History NightmareFuel / AntMan1

* The first time Scott uses the Ant-Man suit and shrinks himself. It really drives home that when you're the size of an ant, EverythingIsTryingToKillYou. And when he makes it back to regular size, he's shaking uncontrollably. He's so freaked out, he breaks into the house again, just to return it.

** What really sells it, is the reminder Ant-Man [[PintSizedPowerhouse retains his strength and density while shrunk... focused into a quarter-inch of area]]. This results in a micro-sized individual, nearly impossible to aim at, but capable of ripping your limb off or outright killing you in a single punch. And that's only because Ant-Man doesn't use lethal force: try imagining soldiers with the same powers using ''sniper rifles'', following the same rule of keeping their density while being shrunk... Ant-Man essentially has the potential to be one of the world's deadliest assassins. Hope's dialogue during Scott's training montage implies the difference between ''one punch'' killing a target and being a "love tap" is nothing more than the amount of force. Meaning that it's '''very''' easy for Ant-Man to kill someone ''purely by accident''. All it would take for Scott to, say; kill a surrendering foe whom he only meant to knock out would be ONE slip-up in control or letting anger get to him just foier a second.

** The vaporization of Frank, and later of a [[SweetSheep little lamb]]. Flushing Frank's remains down the toilet like some discarded tissue is distressingly cold at that. Worse is that it's moving a little when he wipes it up, ''probably'' just jiggling from the vibrations of his footsteps, but [[FridgeHorror what if it's not?]] It's worse than that; he doesn't vaporize him, he shrinks him with an imperfect Pym device, [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath which pretty much liquefies him when he's shrunk]].
--->"Goodbye, Frank."

** The similarly dissonant way he talks about [[spoiler:selling off the Yellowjacket and his samples to HYDRA]] as if it was a ''board meeting'' is at once hilarious and unnerving.
** [[spoiler:Cross' death is one: the first thing gone is his arm and then, POOF, he disappears. Unlike Scott, his regulator and some circuitry were damaged, meaning that he doesn't shrink uniformly, ''[[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath he gets agonizingly crushed inside his own suit]]''.]] His scream during [[spoiler:said death scene]] and when electrified by the anti-insect lamp is also very unsettling. It's like a mix of anger and pain all said at the same time. Not to mention poor Cassie watched the whole thing, though she was behind Paxton. If she didn't have a fondness for creepy/horrifying things (to a certain degree anyway), [[HarmfulToMinors that could have easily scarred her for life]].
** Even worse, ''Film/AntManAndTheWaspQuantumania'' reveals that [[spoiler:[[AndIMustScream this didn't kill him]]. This turned him into ''[[CompositeCharacter MODOK]]''.]]
** His increasing insanity is very, very frightening, as it shows how dangerous Pym Particles truly are. From when [[spoiler: Frank is shot]] to the attack on [[spoiler:Cassie's house]], it shows that Cross is clearly one of the scariest villains the MCU has to offer.
** Cross [[spoiler:breaking into Cassie's bedroom while in the Yellowjacket outfit and mentally unstable]]. Her asking him if he's a monster is completely understandable. And at one point, [[spoiler:she breaks down, crying for her father. Keep in mind that she's a NightmareFetishist who loves ugly plush bunnies and keeps giant ants for pets. The fact that Cross is scary enough for Cassie to wonder if he's a monster and cry for her father should say a lot.]]

* [[spoiler:Hydra may have lost the Yellowjacket suit, but Carson escapes with the imitation Pym Particles. It's even worse if your interpretation of the dialog is that Cross already sold the plans and prototypes. Given Hydra's manpower, we might see Yellowjackets wrecking havoc in no time.]]
* During the final fight at Pym Tech, Scott shrinks down into the model building and is shot at by Cross' goons. To us, it's just some guys shooting a model, but to Scott, it may as well be artillery fire. And as bad as regular bullets are to a shrunken Scott, it's even worse for the ants, considering bullets are at least as big as they are, if not moreso. No one ''deliberately'' tries to shoot them aside from the mentally-unstable Cross, [[spoiler: but he manages to succeed with Anthony... and all that was left of him was one wing]].
* The fight between Ant-Man and Yellowjacket for that one family. They are just normal people, innocently enjoying a barbeque night when something lands in their pool. Immediately after they are caught in a fight between two people in super suits, one of whom is willing to kill them despite the fact that they have literally no idea what is going on and besides Ant-Man's protection, they were helpless. [[spoiler: And Cross didn't die when he collided into the bug zapper, so we can only hope he allowed said family to live as opposed to not [[FridgeHorror leaving any witnesses]].]]
* There were plans to tie in ''Film/AntMan1'' with ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', including the return of characters such as Alexander Pierce and Arnim Zola. While this did not happen, artist Josh Nizzi made [[http://www.joshnizzi.com/portfolio/ant-man/ a few designs for Zola's robotic appearance...]] and they are very unsettling.

