Fictional character biography 1960s Biochemist Henry Pym, discovering an unusual set of subatomic particles he labels Pym particles, creates a size-altering formula and tests it on himself. Reduced to the size of an insect, Pym has a dangerous encounter with ants in a nearby anthill.[4]Shortly afterward, he constructs a cybernetichelmet that allows him to communicate with and control ants. Pym designs a costume and reinvents himself as the superhero Ant-Man, and defeats several KGB agents attempting to steal the formula for an anti-radiation gas.[5]Pym debuts as Ant-Man on the cover of Tales To Astonish #35 (Sept. 1962). Art by Jack Kirbyand Dick Ayers.After several adventures, Pym is contacted by Dr. Vernon Van Dyne, who asks for aid in contacting alien life. Pym refuses, but is attracted to Vernon’s socialite daughter, Janet. Vernon Van Dyne is subsequently killed by an alien criminal who teleports himself to Earth, and Janet asks for Pyms help in avenging his death. Pym reveals his secret identity to Janet, and uses Pym particles to graft wasp wings beneath her shoulders, which appear when she shrinks. Janet assumes the alias of the Wasp, and together they find and defeat her fathers killer.[6] The pair feature in the first issue of the title Avengers, becoming founding members of the superhero team.[7] Pym eventually adopts his first alternate identity as the 12-foot-tall Giant-Man[8] and with the Wasp continues to star in the feature Giant-Man, battling foes such as the Living Eraser;[8] the Human Top,[9] and thePorcupine[10] until issue #69[11] being replaced by Namor the Sub-Mariner the following issue. The pair also develop a romantic relationship during their final appearances in the title.[12]Accidentally involved in a plan by theAsgardian god Loki to draw out his siblingThor, Ant-Man and the Wasp join the superhero team the Avengers, the Wasp unintentionally thinks up the name of the Avengers,[13] with Pym becoming Giant-Man after the first mission. It is revealed inflashback that Pym adopted the identity of Giant-Man out of feelings of inadequacy when compared to team mates Iron Man andThor.[14] After a final encounter with theMasters of Evil, the pair decide to take a leave of absence.[15]Pym eventually rejoins the Avengers, adopting the new identity of Goliath.[16] A mishap traps the character in giant form for several issues, and affects his self-esteem.[17] Pym also creates a robot calledUltron that accidentally achieves sentienceand becomes one of the Avengers greatest foes.[18] During a botched experiment Pym inhales chemicals that induce schizophrenia, and suffering from a personality crisis, reappears at Avengers Mansion as the cocky Yellowjacket, claiming to have disposed of Pym. Only the Wasp realizes that it is Pym and takes advantage of his offer of marriage, with Pym eventually recovering from the chemicals during a battle with the Circus of Crime at the wedding.[19] 1970s Pym appears as Giant-Man on the cover of Tales to Astonish#56 (June 1964). Art by Jack Kirby and Chic Stone.After several adventures with the Avengers, including another encounter with Ultron,[20]the pair take a leave of absence.[21] The heroes encounter Pym at the beginning of theKree-Skrull War, discovering that the character has been reverted into a cavemanby the alien Kree.[22] Pym is restored to normal, and returns briefly to repair theandroid Avenger the Vision.[23] For a time Pym retains his Ant-Man persona and has a series of solo adventures.[24]Henry Pym debuts as Goliath. From The Avengers #28 (May 1966). Art by Jack KirbyAfter aiding fellow superhero team theDefenders[25][26] as Yellowjacket, Pym returns to the Avengers.[27] Pym is eventually captured by an upgraded Ultron, whobrainwashes his creator, causing the character to regress back to his original Ant-Man costume and personality. As Ant-Man Pym arrives at Avengers Mansion, thinking it to be the very first meeting of the team. Seeing several unfamiliar members, Pym attacks the team until stopped by the Wasp. The other Avengers find Ultron and force him to retreat by threatening to destroy his robotic creation, Jocasta.[28] After Ultrons brainwashing is reversed, Pym re-joins the Avengers as Yellowjacket, and together they destroy Ultron.[29] Pym is forced to briefly leave the team when the roster is restructured by government liaison Henry Peter Gyrich.