Dr. Henry Jonathan Pym is a
character appearing in
American comic book
An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...
s published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
. Created by
penciller
A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations.
In the American comic book industry, the penciller is the first step ...
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...
, editor-plotter
Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...
and writer
Larry Lieber, Pym debuted in ''
Tales to Astonish
''Tales to Astonish'' is the name of two American comic book series, and a One-shot (comics), one-shot comic, all published by Marvel Comics.
The primary title bearing that name was published from January 1959 to March 1968. It began as a scie ...
'' #27 (January 1962). He returned several issues later as the original iteration of
Ant-Man, a
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
with the power to shrink to the size of an
ant
Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...
. He later assumed other superhero identities, including the size-changing
Giant-Man and
Goliath
Goliath ( ) was a Philistines, Philistine giant in the Book of Samuel. Descriptions of Goliath's giant, immense stature vary among biblical sources, with texts describing him as either or tall. According to the text, Goliath issued a challen ...
; the insect-themed
Yellowjacket
Yellowjacket or yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genus, genera ''Vespula'' and ''Dolichovespula''. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of ...
; and briefly, the
Wasp
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder ...
. He is a founding member of the
Avengers superhero team, and the creator of the robotic villain
Ultron
Ultron () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the character first appeared as an unnamed character in ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers'' #5 ...
. He is also the ex-husband of Janet van Dyne, the first Wasp, and the father of
Nadia van Dyne, his daughter by his first wife,
Maria Pym.
Since his earliest appearances in the
Silver Age of Comic Books
The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and widespread commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those featuring the superhero archetype. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books, the Silver A ...
, Pym has been featured in various Marvel-endorsed products including
animated films,
video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
s,
television series
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
, and
feature film
A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...
s.
Michael Douglas plays Pym in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
films ''
Ant-Man'' (2015), ''
Ant-Man and the Wasp'' (2018), ''
Avengers: Endgame'' (2019), and ''
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania'' (2023). Douglas also voiced alternate-timeline versions of Pym in the
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
animated series ''
What If...?'' (2021–2023).
Publication history
Hank Pym debuted in a seven-page solo cover story, "The Man in the Ant Hill", about a character who tests
shrinking technology on himself, in the
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
/
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures.
The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
''
Tales to Astonish
''Tales to Astonish'' is the name of two American comic book series, and a One-shot (comics), one-shot comic, all published by Marvel Comics.
The primary title bearing that name was published from January 1959 to March 1968. It began as a scie ...
'' #27 (
cover date
The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unusu ...
January 1962). The story was created by editor-plotter
Stan Lee
Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...
, writer
Larry Lieber,
penciller
A penciller (or penciler) is an artist who works on the creation of comic books, graphic novels, and similar visual art forms, with a focus on the initial pencil illustrations.
In the American comic book industry, the penciller is the first step ...
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...
, and
inker
The inker (sometimes credited as the finisher or embellisher) is one of the two line artists in traditional comic book production.
After the penciller creates a drawing with pencil, the inker interprets this drawing by outlining and embellishing ...
Dick Ayers
Richard Bache Ayers (; April 28, 1924 – May 4, 2014) was an American comic book artist and cartoonist best known for his work as one of Jack Kirby's inkers during the late-1950s and 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comics, including on s ...
. In a 2008 interview, Lee said: "I did one comic book called 'The Man in the Ant Hill' about a guy who shrunk down and there were ants or bees chasing him. That sold so well that I thought making him into a superhero might be fun."
As a result, Pym was revived eight issues later as the costumed
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
Ant-Man who starred in the 13-page, the three-chapter story "Return of the Ant-Man/An Army of Ants/The Ant-Man's Revenge" in ''Tales to Astonish'' #35 (September 1962). His adventures became an ongoing feature in the title. Issue #44 (June 1963) featured the debut of his
socialite
A socialite is a person, typically a woman from a wealthy or aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having ...
girlfriend and lab assistant
Janet van Dyne, who adopted the costumed identity of the Wasp. She co-starred in Pym's subsequent appearances, and was a framing-sequence host for backup stories in the series. In September 1963, Lee and Kirby created the superhero title ''
The Avengers'', and Ant-Man and Wasp were established in issue #1 as founding members of the eponymous team.
