Ant-Man and the Wasp trailer 2 is out, and we finally get a clear picture of the movie’s villain: the Ghost. I’ll lay my cards right on the table here. Ghost is one of my favorite comic book characters of all time, rating even higher than most heroes. But who is he exactly? And how does this movie’s version compare against the source material?
The Comics: Who is Ghost?
In the comic books, (the) Ghost was a brilliant computer engineer. He developed a high-performance computer chip called GhostTech that phased into an intangible state to prevent thermal damage. This prize technology sent him to the top of his company, until one day, his employers decided he and his girlfriend were a greater threat than they could afford. Cue the assassination attempt, and cue the revenge story.
Ghost retaliates against his employers by infusing his body with GhostTech. The intangibility drive allows Ghost to survive attempts on his life, and infiltrate his old company, taking out his enemies one by one. With nothing left to live for, he deletes all traces of his identity and becomes a corporate saboteur.
Nerd Talk Incoming: the Science Behind the Ghost
Ghost wields an advanced cloaking device, allowing him to turn himself and anything he touches invisible. He is capable of levitation, and in some iterations, mild telekinetic abilities. He is also is capable of infiltrating any computer system, even “possessing” advanced technology such as the Beetle’s MACH-V armor. His most notable ability, however, is his ability to phase through most forms of matter. So how does Ghost perform these wraithlike feats?
One method, and potentially, the one the MCU is going for, involves something called quantum tunneling. This is a phenomenon where a particle appears on the other side of a barrier it does not have enough energy to go over or through. This occurs because on the quantum level, particles are more waves of probabilities than “objects.” On a graph, the closer a wave gets to a barrier, the more of that wave can be seen on the other side. If one can manipulate these probabilities to be a constant 100%, they will find themselves on the other side of the barrier 100% of the time.
Invisibility on the other hand, involves lack of interaction with light. All baryonic matter interacts with the electromagnetic spectrum. Ghost has the ability to prevent interaction with select frequencies, thus rendering him invisible. This lack of EM interaction also provides a second explanation for intangibility, as matter without an EM charge (dark matter) does not interact with baryonic matter.
Ghost in the MCU
The MCU branches off a bit from the comic book origins. The first and most noticeable difference is that the MCU Ghost is female (Hannah John-Kamen). This isn’t a dealbreaker for most fans, as in the comics, he never reveals his true identity anyway. The second difference is that in the trailer, Luis (Michael Peña) mentions Ghost wants to take over the world. This is a bigger problem. This is likely just an assumption Luis makes, but if it’s true, then it would be a far cry from the personal motivations of the comic book counterpart.
What makes the character so appealing in the comic books is the theme of ambiguity. Ghost cannot be seen, cannot be touched, and cannot be understood. Preferably, even the character herself should be unsure of her true identity, due to prolonged intangibility affecting her mind. Giving a clear-cut “take over the world” goal defeats the point of a deep and ambiguous character. Then again, the MCU has been improving its rogues gallery lately. Fingers crossed this will be one ghost story we won’t soon forget.
Watch Ant-Man and the Wasp official trailer via the Marvel Entertainment official YouTube.