[30] 1980s Returning 14 issues later,[31] Pym participates in several missions until, after demonstrating hostile behavior towards Janet, he attacks a foe from behind once the opponent had ceased fighting. Captain America suspends Yellowjacket from Avengers duty pending the verdict of a court-martial. Pym suffers a complete mental breakdown and concocts a plan to salvage his credibility by building a robot (named Salvation-1) and programming it to launch an attack on the Avengers at his court-martial. Planning to exploit the robot’s weakness at the critical moment, Pym hopes to regain his good standing with the Avengers. The Wasp discovers the plan and begs Pym to stop, at which point he strikes her. Although the robot does attack the Avengers as planned, Pym is unable to stop it and the Wasp uses the design flaw to defeat it. Pym is subsequently expelled from the Avengers,[32] and Janet divorces him.[33]Left penniless in the wake of his disgrace, Pym is manipulated by old foe Egghead(believed to be deceased), who tricks the character into stealing the national reserve of the metal adamantium. Pym is confronted by the Avengers (whom he had covertly summoned) at the scene of the crime and after being defeated is blamed for the theft, as Egghead erases all evidence of his involvement. Blaming a supposedly dead villain is taken as further proof of Pym’s madness and he is incarcerated.[34] During Pym’s imprisonment, Janet has a brief relationship with Tony Stark.[35] Still not satisfied with his victory over his foe, Egghead reforms the supervillain team theMasters of Evil and kidnaps Pym at his trial, creating the impression that Pym himself staged his own escape. Egghead intends to use Pym in another of his schemes, but is tricked when Pym uses Egghead’s own apparatus to defeat the entire roster of the Masters of Evil. In a final act of desperation, Egghead attempts to kill Pym, but is stopped and accidentally killed by the AvengerHawkeye, whose brother had been murdered by Egghead years ago. With the real perpetrator exposed, Pym is cleared of all charges. After bidding farewell to Janet and his teammates, Pym leaves to devote his full-time to research.[36]Hank strikes his wife Janet. Art by Bob Hall.Pym reappears in the West Coast Avengers, first in an advisory role[37] and then as a full-fledged member in a non-costumed capacity.[38] Pym begins a short relationship with teammate Tigra,[39] and after a verbal taunting by old foe Whirlwind contemplatessuicide, but is stopped by the heroineFirebird.[40] Pym and Janet also eventually resume a romantic relationship.[41] 1990s The character eventually returns to the Avengers, joining the East Coast team as Giant-Man.[42] The pair, together with many of the other Avengers, apparently sacrifice themselves to stop the villain Onslaught, but actually exist in a pocket universe for a year before returning to the mainstream Marvel universe.[43]Pym returns and aids the team as Giant-Man[44] and makes a significant contribution by defeating criminal mastermind Imus Champion[45] and his flawed creation Ultron, simultaneously overcoming his old issues with his own brain patterns creating Ultron.[46] 2000s Pym debuts as Yellowjacket(with an allegorical scene of Pym standing over himself in the second Goliath uniform) on the cover of Avengers #59 (Dec. 1968). Art by John Buscema and George Klein.When Rick Jones becomes a key player in theDestiny War between Kang the Conqueror andImmortus, two different versions of Pym are drawn into the war; the Giant-Man of Ricks present and the Yellowjacket immediately prior to his marriage to Janet.[47] Although Yellowjacket briefly betrays his allies to theTime Keepers in an attempt to secure a timeline where he remains himself rather than reverting to Pym,[48] he eventually releases the team when he learns the full extent of the Time Keepers plans.[49] It is subsequently revealed that the two Pyms were selected because Yellowjackets betrayal would be crucial to bringing the team into a position where they could directly attack the Time Keepers, while Giant-Man provided both support to the team as a whole and served as an irritant to Yellowjacket to provoke his own actions.[50]During an encounter with the sorcerer Kulan Gath, Pyms personality is temporarily reverted to the early Yellowjacket phase, which he had long repressed out of fear of that part of himself hurting Jan again, and while the effect is reversed another Henry Pym, representing the parts of himself that he had suppressed, is accidentally created from the extradimensional bio-mass Pym uses to grow. Each Pym reflects an aspect of his personality: Giant-Man is the thoughtful, scientific aspect while Yellowjacket is the impulsive component. During the events of the Kang Dynasty storyline the two Pyms begin to deteriorate from being apart, but are restored when the Wasp helps the two halves realize that they need each other.[51] Pym is eventually able to resolve his past problems and adopts his Yellowjacket costume once again, concluding that, since it was as Yellowjacket he faced his worst problems, it will be as Yellowjacket that he attempts to see if he has overcome them.