Decades later, Lee theorized as to why "Ant-Man never became one of our top sellers or had his own book":
Pym began a continuous shift of superhero identities in ''Tales to Astonish'', first becoming the Giant-Man in issue #49 (November 1963). Pym and van Dyne continued to costar in the title until issue #69 (July 1965), while simultaneously appearing in ''The Avengers'' until issue #15 (April 1965), after which they temporarily left the team.
Next Pym rejoined the Avengers and adopted the new identity Goliath in ''Avengers'' #28 (May 1966). Gradually falling to mental strain, he adopted the fourth superhero identity Yellowjacket in issue #59 (December 1968). He reappeared as Ant-Man in ''Avengers'' #93 (November 1971); and for issues #4–10 starred in the lead story of the first volume of ''
Marvel Feature
''Marvel Feature'' was a comic book showcase series published by Marvel Comics in the 1970s. It was a tryout book, intended to test the popularity of characters and concepts being considered for their own series. The first volume led to the launc ...
'' (July 1972July 1973). During this run, he appeared in a redesigned costume with a
nail as a weapon. After appearing occasionally as Yellowjacket in the 1980s and battling mental and emotional issues, he temporarily abandoned costumed personas altogether, joining the
West Coast Avengers
The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in ''The West Coast Avengers'' #1 (Sept. 1984), created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall (comics), Bob Ha ...
as a scientist and inventor in ''
West Coast Avengers
The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in ''The West Coast Avengers'' #1 (Sept. 1984), created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall (comics), Bob Ha ...
'' vol. 2, #21 (June 1987). Writer
Steve Englehart
Steve Englehart (; born April 22, 1947) is an American writer of comic books and novels. He is best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s and 1980s. His pseudonyms have included John Harkness and Cliff Garnett.
Early li ...
explained, "I've been using him as he asked to be used. In the
Egghead story, where he bombed out as Yellowjacket, he said that he would never be a superhero again, so I took him at his word."
Pym returned to the Avengers as Giant-Man in ''The Avengers'' vol. 3, #1 (February 1998). When the team disbanded after a series of tragedies, Pym, as Yellowjacket, took a leave of absence beginning with vol. 3, #85 (September 2004).
Following van Dyne's death, a grieving Pym took on yet another identity as a new iteration of Wasp, in tribute to the woman he had married and divorced, in the
one-shot publication ''
Secret Invasion: Requiem'' (January 2009). Giant-Man appeared as a supporting character in ''
Avengers Academy
''Avengers Academy'' is a Marvel Comics comic book ongoing series, series that debuted in June 2010 as part of the "Heroic Age (comics), Heroic Age", and concluded after thirty-nine issues in November 2012. The series was written by Christos Gag ...
'' from issue #1 (August 2010) through its final issue #39 (January 2013). Pym returned as the Wasp in the mini-series ''Ant-Man & The Wasp'' (January 2011) and as a regular character in the 2010-2013 ''Secret Avengers'' series from issue #22 (April 2012) through its final issue #37 (March 2013).
After ''Secret Avengers'', Pym joined the ''Avengers A.I.'' after beating his creation
Ultron
Ultron () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the character first appeared as an unnamed character in ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers'' #5 ...
. He then appeared in many comics including ''Daredevil'' (Vol. 3 and 4) and the graphic novel ''Rage of Ultron''.
Fictional character biography
1960s
Biochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...
Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym discovers an unusual set of
subatomic particles
In physics, a subatomic particle is a particle smaller than an atom. According to the Standard Model of particle physics, a subatomic particle can be either a composite particle, which is composed of other particles (for example, a baryon, like ...
he labels "
Pym particles". Entrapping them within two separate serums, he creates a size-altering formula and a reversal formula, testing them on himself. Reduced to the size of an insect, he becomes trapped in an anthill before he eventually escapes and uses the reversal formula to return to normal size. Deciding the serums are too dangerous, he destroys them.
[''Tales to Astonish'' #27 (January 1962). Marvel Comics.] He later reconsiders his decision and recreates his serums. Pym's experience in the anthill inspires him to study ants, and he builds a cybernetic helmet that lets him communicate with and control them. He designs a costume made of
unstable molecules to prevent bites or scratches from the ants and reinvents himself as the superhero Ant-Man.
After several adventures, Pym is contacted by Vernon van Dyne, who asks for his help contacting alien life. Pym refuses, but is attracted to Vernon's socialite daughter Janet van Dyne. When Vernon is killed by an alien criminal who teleports to Earth, Janet asks for Pym's help avenging his death. Pym reveals his secret identity to Janet and uses Pym particles to graft
wasp
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder ...
wings beneath her shoulders, which appear when Janet shrinks. She assumes the alias of the
Wasp
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder ...
, and together they find and defeat Vernon's killer.
[''Tales To Astonish'' #44 (June 1963). Marvel Comics.] They become founding members of the superhero team the Avengers.
Pym eventually adopts his first alternate identity as the 12-foot-tall
Giant-Man.
[''Tales to Astonish'' #49 (November 1963). Marvel Comics.] (Three decades later, a
flashback shows him adopting the identity out of feelings of inadequacy when compared to powerful teammates
Iron Man
Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...
and
Thor
Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...
.) Pym and the Wasp begin a romantic relationship, and soon take a leave of absence from the Avengers.
Returning to the Avengers, Pym adopts a new superhero identity,
Goliath
Goliath ( ) was a Philistines, Philistine giant in the Book of Samuel. Descriptions of Goliath's giant, immense stature vary among biblical sources, with texts describing him as either or tall. According to the text, Goliath issued a challen ...
. A mishap traps him in giant form for several issues and affects his self-esteem. After recovering his size-shifting powers, he creates the robot
Ultron
Ultron () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the character first appeared as an unnamed character in ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers'' #5 ...
that unexpectedly achieves sentience and becomes one of the Avengers's greatest foes.
[First appearance: ''The Avengers'' #54 (July 1968); origin: ''The Avengers'' (November 1968). Marvel Comics.] During a botched experiment, Pym inhales chemicals that affect his mind, and he reappears at Avengers Mansion in the cocky new persona of Yellowjacket, claiming to have disposed of Pym. The Wasp secretly realizes he is Pym, however, and accepts his offer of marriage. At their wedding, a battle with the
Circus of Crime erupts; in the ensuing conflict, the chemicals lose their effect on him and his identity is restored.
1970s
After several adventures with the Avengers, including another encounter with Ultron, the pair take another leave of absence. The heroes re-encounter Hank Pym at the beginning of the
Kree-Skrull War, and once again as the Ant-Man persona and has a series of solo adventures.
After aiding fellow superhero team known as the
Defenders as Yellowjacket, Pym returns to the Avengers. He is eventually captured by an upgraded Ultron that
brainwashes his creator, causing the character to regress to his original Ant-Man costume and personality — arriving 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. After Ultron's brainwashing is reversed, Pym rejoins the Avengers as Yellowjacket. Pym is forced to briefly leave the team when the roster is restructured by government liaison
Henry Peter Gyrich.
Also at this time, he noticed
Scott Lang's theft of the Ant-Man suit. After
Darren Cross
Darren Agonistes Cross is a supervillain appearing in Marvel Comics properties. He is the archenemy of Scott Lang (the second superhero to be called Ant-Man), the father of Augustine Cross, and the cousin of Crossfire.
In the Marvel Cinemat ...
