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The Wellington Comic Lover’s Guide to... Ant-Man and the Wasp

By Gus

Here to EXPAND your knowledge of the Marvel Universe’s size-changing champions, it’s the WCL Guide to Ant-Man and the Wasp!

comic covers arranged in a grid

Who are Ant-Man and the Wasp?

Ant-Man is an identity adopted by a number of heroes (and one villain) based around the discoveries of Dr Hank Pym. Using the incredible 'Pym Particles' which can add or subtract mass, size, and strength to anything, Ant-Man can grow and shrink between human and insect size at will while maintaining his regular human strength. He also dons a helmet that allows him to command ants, using them as helpers or riding on flying ants as a mount.

The Wasp is an identity adopted by two heroines, fashion designer Janet van Dyne and teen prodigy Nadia van Dyne. Hank Pym also briefly donned the identity of the Wasp during a period where Janet was lost in the Microverse. Using Pym Particles, the Wasp can shrink to insect size, with the addition of having wings to fly and 'bio-electric stingers' to zap opponents.

Since Hank and Janet, there have been many heroes that have taken up the identities of Ant-Man and the Wasp in Marvel Comics history, and other characters that have taken on either one of Hank's previous identities (like Giant-Man) or made their own heroic identity using Pym Particle-based powers (like Stature).

Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man

Dr Hank Pym is the first Ant-Man and a founding member of the Avengers with his partner, the Wasp. As the inventor of Pym Particles, he has applied them in various ways to grow and shrink objects, grow to giant sizes as Giant-Man, and discover new realms between atoms in the Microverse. He has gone by a number of identities in his time as a hero, including Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, Yellowjacket, and The Wasp.

Hank Pym appearances

Ultron

Hank Pym also created the robot Ultron, who rebelled against his 'father' and became an enemy of the Avengers. Ultron consistently upgraded over the years to destroy the Earth's Mightiest Heroes, until eventually Hank and Ultron fused together as a single being. Now, he roams space searching for power as 'Ultron Pym'.

Ultron appearances

Appearances as 'Ultron Pym'

Scott Lang, the Astonishing Ant-Man

Scott Lang is an ex-con who stole the Ant-Man suit to save his daughter. Proving himself a hero, Lang was allowed to keep the suit and became the second Ant-Man. Lang is a big believer in second chances, working alongside reformed criminals like himself in his security business in Florida.

Scott Lang's Teams

Eric O’Grady, the Irredeemable Ant-Man

Eric O'Grady was a low-level SHIELD agent who stole a prototype Ant-Man suit and used it for his own selfish purposes. After proving his potential for espionage during the Skrull's Secret Invasion, O'Grady became a member of the Thunderbolts and the Secret Avengers before eventually turning traitor. Now going by Black Ant, he is half of a villainous duo with the Taskmaster.

Appearances as Ant-Man

Appearances as Black Ant

Raz Malhotra, Giant-Man

When Hank Pym felt that shrinking wasn't an adequate power, he changed tack and used his Pym Particles to grow to titanic heights as Giant-Man and later Goliath. Other heroes have since taken up the Giant-Man mantle, the current one being Raz Malhotra, a computer programmer who befriended Scott Lang.

Raz Malhotra appearances

Cassie Lang, Stinger

Cassie Lang is the daughter of Scott Lang, the second Ant-Man. After being exposed to Pym Particles, Cassie gained the ability to grow and shrink at will. Calling herself Stature, she joined the Young Avengers, a team of teenagers emulating the original Avengers. Later, she gained her own insect-controlling helmet and now helps her father as the heroine Stinger.

Cassie Lang appearances

Janet Van Dyne, The Winsome Wasp

Janet van Dyne is a fashion designer who fell in love with Hank Pym and became his crime-fighting partner, the Wasp. Janet has been a team-player her entire career, leading the Avengers on multiple occasions. Currently, she mentors the new Wasp, her stepdaughter Nadia van Dyne, and leads the detective agency Avengers Inc.

The Wasp appearances

Nadia van Dyne, the Unstoppable Wasp

  • Hank Pym's first wife Maria was kidnapped on the couple's honeymoon, and unknown to Hank, she bore a daughter named Nadia. Raised in the Red Room that trained Black Widow, Nadia studied in multiple scientific fields, eventually replicating the Pym Particles and using them to escape. After arriving in America and meeting the Avengers, Nadia became the newest Wasp and founded her own scientific organisation, Genius In action Research Labs (G.I.R.L).

Unstoppable Wasp appearances

The Unstoppable Wasp series is also collected in these volumes:

Unstoppable Wasp Teams

Hope van Dyne/Hope Pym, the MCU Wasp

In the MCU, Hank Pym's daughter is Hope van Dyne, who doesn't exist in the 'mainstream' Marvel Universe of Earth-616. She is derived from Hope Pym, the daughter of Hank and Janet from Earth-982, a world set in a near-future where the Avengers have been replaced by new, younger heroes, including Peter Parker's daughter Spider-Girl.

Hope Pym appearances

Spider-Island : Warzones / Gage, Christos