[52]After the events of the Avengers Disassembled storyline, Pym takes a leave of absence,[53] and in the one-shot titleAvengers: Finale, the character and Janet leave for England to rekindle their relationship.[54] Pym and Janets relationship fails and it is revealed in flashback during theSecret Invasion storyline that he is replaced by an alien Skrull.[55] The Skrull version of Pym, along with the Wasp and other heroes, is transported to a place called Battle World to combat each other. The culprit is revealed to be the cosmic entity the Stranger, posing as fellow entity the Beyonder, when Pym tricks the being into believing that he has won the war by seemingly disintegrating the other heroes when he has really only shrunk them.[56]Pym as Yellowjacket is a central character in the Civil War storyline, joining those heroes that support the Superhuman Registration Act. Together with Mister Fantastic (of theFantastic Four) and Tony Stark (Iron Man), the character creates a cybernetic clone of currently missing Thor to battle the anti-registration heroes, although the clone shows no morals and kills Bill Foster (who had taken up Pyms former identity as Goliath) in battle. Pym is also kidnapped by Young Avengersmember Hulkling, who uses his shapeshifterpowers to impersonate Pym and free several captive anti-registration heroes. At the conclusion of the Civil War, Pym—still a Skrull impostor—is named Man of the Year byTime magazine for his role.[57]The Skrull is eventually revealed to be called Criti Noll, and becomes one of the chief administrators at Camp Hammond, a U.S. military base in Stamford, Connecticut for the training of registered superheroes in the government program Avengers: The Initiative.[58] The Skrull Pym officially ends the attempt at reconciliation with Janet, and becomes involved in a romantic relationship with Tigra. During the combat phase of the invasion, the Skrull Pym is exposed and defeated by the hero Crusader.[59] Following a final battle between Earths heroes and the Skrulls, the real Pym is found with other replaced heroes in a Skrull vessel. After the Wasp is seemingly killed in the final battle,[60]Pym takes on a new superhero persona as the Wasp in tribute to his former wife.[61] Pym rejoins the Avengers[62] and is eventually convinced to lead the team.[63]The cosmic entity Eternity reveals to Pym that he is Earths Scientist Supreme, the scientific counterpart to the Earths currentSorcerer Supreme, as he is able to create science with effects similar to magic.[64] Loki later claims to have been posing as Eternity in order to trick Pym.[65] 2010s When Norman Osborn is defeated, Pym creates Avengers Academy, a program to help train young people whose newly acquired powers were manipulated by Osborn. While telling the recruits they are being trained to become heroes, the truth is that their profiles indicate they are the most likely to become villains and Pym hopes to prevent that.[66]Pym returns to his Giant-Man identity inAvengers Academy #7.[67]Pym later joins up with the Secret Avengers.[68]When a future Ultron conquers the world of the present as seen in the Age of Ultron storyline, Wolverine reasons that going back in time and warning Pym against creating Ultron would just inspire him to do it anyway.[69] He attempts to undo this future by going back in time with Invisible Woman along for the ride and kills Pym before he can create Ultron.[70] This creates an even worse present where Morgan le Fay has conquered the world.[71] This realitys version of Iron Man chastises Wolverine for simply killing Hank Pym after viewing the footage of the incident saying he could have gotten Pym to use a virus to stop Ultron instead.[72] During Morgan le Fays attack, a dying Tony Stark tells him he cannot simply go back and try to change this again, that time is a living organism that will break if ripped too much. In the past, the previous Wolverine is about to kill Pym when the newer Wolverine (clad in his classic costume) comes to stop him. After using an incident from their past to convince his double of who he is, the newer Wolverine warns that killing Pym will just make things worse. Pym claims he will not build Ultron, but Wolverine says he has to in order to allow history to continue. Pym says he can build a better A.I., but with a shut-off switch if he needs it.[73] Months before Ultrons attack, Pym is working in his lab when he has given a package from a hidden Invisible Woman. He watches a video of his younger self which supplies a pack of equations on how to stop Ultron. When Ultron is revived, Pym contacts Iron Man to supply the equations he was given and upload them into Ultron. Ultron is jarred to realize he is being defeated despite holding off the Avengers. The code is fully uploaded to shut him down and the virus destroys him.