Scott learns he cannot pay child support or see Cassie due to his inability to find legitimate work. Desperate and dejected, he reluctantly agrees when Luis tells him about a tip for "one last job" - an old rich guy's safe that should be easy to crack.
Resistance
Scott debates whether to return to crime but ultimately decides to do the heist to get money for Cassie. He successfully breaks into Hank Pym's house and cracks the safe, but finds only a strange motorcycle suit. He tries it on at home, accidentally shrinks, and has a terrifying experience in the bathtub and beyond. After returning the suit, he is arrested. In jail, Hank visits and offers Scott a choice: rot in prison or become something more.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Scott chooses to trust Hank Pym. The ants help him escape from his jail cell, and he actively decides to embrace this bizarre opportunity rather than run away from it. He puts on the Ant-Man suit again, this time willingly, and enters Hank's world.
Mirror World
Scott meets Hope van Dyne, Hank's daughter, who will train him. She is initially hostile and resentful that her father chose Scott over her to wear the suit. Their relationship represents the thematic journey - Hope embodies the legacy Scott must prove worthy of, and she must learn to trust and open her heart again after the loss of her mother.
Premise
The "fun and games" of being Ant-Man. Scott trains with Hope and Hank, learning to control the suit, communicate with ants, and use size-changing to his advantage. He befriends his ant companion Antony. The heist crew (Luis, Dave, Kurt) is brought in to help. Scott infiltrates Avengers headquarters to steal a device, leading to a fight with Falcon. We see Cross becoming increasingly unstable as he develops the Yellowjacket suit. Scott bonds with Hope as she warms to him.
Midpoint
False victory: The plan is set. Scott has proven himself by successfully infiltrating the Avengers compound. Hope kisses Scott, showing she now believes in him. Hank reveals the truth about Hope's mother Janet becoming lost in the Quantum Realm, deepening the emotional stakes. The team seems ready to stop Cross, but Cross is watching and preparing his countermove.
Opposition
Cross invites Hank to the Yellowjacket presentation and unveils his suit to potential buyers including Hydra agents. The heist begins but Cross has anticipated them - he has been spying and knows about Hank's plan. Scott's ex-wife Maggie reports him to Paxton, adding external pressure. During the heist, Cross traps them, revealing he knows everything. Hank is taken hostage.
Collapse
Antony, Scott's ant companion, is killed by Cross, providing the "whiff of death." Cross escapes with Hank as hostage and the Yellowjacket technology. The heist has failed catastrophically, Cross is getting away with the dangerous technology, and now he knows Cassie's address - putting Scott's daughter directly in danger.
Crisis
Scott realizes Cross is heading to Cassie's house. He faces his darkest moment: everything has gone wrong, and now the person he loves most is threatened because of him. But he must push forward - there is no choice but to face Cross directly to protect his daughter.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Scott synthesizes everything he has learned. He will use the suit's greatest risk - going subatomic - as a weapon against Cross. Hank warned him never to go smaller than an ant, but Scott realizes he must break the rules and trust himself completely. He chooses to embrace the hero role fully, risking his own life to save Cassie.
Synthesis
The finale battle in Cassie's bedroom. Scott as Ant-Man fights Cross in the Yellowjacket suit, using creativity and the environment (a Thomas the Tank Engine set) to battle. He shrinks between subatomic particles to get inside Yellowjacket's suit and sabotage it. Cross is defeated. Scott goes subatomic, entering the Quantum Realm, but thinks of Cassie and manages to return by using a growth disk, accomplishing what Janet could not. He is arrested by Paxton but proves himself a hero.
Transformation
Scott is with Cassie in his apartment, now allowed to see her. She calls him a hero and shows him a birthday cake. Paxton, once his antagonist, now respects him and keeps the Ant-Man secret. Scott has transformed from a selfish thief to a selfless hero - not because of the suit, but because of the man he chose to become. Hope and Hank show him a new Wasp suit, offering him partnership in a larger mission.