Paul Rudd explains why Ant-Man couldn’t go up Thanos’ butt

Cameron Frew
Paul Rudd's Ant-Man and Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Paul Rudd has tried to explain one of Avengers: Endgame’s biggest questions: why couldn’t Ant-Man just go inside Thanos’ butt and kill him?

Thanos has been the biggest bad of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far. First teased back in 2012’s The Avengers, the genocidal Mad Titan would slowly creep to the fore of the MCU in other post-credits stings, later turning half of all life to dust and meeting his end via the snap of Tony Stark.

In Infinity War and Endgame, he proved himself to be stronger than other villains: he beat the Hulk in a one-to-one brawl; he snapped Loki’s neck like a twig; he overcame Doctor Strange’s magic; and in Endgame, he was moments away from pummelling Thor and Captain America to death.

Yet, there’s one hero he never really faced off with directly: Scott Lang (Rudd), aka Ant-Man. Perhaps it would have been too easy – for Ant-Man, that is.

Paul Rudd as Ant-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Could Ant-Man expand inside Thanos’ butt?

Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man explains why he couldn’t go inside Thanos’ butt

The theory is fairly straightforward: some fans believe Ant-Man could simply shrink down, go inside Thanos via his butthole, and either return to normal size or transform into Giant-Man, reducing the villain to a pile of purple guts and mush. And as The Boys Season 3 has proven, this idea has potential.

Well, now Ant-Man himself has discredited the theory in footage from the Avengers: Quantum Encounter attraction on the new Disney Wish cruise ship, where passengers play “an interactive role in an action-packed Avengers mission that unfolds around them.”

In a clip shared on social media, in which he appears with Evangeline Lilly’s Hope van Dyne/Wasp, Rudd’s character says: “Before we start, let me address the elephant in the room.

“I’ve heard a lot of chatter out there asking why I didn’t shrink down, go in, and uh, kill Thanos in a really creative way. First of all, gross. Secondly, it’s much more complicated than that – allow me to explain,” he adds, before Lilly cuts him off.

Could Ant-Man kill Thanos by going in his butt?

Let’s look at the evidence in support of the strategy. At the beginning of The Boys Season 3, Termite crawls inside his boyfriend’s penis to pleasure him. However, he sneezes and returns to normal size, bursting through his partner and leaving his entrails hanging out onto the bed.

So, in theory, if Ant-Man did that to Thanos by crawling in his butt, it would have the same effect.

There’s something many people don’t seem to consider, though: what if Thanos’ skin and internal organs are stronger than an ordinary human? He’d probably still do some damage if he managed to get inside Thanos, but there’s a chance Ant-Man would crush himself to death inside the Titan’s mangled anal cavity.

But for now, it’ll remain one of life’s great unanswerable questions.

About The Author

Cameron is Deputy TV and Movies Editor at Dexerto. He's an action movie aficionado, '80s obsessive, and Oscars enthusiast. He loves Invincible, but he's also a fan of The Boys, the MCU, The Chosen, and much more. You can contact him at cameron.frew@dexerto.com.