[74] Pym contemplates the two apocalyptic timelines caused by his actions that were shown in the data Wolverine brought back from the future. He considers suicide, but then realizes that the other timeline was worse because it lacked Pym, whose superheroic activities had a positive effect on the world, and can again. Pym resolves to save lives by doing what he does best: heroics and science with a strong theatrical flair.[74]In the aftermath of the Age of Ultron storyline, Pym and S.H.I.E.L.D.s A.I. Division Chief Monica Chang assemble a new team called the Avengers A.I. in order to combat the threat of the sentient virus Dimitrios.[75] and this is the cast for the upcoming movie Cast Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man: A petty criminal[1] who acquires an invented substance that allows him to change his size and can communicate with insects.[2][3][4]Regarding Rudds casting, producer Kevin Feige said, Look at that origin of the petty crook who comes into contact with a suit and does his best to make good, and then look at someone like Paul Rudd, who can do slightly unsavory things like break into people’s houses and still be charming and who you root for and whose redemption you will find satisfaction in.[1]Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym: The scientist who invents the technology that makes Ant-Mans transformation possible.[4][5] Douglas compared his decision to join a superhero film to his role in Behind the Candelabra saying, Sometimes—like [when] they didnt see you for Liberace—youve got to shake them up a little bit and have some fun.[6]Additionally, Patrick Wilson and Matt Geraldhave been cast in undisclosed roles.[7][8] its not right when they got the history correct they should have just started with hank pym and his story. Over the years a variety of characters have assumed the title of Ant-Man, most of whom have been connected with the Avengers. Hank Pym Main article: Henry PymBiophysicist and Security Operations Center expert Dr. Henry Hank Pym decided to become a superhero after discovering a chemical substance (Pym Particles) that would allow the user to alter his size. Armed with a helmet that could control ants, Pym would shrink down to the size of an insect to become the mystery-solving Ant-Man.[1] He soon shared his discovery with his girlfriend,Janet Van Dyne, who became his crime-fighting partner as the Wasp.[2] The duo would become founding members of theAvengers, fighting recurring enemies such as the mad scientist Egghead, the mutantWhirlwind, and Pyms own robotic creationUltron.[3]While Pym is the original Ant-Man, he has adopted other aliases over the years including Giant-Man, Goliath, Yellowjacket,[2]and the Wasp after Janets presumed death inSecret Invasion.[4] Leaving his original persona vacant, his successors have taken up the role of Ant-Man while Pym explored these other identities. Scott Lang Main article: Ant-Man (Scott Lang)Scott Lang was a thief who first became Ant-Man after stealing Henry Pyms Ant-Man suit to save his daughter Cassie from a heart condition.[5] Reforming from his life of crime, he soon took on a full-time career as Ant-Man with the encouragement of Hank Pym.[6]He became an affiliate of the Fantastic Four,[7]and most recently became a full-time member of the Avengers. For a period of time he dated Jessica Jones.[5] He was later killed by the Scarlet Witch along with Vision andHawkeye in Avengers Disassembled,[8] and his daughter, Cassie, took up his heroic mantle as Stature in the book Young Avengers. He returned to life in 2011 in the mini series, The Childrens Crusade, but lost his daughter when she heroically sacrificed herself to stop a super charged Doctor Doom. Eric OGrady Main article: Ant-Man (Eric OGrady)Eric OGrady is the third character to take up the title of Ant-Man. Eric OGrady is a low-level agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. who stumbled upon the Ant-Man suit in S.H.I.E.L.D.s headquarters.[9] A man of few morals and willing to lie, cheat, steal, and manipulate in order to get ahead in life, Eric stole the armor for his own selfish plans, which included using his status as a super-hero to seduce women[10] and humiliate and torment others.[11] He had his own short-lived title before being part of other teams: first theAvengers: The Initiative and then The Thunderbolts and more recently Secret Avengers, where the character perished heroically while defending a child against the villain known as Father.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 01:00:30 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015