* There were plans to tie in ''Film/AntMan1'' with ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', including the return of characters such as Alexander Pierce and Arnim Zola. While this did not happen, artist Josh Nizzi made [[http://www.joshnizzi.com/portfolio/ant-man/ a few designs for Zola's robotic appearance...]] [[UncannyValley and they are very unsettling]].
* [[WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends Thomas the]] (giant) [[WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends Tank Engine]], lying in front of the house with his [[CreepyDoll eyes still]] [[UncannyValley wobbling...]]

** What really sells it, is the reminder Ant-Man [[PintSizedPowerhouse retains his strength and density while shrunk... focused into a quarter-inch of area]]. This results in a micro-sized individual, nearly impossible to aim at, but capable of ripping your limb off or outright killing you in a single punch. And that's only because Ant-Man doesn't use lethal force: try imagining soldiers with the same powers using ''sniper rifles'', following the same rule of keeping their density while being shrunk... Ant-Man essentially has the potential to be one of the world's deadliest assassins. Hope's dialogue during Scott's training montage implies the difference between ''one punch'' killing a target and being a "love tap" is nothing more than the amount of force. Meaning that it's '''very''' easy for Ant-Man to kill someone ''purely by accident''. All it would take for Scott to, say; kill a surrendering foe whom he only meant to knock out would be ONE slip-up in control or letting anger get to him just for a second.
** Let's not forget Ant-Man's ability to [[PestController control ant swarms]], which is terrifying enough to anyone who's experienced a full on ant infestation before. Now imagine that kind of ant swarm doing complex tasks such as blocking out your lights, short-circuiting electronics, flying in a cloud right into your face, and biting through every orifice of your body with fire ants and bullet ants. Be glad that Pym doesn't have access to African driver ants, which will crawl into your lungs and tear at the tissue. Hank/Scott may not have any African Driver Ants '''yet''', but it's not much of a stretch to imagine they could get some in case one of them has to be truly lethal.
** We get to see how truly ''scary'' Ant-Man is, especially during the flashback scenes. Imagine this. You're a HYDRA soldier in Berlin, when the alarms ring, meaning there's an intruder. You ready your submachine gun, and with your comrades, look around for the intruder... until the guy next to you is smashed into a wall by something... invisible. You look on in terror as more and more of your friends are smashed into concrete by this invisible intruder, who is somehow knocking them out with a single punch or kick. Then, as fresh soldiers pour in, the machine gun nest in the room ''[[http://www.imfdb.org/images/0/05/AntM_01.jpg fires on its own]]'' at you. The battalions are instantly chopped down by the high-powered rifle rounds as the machine gun turns by itself, fires by itself and aims by itself. Now, shaking and horrified, you rush outside to find help. You sigh with relief as the tanks roll in -- but the invisible attacker, within seconds, turns the place into a war zone. Tanks blow up and set vehicles aflame. Burning men run screaming, rolling on the ground to escape the pain. The explosions from the sizzling fuel tanks wipe out men like mortar assaults. Again, forgetting your training, the fact you have a gun in your hand, forgetting that you are a soldier serving the most advanced and powerful 'peacekeeping' organization on the planet, you run, up until the invisible attacker finally reaches up with you and slams you into the ground, over and over. In your panic-stricken mind, while begging your attacker to just ''leave'' you alone, you wonder who the ''hell'' this thing is. Is it ''[[Film/TheInvisibleMan1933 The Invisible Man]]?'' Is it a poltergeist? Has the goddamn ''[[MemeticBadass Winter Soldier]]'' turned invisible and gone mad? '''''WHO IS THIS ABOMINATION?'''''

** What really sells it, is the reminder Ant-Man [[PintSizedPowerhouse retains his strength and density while shrunk... focused into a quarter-inch of area]]. This results in a micro-sized individual, nearly impossible to aim at, but capable of killing you in a single punch. And that's only because Ant-Man doesn't use lethal force: try imagining soldiers with the same powers using ''sniper rifles'', following the same rule of keeping their density while being shrunk... Ant-Man essentially has the potential to be one of the world's deadliest assassins. Hope's dialogue during Scott's training montage implies the difference between ''one punch'' killing a target and being a "love tap" is nothing more than the amount of force. Meaning that it's '''very''' easy for Ant-Man to kill someone ''purely by accident''. All it would take for Scott to, say; kill a surrendering foe whom he only meant to knock out would be ONE slip-up in control or letting anger get to him just for a second.