's defeat and aware of Lang's use of the stolen goods, Pym let Lang keep the equipment, albeit only to uphold the law.
1980s
Returning 14 issues later, Hank Pym participates in several missions until, after demonstrating hostile behavior toward Janet van Dyne, he attacks a foe from behind once the opponent had ceased fighting.
Captain America
Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...
suspends Yellowjacket from Avengers duty pending the verdict of a
court-martial
A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...
.
Pym suffers a
mental breakdown and concocts a plan to salvage his credibility. He plans to build a robot and program it to launch an attack on the Avengers; Pym will then counter the
false flag
A false flag operation is an act committed with the intent of disguising the actual source of responsibility and pinning blame on another party. The term "false flag" originated in the 16th century as an expression meaning an intentional misrep ...
attack at a critical moment using his knowledge of the robot's weaknesses, thereby presenting himself as the other Avengers' savior. The Wasp discovers the plan and begs Pym to stop, whereupon he strikes her.
[''The Avengers'' #212-213 (October–November 1981). Marvel Comics.]
Pym is subsequently expelled from the Avengers,
and Janet
divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the M ...
s him.
Left penniless, Pym is manipulated by an old foe, the presumed-dead
Egghead, who tricks Pym into stealing the national reserve of the metal
adamantium
Adamantium is a fictional metal alloy, most famously appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is best known as the substance bonded to the character Wolverine's skeleton and claws.
First mention in Marvel comics
It was ...
. Pym is confronted by the Avengers and blamed for the theft, as Egghead erases all evidence of his own involvement. Pym, in turn, blames Egghead, a criminal still believed dead by the other Avengers. This is taken by Pym's former teammates as further proof of his madness, and he is incarcerated. During Pym's imprisonment, Janet has a brief relationship with Tony Stark. Egghead later attempts to kill Pym but is himself accidentally killed by
Hawkeye. With the perpetrator of the original theft now exposed, Pym is cleared of all charges. After bidding farewell to Janet and his teammates, Pym leaves to devote himself full-time to research.
Pym reappears as a member of the
West Coast Avengers
The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in ''The West Coast Avengers'' #1 (Sept. 1984), created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall (comics), Bob Ha ...
, first in an advisory role, then as a full member. He answers to "Doctor Pym" in the field, using none of the names or costumes associated with his previous superhero identities.
[''West Coast Avengers'' vol. 2, #21 (June 1987). Marvel Comics.] He begins a short relationship with teammate
Tigra
Tigra (Greer Grant Nelson) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Roy Thomas and artist Wally Wood (Marie Severin was then brought in to help layout the art), with her early adventur ...
. After being taunted by old foe
Whirlwind
A whirlwind is a phenomenon in which a vortex of wind (a vertically oriented rotating column of air) forms due to instabilities and turbulence created by heating and flow ( current) gradients. Whirlwinds can vary in size and last from a cou ...
, Pym contemplates suicide, but is stopped by
Firebird. Pym and Janet eventually resume a romantic relationship.
1990s
The character returns to the Avengers, joining the East Coast team as Giant-Man. 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
The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Superhero teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardia ...
.
Hank Pym returns and aids the team as Giant-Man, and makes a significant contribution by defeating criminal mastermind Imus Champion and his flawed creation Ultron, simultaneously overcoming his old issues of guilt over Ultron's crimes.
2000s
During the
Destiny War between
Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror (Nathaniel Richards) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in '' Fantastic Four'' #19 (October 1963) as Rama-Tut, an ...
and
Immortus, two versions of Hank Pym are drawn in: Giant-Man of the present and Yellowjacket immediately prior to his marriage to Janet van Dyne. Yellowjacket briefly betrays the team to Immortus and the powerful Time-Keepers try to create a timeline where he will not turn back into Pym, but he rejects this decision in time to help his allies. Observing the final battle,
Libra
Libra generally refers to:
* Libra (constellation), a constellation
* Libra (astrology), an astrological sign based on the star constellation
Libra may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Libra'' (novel), a 1988 novel by Don DeLillo
Musi ...
