Before 2015’s Ant-Man, pondering the intricate mechanics of the quantum realm was mostly left to the studies of quantum physicists. However, the MCU hurtled this complex science into mainstream pop culture with the live-action introduction of Hank Pym and his amazing Pym particle.
In the MCU, this unique particle can increase or reduce the mass, density and strength of an object – even a human. It is the ‘magic’ behind first Hank and then Scott Lang‘s superhuman abilities, as it powers the Ant-Man suit, as well as the Wasp suits worn by Janet van Dyne and Hope van Dyne, enabling the wearer to shift between the size of an ant, a human, or even a large building.
Later, the technology is utilized as a means to enter (and safely come back from) the quantum realm, as well as offer the solution to Thanos’ snap when the Avengers harness the Pym particle to travel through time in Avengers: Endgame.
In Marvel Studios’ new release, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, fans will see Pym Particles back in action and be thrown back into the quantum realm in a more notable way than ever, with a film primarily set there.
While we haven’t see much of young Hank’s research as he created his size-shifting particle to power his OG super-suit, we did see Darren Cross attempt to re-create the particle to power his own new and improved version, the Yellowjacket.
But what would it take to create a Pym particle in real life? Would it really involve shrinking sheep and inviting elite buyers into discuss stealth uses to weaponize the technology?
Our basic knowledge of physics wouldn’t quite make the cut here, let alone at Pym Technologies, so we called in the assistance of Professor Michael Good, an Associate Professor from Nazarbayev University School of Sciences and Humanities — whose work helped discover black hole quantum vortices — to separate the science from the fiction.
Research
Every particle consists of a specific blend of protons, electrons and neutrons, and once a particle is made it doesn’t need to be approved like a vaccine, it simply exists and anyone has access to it.
Creating the particle itself would require extensive theoretical and experimental testing, and years of research to determine which electrons and protons to balance together to form this new entity and how it works.
However, if someone was to discover one similar to a Pym Particle, scientists would do extensive research to test its properties. As Professor Good explained, “If we’re assuming that this happens to be true that a subatomic particle exists, it would be so well studied, as it is more exciting than anything that Einstein ever did.”
“Everybody would be interested to see how it works and all the universities, industries, companies in tech and Silicon Valley would be focused on this one development as it would seem like magic.”
If he was the scientist to make this discovery, Professor Good said, “I would try to understand it a little better, and write it all down, and be as safe as possible with it. I would contact a Nobel prize winning physicist I know and a couple of extremely smart colleagues to get advice from them about how to move forward.”
In the MCU, the Pym Particle is capable of many truly astounding things and Professor Good remarked, “If I discovered I could use it to help people, I would leak it to the press without being associated with it. But only if I knew this technology wouldn’t end the human race and that it wouldn’t cause utter annihilation and destruction.”
Testing for use on humans
In Ant-Man, Cross trials his creation on animals to test if the particle can change the subject’s mass, before he attempts to use the suit himself. This is a process of elimination as he tweaks the particle and reduces many sheep into nothing but a pile of goo.
The focus in the movie is on biological trials – testing how the particle affects animals, which is similar to drug-testing in the US and UK, where new formulas are tested on smaller creatures, before it is approved for human use.
Yet, it seems it would be almost impossible to test whether this subatomic particle was safe to power a super suit by testing to see how it impacted animals, let alone if it was safe to become the key to enter the quantum realm.
“It’s fantasy with a real-life twist,” Professor Good explained. “You would never have any kind of committee or systematic committee framework for figuring out if it was safe or dangerous as it breaks all the laws of physics.”
If someone, like Cross, wanted to test the boundaries of what was possible with this technology to make it suitable for the mass (or elite in his case) market, then it would be essential to test how the particle effects humans in the short and long-term.
“Maybe somehow, it’s just treated as some Viagra, and it’s not such a big deal — and it’s ok to have private funding — and you have this one animal trial and move onto human subjects. I have some experience of this. But it’s a lot of red tape, it’s a very complicated process with so many regulations.”
