Who Luis is, and why everyone remembers him
When Scott Lang walks out of prison at the start of Ant-Man, the friend waiting for him outside is Luis. They shared a cell, and Luis has a plan, a van and a couch Scott can sleep on. He is warm, loyal and incapable of telling a story in fewer than a thousand words.
That last trait became his signature. Whenever Luis passes along a tip or explains how he heard about something, the film cuts to a fast flashback where everyone involved speaks in Luis's voice, mouth moving to his words. It is one of the best running gags in the MCU, and the second film brings it back.
Luis's MCU appearances
- Ant-Man (2015, film, recommended)
- Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018, film, recommended)
Both titles are marked recommended on our timeline. They connect to the bigger story mostly through Scott, who goes on to matter a great deal in the Avengers films.
How his story moves (no big spoilers)
In the first film, Luis helps Scott with a heist that turns out to be much bigger than either of them expected. He brings his crew along: Dave, the getaway driver, and Kurt, the computer expert. They are not professionals, exactly, but they are reliable when it counts, and they give the film the feel of a small, scrappy caper.
By Ant-Man and the Wasp, Luis has gone straight. He and Scott run X-Con Security, a company staffed by former convicts, and Luis is trying hard to keep it afloat while Scott is stuck under house arrest. When the business gets dragged into a fight over Hank Pym's technology, Luis ends up in a scene involving a truth serum that is pure Michael Peña improv energy.
Luis and the Ant-Man family
His best friend is Ant-Man (Scott Lang), and every Luis scene is ultimately about having Scott's back. Scott's reason for staying out of trouble is his daughter Cassie Lang, and Luis's help, however chaotic, is always aimed at keeping Scott in her life. Hope van Dyne and her father Hank Pym are less charmed at first, since they did not plan on working with a talkative ex-con, but Luis wins them over in his own way. Browse the rest in our MCU character directory.
Michael Peña, the man behind the monologues
Michael Peña plays Luis with rapid-fire delivery and total sincerity, and the character works because Luis never knows he is being funny. The rhythm of those flashback scenes depends entirely on his timing, since the other actors have to lip-sync to him.
Outside Marvel, he is known for the cop drama End of Watch, for playing astronaut Rick Martinez in The Martian, and for playing DEA agent Kiki Camarena in Narcos: Mexico.
Which order to watch Luis's films
Start with Ant-Man, which introduces Luis, his crew and the whole Pym family setup. Follow it with Ant-Man and the Wasp, which builds on those relationships and gives Luis more screen time.
Between the two, many viewers slot in Captain America: Civil War, because the sequel refers to what Scott did there. You do not need it for Luis, but it explains why Scott is grounded at home when the second film begins. Together the two Ant-Man films make a light, easy break between heavier Avengers entries.