—who brought the team together by using the Destiny Force to tap into his subconscious awareness of the cosmic balance—reflects that both Pyms were necessary so that Yellowjacket's betrayal could bring the team into the right position to attack the Time-Keepers, while Pym's presence as Giant-Man both provided a stable support and irritated Yellowjacket to provoke his own actions.
Back in the present, an encounter with
Kulan Gath results in Pym being split into his two personas of Pym and Yellowjacket, after a spell cast by Gath temporarily transforms Pym into a swashbuckler-style Yellowjacket, followed by the Yellowjacket persona manifesting a physical presence from the extradimensional bio-mass Pym uses to grow. Yellowjacket's stability deteriorates in a confrontation with
Diablo. The two personalities are restored when the Wasp helps the two halves realize they need each other. Pym is eventually able to resolve his problems and adopts his Yellowjacket persona again.
After the events of the "
Avengers Disassembled" storyline, Pym takes a leave of absence, and in the
one-shot ''Avengers: Finale'', he and Janet leave for
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
to rekindle their relationship.
As Yellowjacket, Pym is a central character in the ''
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
'' storyline, joining those heroes that support the
Superhuman Registration Act. At the conclusion of the Civil War, Pym is named "Man of the Year" by ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine for his role in freeing several captive anti-registration heroes. Pym becomes one of the administrators at
Camp Hammond, a U.S. military base in
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...
, for the training of registered superheroes in the government program The Initiative. Pym and Janet's relationship fails, and Pym again begins a romantic relationship with teammate
Tigra
Tigra (Greer Grant Nelson) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Roy Thomas and artist Wally Wood (Marie Severin was then brought in to help layout the art), with her early adventur ...
.
Following the publication of ''Civil War'', Marvel's ''
Secret Invasion
"Secret Invasion" is a comic book fictional crossover, crossover storyline written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu, that ran through a self-titled eight-issue Limited series (comics), limited series and several ti ...
'' storyline uses
flashbacks to present the then-current version of the character as an
impostor
An impostor (also spelled imposter) is a person who pretends to be somebody else, often through means of disguise, deceiving others by knowingly falsifying one or more aspects of their identity. This is in contrast to someone that honestly belie ...
who replaced the real Pym at some point in the books' fictional history prior to the events of ''Civil War''. This impostor is an extraterrestrial of the shape-shifting
Skrull race participating in a covert invasion of Earth; Pym's experiences throughout the ''Civil War'' series and related series are retold in brief from the perspective of the impostor and its allies. The impostor is exposed and defeated by the hero
Crusader. After the final battle between Earth's heroes and the Skrulls, Pym is found with other "replaced" heroes in a Skrull vessel. When Janet is seemingly killed in battle, Pym takes on a new superhero persona, the Wasp, in tribute to her. He rejoins the Avengers
[''Mighty Avengers'' #21 (February 2009). Marvel Comics.] and eventually leads the team.
The cosmic entity
Eternity
Eternity, in common parlance, is an Infinity, infinite amount of time that never ends or the quality, condition or fact of being everlasting or eternal. Classical philosophy, however, defines eternity as what is timeless or exists outside tim ...
reveals to Pym that he is Earth's "
Scientist Supreme", the scientific counterpart to Earth's
Sorcerer Supreme. The Norse trickster-god
Loki
Loki is a Æsir, god in Norse mythology. He is the son of Fárbauti (a jötunn) and Laufey (mythology), Laufey (a goddess), and the brother of Helblindi and Býleistr. Loki is married to the goddess Sigyn and they have two sons, Narfi (son of Lo ...
later claims to have been posing as Eternity to manipulate Pym.
2010s
Hank Pym creates
Avengers Academy
''Avengers Academy'' is a Marvel Comics comic book ongoing series, series that debuted in June 2010 as part of the "Heroic Age (comics), Heroic Age", and concluded after thirty-nine issues in November 2012. The series was written by Christos Gag ...