Entering the quantum realm
It’s worth remembering that a subatomic particle that offers the means to enter the quantum realm is a complete fantasy. Professor Good says it is “like the Magic School Bus or Narnia” to be able to enter the quantum realm in the way Scott Lang does in the movies.
Thankfully, in the MCU anything is possible. But if someone needed to enter the quantum realm it would be slightly different than just pushing a button when in desperate need to go subatomic – without knowing what would happens next. Heroes really need to test that their gear works too.
“If it was real life, people would want to test it systematically with smaller things, then larger things and things with different energies,” Professor Good noted. “They would want to start breaking it down to figure out how it works, as scientists will assume that it’s not magic, that the laws can be understood and the equations can be written down. So, they would work very hard to truly understand it and think what have we missed about physics? How is this possible? And how can we make sense of this using a natural explanation?”
Secrecy / Public Investment
Alongside extensive trials, Cross also welcomes an audience into his reformed Pym Tech to witness this revolutionary new suit, as he attempts to weaponize it for private buyers, including the nefarious HYDRA – for the right price, of course.
In reality, the US government wouldn’t allow private investors a look-in at this ground-breaking discovery, instead it would be treated in a similar way to nuclear secrets, as a matter of national security at the highest level.
“It would attract the eyes of the most powerful people in the world, there would be no private companies being able to invest or see demonstrations of this stuff,” Professor Good added.
“People would try to keep this particle secret, the way they keep nuclear processes or bombs are kept private. Big government agencies such as the CIA, FBI and military would all try to take over and keep this top-secret technology for themselves, as they wouldn’t want it to get into their enemies’ hands.”
“The moment anybody finds out about this, it wouldn’t be approved for human use in. It would be kept safe and secret, until agencies figured out if it’s safe to use, so Russia doesn’t use it to overtake the US, and China doesn’t use it to take over Taiwan.”
It would also be difficult to be taken seriously as a legitimate particle. In fact, it’s more likely the scientist would be discredited and shunned as a liar.
“A discovery of this kind would be like discovering aliens, maybe even more impactful than that, so you would have to think very carefully about how to share this research and the ramifications it could have on the human race,” he said.
New physics laws are discovered through experiments that change or defy the current laws and push forward the boundaries of known physics, but this particle challenges them all, which is why it might not be taken seriously.
Professor Good continued, “We know all the laws are wrong. We might have 50 experiments that verify a law, but 8 that don’t so what does that mean? We would probably say the eight experiments that defy it are wrong, there were probably some mistakes and we need to do better experiments.”
Media Coverage
One element that is missing almost entirely from the Ant-Man movies about the discovery and use of this particle is the press coverage.
“The media would be all over this,” Professor Good adds. “The whole world would be interested in this and knowing the outcome of the human trials, because of what this subatomic particle could mean for the society.”
In the MCU, they’ve glossed over that element of the process as everyone accepts the Ant-Man has this particle-powered suit that alters his size, density and strength.
In reality, this discovery would be similar to the intent public interest and media coverage of the Coronavirus vaccine or a new Alzheimer’s drug, as it would change everything that humankind thought possible such as time travel and entering the quantum realm. I guess if you live in a world of flying armor and super serums, it’s easier to believe.
The reality for Hank Pym
We cannot forget about the scientist behind the discovery, who would have their entire life overhauled, losing all anonymity, as the person who re-wrote what was scientifically possible for humankind.
“If I discovered something like this particle, it would be the most amazing discovery the human race has ever had,” Professor Good said. He added, with some dark humor, “But I’d be very careful who I revealed it to as I would not want the NASA, FBI, government agencies from other countries to lock me up or kill me.”
Similar to Hank himself, Professor Good would only tell trusted family members about the technology to minimize the threat to his own life and the potential to weaponise it.
It seems there’s truth within the fantasy, and while science may not all be sound, the Ant-Man movies provide hope that scientific advancement can offer a way to a better, safer, more convenient life that is beyond what we can currently comprehend or imagine.