* [[spoiler:Hydra may have lost the Yellowjacket suit, but Carson escapes with the imitation Pym Particles. It's even worse if your interpretation of the dialog is that Cross already sold the plans and prototypes. Given Hydra's manpower, we might see Yelowjackets wrecking havoc in no time.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:''I want your daddy, too.'']]

%% Image removed per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1627434125080168300
%% Please see thread to discuss a new image.

* [[WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine Thomas the]] (giant) [[WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine Tank Engine]], lying in front of the house with his [[CreepyDoll eyes still]] [[UncannyValley wobbling...]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/untitled_6474.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:You would enter a reality where all concepts of time and space become irrelevant. And as you shrink for all eternity, everything that you know and love... gone forever... [[note]]That's Scott at the center of that thing. And the visuals [[SarcasmMode just get better from there]].[[/note]]]]

** The vaporization of Frank, and later of a little lamb. Flushing Frank's remains down the toilet like some discarded tissue is distressingly cold at that. Worse is that it's moving a little when he wipes it up, ''probably'' just jiggling from the vibrations of his footsteps, but [[FridgeHorror what if it's not?]] It's worse than that; he doesn't vaporize him, he shrinks him with an imperfect Pym device, [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath which pretty much liquefies him when he's shrunk]].

-->"Goodbye, Frank."

** Let's not forget Ant-Man's ability to [[PestController control ant swarms]], which is terrifying enough to anyone who's experienced a full on ant infestation before. Now imagine that kind of ant swarm doing complex tasks such as blocking out your lights, short-circuiting electronics, flying in a cloud right into your face, and biting through every orifice of your body with fire ants and bullet ants. Be glad that Pym doesn't have access to African driver ants, which will crawl into your lungs and tear at the tissue. Hank/Scott may not have any African Driver Ants '''yet''', but it's not much of a stretch to imagine they could get some in case one of them has to be truly lethal... at the end of ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', it is implied that [[spoiler: Scott, along with Team Cap, is currently hiding in Wakanda. So those ants might be closer than expected.]]

** We get to see how truly ''scary'' Ant-Man is, especially during the flashback scenes. Imagine this. You're a HYDRA soldier in Berlin, when the alarms ring, meaning there's an intruder. You ready your submachine gun, and with your comrades, look around for the intruder... until the guy next to you is smashed into a wall by something... invisible. You look on in terror as more and more of your friends are smashed into concrete by this invisible intruder, who is somehow knocking them out with a single punch or kick. Then, as fresh soldiers pour in, the machine gun nest in the room ''[[http://www.imfdb.org/images/0/05/AntM_01.jpg fires on its own]]'' at you. The battalions are instantly chopped down by the high-powered rifle rounds as the machine gun turns by itself, fires by itself and aims by itself. Now, shaking and horrified, you rush outside to find help. You sigh with relief as the tanks roll in -- but the invisible attacker, within seconds, turns the place into a war zone. Tanks blow up and set vehicles aflame. Burning men run screaming, rolling on the ground to escape the pain. The explosions from the sizzling fuel tanks wipe out men like mortar assaults. Again, forgetting your training, the fact you have a gun in your hand, forgetting that you are a soldier serving the most advanced and powerful 'peacekeeping' organization on the planet, you run, up until the invisible attacker finally reaches up with you and slams you into the ground, over and over. In your panic-stricken mind, while begging your attacker to just ''leave'' you alone, you wonder who the ''hell'' this thing is. Is it ''Film/TheInvisibleMan?'' Is it a poltergeist? Has the goddamn ''[[MemeticBadass Winter Soldier]]'' turned invisible and gone mad? '''''WHO IS THIS ABOMINATION?'''''

* The absolutely ''horrible'' tension that just hangs in the air after Scott goes inside the Avengers facility. [[NothingIsScarier Nothing can be seen on the ant-cams, except for just the doors. The scene goes pretty much completely silent except for Hank worriedly yelling "Scott, we've lost visual"]]. After a few seconds of horrible silence, [[JumpScare Falcon comes flying out through the door]] with Scott inside the wing-pack deactivating it. It seems even Peyton Reed seems to take [[InvokedTrope Alfred Hitchcock's quote about the scariest thing that could be shown on screen being a closed door]] close to heart.

* There were plans to tie in ''Film/AntMan'' with ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', including the return of characters such as Alexander Pierce and Arnim Zola. While this did not happen, artist Josh Nizzi made [[http://www.joshnizzi.com/portfolio/ant-man/ a few designs for Zola's robotic appearance...]] [[UncannyValley and they are very unsettling]].

----]