, a program to help train young people with newly acquired superpowers. He returns to his Giant-Man identity, and later joins the superhero team:
Secret Avengers
''Secret Avengers'' is an American comic book Ongoing series, series published by Marvel Comics featuring a fictional black operation, black ops superhero team of the same name. The series started with Ed Brubaker on writing duties, depicting a b ...
. In the "
Age of Ultron
"Age of Ultron" (abbreviated AU) is a 2013 comic book fictional crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics that involved the conquest of the Earth by the sentient robot tyrant Ultron. The storyline consisted of an eponymous, 10-issue core ...
" storyline, Pym travels through time to destroy his robot,
Ultron
Ultron () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the character first appeared as an unnamed character in ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers'' #5 ...
, who had managed to conquer the world.
In another adventure, Pym and
Monica Chang, A.I. Division Chief of the espionage agency
S.H.I.E.L.D., assemble a new team called the
Avengers A.I.
Avengers A.I. is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics that was released in July 2013, as part of the company's Marvel NOW! initiative. The series takes place after the events of Age of Ultron, where the world has been colonized by A.I ...
A few months later, Pym, using his Yellowjacket identity, is shown as a member of the
Illuminati. At one point, Pym is presumed dead and a funeral service is held in his honor.
[''Avengers: Rage of Ultron'' #1. Marvel Comics.] Scott Lang receives one of Pym's labs according to the will.
Pym resurfaces in a space adventure before rejoining the Avengers on Earth, though it becomes clear that Ultron is actually controlling Hank's body. The Avengers defeat the hybrid robot, but both Hank and Ultron survive and continue to do battle with one another internally. Later in this period, Hank's daughter
Nadia is introduced. It is also revealed that Hank has bipolar disorder, which he has been monitoring on his own to predict when and how often his mood swings may occur.
During the "
Secret Empire" storyline, Pym sets up a base in Alaska and is forced to work through some family issues and relationship strife within the Avengers team. Pym later goes on a journey to collect all the Infinity Stones. During this storyline, a piece of Hank's soul gets stuck in an alternate realm and eventually devoured. In another storyline, Hank is portrayed as a villain in a battle against the Silver Surfer.
In "The Ultron Agenda" storyline, Hank attempts to merge all robots with humans. Iron Man and Machine Man interfere with his plans and Pym attempts to take revenge. At the end of this storyline, it is revealed that Hank's human side has been dead since he first merged with Ultron.
2020s
The ''Ant-Man'' miniseries released in 2022 depicts an early Hank Pym being pulled into the future, along with Eric O'Grady and Scott Lang, in an attempt to assist the Ant-Man of the 25th century,
Zayn Asghar. Ultron is ultimately defeated and the other Ant-Men are returned to the past.
Sometime later, an old man claiming to be Hank Pym places an artificial personality in Whirlwind's corpse called "Victor Shade". It was later revealed that a fragment of Hank's conscious had separated from All-Father Ultron when he was defeated. The fragment recreated his body which appeared older and he was still paranoid from being Ultron's "meat puppet". What he did to Whirlwind was part of an experiment involving killing and reviving villains into becoming members of his Lethal Legion with help from Black Ant. To his surprise later by the time Wasp and Moon Knight find him, the "Victor Shade" persona ended up being hijacked by Ultron-12 by the time Wasp learned the truth on what happened to Hank as Ultron-12 knocks him out. As Wasp remembers Ultron-12 as the "good Ultron", Ultron-12 stated to Wasp that he went through a soft reboot to protect Hank as Ultron takes over the Lethal Legion. Hank regained consciousness and reunited with Nadia when Ant-Man, Mayor Luke Cage, Stinger, Valkyrie, and Vision arrived as he claims to Nadia that Ultron's no longer in him. He gives Nadia the code for the nano-tech from the future to use while Ultron is distracted as she's got to think big which Ultron-12 agrees with him on. After Ultron was defeated and the nanos reconstructed themselves into a new body for Ultron-12, Hank states that Ultron is not gone for good as the recovering Lethal Legion agree with him on it. Hank then leaves with the Lethal Legion to
Sub-Atomica to regroup and prepare for Ultron's return as part of Protocol S.
