No one is a better dad in the MCU than Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang. There are many MCU dads out there, ranging from Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) to Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). Some are good and others are just too evil to care about other people (cough, Thanos, cough). There are even films like Captain America: Civil War, which at its heart is a film about fathers and sons. Yet amidst all these other MCU dads, Scott Lang reigns supreme as the cinematic universe’s most ‘wholesome’ dad – the most ideal father figures in this complicated franchise, one who is incredibly relatable. Here’s why Scott Lang is the best dad in the MCU.

Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang Isn’t Perfect

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We know Scott Lang is far from perfect, both as a person and as a father to his only daughter Cassie — played by Abby Ryder Fortson, Emma Fuhrmann, and Kathryn Newton in different MCU films. In the first Ant-Man film, Scott is freshly out of prison for burglary and moves in with his friend and former cellmate Luis (Michael Peña). Scott is considered a genius in his field, but due to the increasing demand for money, and him not being able to earn enough, resorts to theft instead. Now having a criminal record, Scott finds it difficult to land a good job. Even the boss at Baskin-Robbins eventually finds out about his past which leads him to be fired. That aspect of his life alone is already a stressful thing to manage because he essentially needs to start all over. However, Scott expresses that one of the things he regrets the most is not having the chance to spend more time with Cassie or his family in general. His actions resulted in his wife Maggie (Judy Greer) seeking a divorce while he was serving time. So, yes, he really isn’t a perfect person.
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Despite Maggie slowly being estranged from Scott’s life, Cassie, after all that time, still looks up to her dad as a hero because he treats her well and shows her love. It’s clear that he’s trying to make up for lost time and is trying incredibly hard to win his lovely daughter back. It’s also clear how angry he is at himself for going on such a rough path which would have ruined his relationship with Cassie. Despite Maggie having a new partner in her life, Scott also tries to establish a good and civil rapport with everyone. It’s also heartwarming to see that Cassie still sees Scott as her dad because it’s a reflection of just how nice of a father Scott is.

Scott Lang Will Do Anything for Cassie

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In Ant-Man and the Wasp, Scott’s character arc changes. In this movie, he is on house arrest due to him violating the Sokovia Accords in Captain America: Civil War. He tries to kill time by doing all sorts of activities, including crying to The Fault in Our Stars and singing his heart out in karaoke which is understandable. Another thing he did was basically transform the house into this massive, DIY playland with the help of Luis. It looked incredible, and it was done with a lot of heart and tape. Granted, Scott literally has all the time in the world to create it, but that doesn’t erase the fact that he did it because he simply wants to spend some quality time with Cassie, despite the unfortunate circumstances. Scott really just had the time of his life playing with his daughter, the joy evident.

Another wholesome scene between the father-daughter duo is when they’re in Cassie’s bedroom. There, Cassie says that she’d be a great crime-fighting partner to her dad. Scott assures her that she is already his partner, but that his job is to also keep her safe. It’s these kinds of heartwarming scenes wherein we get more details about the two. No other MCU dads really share that kind of level, or at least show it on screen.

Scott Lang Is Overall Just a Great Guy

Now that Scott has a semi-stable life and a reputation as a hero, he can finally breathe and take a break from the back-to-back battles he has gone through. One way of doing it is by, well, spending more time with Cassie. Scott’s top priority is Cassie, and he is still trying to atone for what he has done before, but so far, we can say that he’s doing a good job at it. A huge reason why Scott managed to be close with Cassie again is that he worked on himself first. He lays out what he needs to do to change as a person — a person who deserves to resolve things with his family. He never takes it out on his ex-wife and daughter because he knows that it’s his doing in the first place. He really is just a dad who knows how to take accountability and change for the better.

He’s just an overall great guy. Again, Scott is not perfect by all means, but how he manages to slowly build his relationship with Cassie after a long time of being absent from the picture is a testament to his love. He does a great job of redeeming himself by simply being there for Cassie as much as he could. Being a hero comes at a cost, one of which is possibly having your family be a target to bad people, and Scott is aware of that. This means that he has to double his effort to protect the people he loves. So far, he’s in the clear.

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Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania comes to theaters this Thursday, and with the final trailer out, we now have an idea of what the premise would be. We know that Scott and Cassie’s relationship would play an integral part in the storyline, so we’ll definitely see more of those two together. However, what’s different about it is that this third installment of the Ant-Man film series has a more serious, darker tone, so it would be no surprise if someone gets critically injured, or worse.

You can watch the first two Ant-Man films on Disney+ to get you up to speed before the highly-anticipated Quantumania arrives.

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