A Quantum Physicist Explains Why Ant-Man Would Destroy Superman in a Fight

For as long as there have been superheroes, there have been fans debating which of them is stronger — especially concerning hypothetical fights between superheroes from different companies. #Marvel and #DC fans have been very vocal about this sort of thing: Iron Man versus Batman, Green Arrow versus Hawkeye, Vision versus Martian Manhunter, and so on.

But has anyone ever debated Ant-Man versus Superman? It seems so obvious that Clark Kent would step on Scott Lang, and that would be it. Not so fast, says Dr. Spiros Michalakis, a researcher at Caltech and physics consultant to Marvel Studios.

The Ant-Sized Avenger Vs. The Last Son of Krypton

In a new interview with Inverse, Dr. Michalakis explained that the Quantum Realm is a real concept regarding the scale of subatomic particles. Ant-Man goes beyond simply shrinking into a smaller space, venturing into a place when the laws of physics change around him.

So, how does #Superman come into all of this? According to Dr. Michalakis:

"[W]hen you enter the quantum realm, its different set of laws takes hold."

Essentially, though Superman's powers defy human abilities, he isn't able to alter reality — Clark Kent is bound by the laws of physics — whereas, in the Quantum Realm, Ant-Man would be able to do some weird stuff:

"What I'm saying is that potentially understanding the quantum code from which curvature of space-time comes from, Ant-Man could manipulate to increase it or decrease it. Superman has, in the canon of the DC Universe, lifted 200 quintillion tons. But Ant-Man might find a way to alter the laws of the universe so he could crush Superman with 201 tons. Ant-Man could have created, say, a black hole. Could Superman escape the black hole? Probably not. Then game over.”

If Ant-Man was able to manipulate the Quantum Realm he would have godlike powers, thus making him easily able to defeat Superman — or anyone else for that matter. It's possible that he might actually be the deadliest superhero in the MCU.

A Reality Altering Ant-Man?

All of this depends on whether Ant-Man could make the quantum mechanical adjustments necessary, and that's where the theory falls down a little. Though the #MCU's science and technology is much more advanced than the real world's, it's highly unlikely that Scott Lang would be able to figure this out on his own.

But there are a couple of Marvel characters who might be able to do this: Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel.

Doctor Strange is the Master of the Mystic Arts and dabbles in multiverse travel frequently. And, though Dr. Michalakis was unable to go into detail, he did tease that the Quantum Realm could give a better understanding of Carol Danvers and the role that she has to play in the MCU:

“This is exciting for the future. There are different ways that some of these ideas appear on-screen in a few years. Not just for Ant-Man, but also for Captain Marvel and all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”

So there we have it, scientific evidence that Earth's tiniest hero could actually be Earth's mightiest hero. As the old saying goes, big things come in small packages.