Powers and abilities
Hank Pym is a scientific
genius
Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for the future, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...
with
PhD
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
s in
biochemistry
Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...
and
nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). At this scale, commonly known as the nanoscale, surface area and quantum mechanical effects become important in describing propertie ...
and expertise in the fields of
quantum physics
Quantum mechanics is the fundamental physical Scientific theory, theory that describes the behavior of matter and of light; its unusual characteristics typically occur at and below the scale of atoms. Reprinted, Addison-Wesley, 1989, It is ...
,
robotics
Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots.
Within mechanical engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures of robots, while in computer s ...
/
cybernetics
Cybernetics is the transdisciplinary study of circular causal processes such as feedback and recursion, where the effects of a system's actions (its outputs) return as inputs to that system, influencing subsequent action. It is concerned with ...
,
artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...
, and
entomology
Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...
. Pym discovered the subatomic "Pym particles" that enable mass to be shunted or gained from an alternate dimension, thereby changing the size of himself or other beings or objects.
Pym is the creator of the robot
Ultron
Ultron () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the character first appeared as an unnamed character in ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers'' #5 ...
, whom he created as an experiment after examining
Dragon Man, showing his knack for AI and cybernetics.
After constant experimentation with size-changing via ingested capsules and particle-filled gas, Pym is eventually able to change size at will, and mentally generate Pym particles to change the sizes of other living beings or inanimate objects. Pym retains his normal strength when "ant" size, and possesses greatly increased strength and stamina when in "giant" form, courtesy of the increased mass. Pym's costume is synthetic stretch fabric composed of
unstable molecules and automatically adapts to his shifting sizes.
Pym also uses a cybernetic helmet he created for achieving rudimentary communication with ants and other higher order insects. As Yellowjacket, then later as Wasp, Pym wears artificial wings and has bio-blasters called "stingers" built into his gloves. He took up the Wasp mantle in memory of Janet, who was believed to be dead at the time.
Pym also carries a variety of weaponry, provisions, and scientific instruments, which are shrunken to the size of microchips and stored in the pockets of his uniform. An experienced superhero, Pym is a skilled hand-to-hand fighter. In his first appearance, he claimed to be a master of
judo
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
,
is skilled in
wrestling
Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...
and
karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...
and has since been seen in combat with opponents of both his own size and radically larger than himself (as a result of his size-changing abilities).
During his stay with the
West Coast Avengers
The West Coast Avengers is a fictional group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in ''The West Coast Avengers'' #1 (Sept. 1984), created by Roger Stern and Bob Hall (comics), Bob Ha ...
, Pym constructed a one-man vehicle with artificial intelligence named Rover.
Rover is able to communicate with Pym and is capable of flight and discharging energy and acid.
Back with the
Avengers main team, he built a second Rover, resembling an
Avengers Quinjet.
After fusing with Ultron, he now contains all of his
creation's abilities when he is in control.
Successors
There are a number of characters in the Marvel universe that have also used the "Pym particles" to effect size changing. These include
Janet van Dyne,
Clint Barton,
Bill Foster,
Scott Lang,
Erik Josten,
Rita DeMara,
Cassandra "Cassie" Lang,
Eric O'Grady,
Tom Foster,
Shang-Chi,
Raz Malhotra, and
Nadia Pym. Although they do not use their powers for altering their size, both
Wonder Man
Wonder Man (Simon Williams) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in '' The Avengers'' #9 (October 1964). The character, wh ...
and
Vision
Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to:
Perception Optical perception
* Visual perception, the sense of sight
* Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight
* Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...
derive their powers from Pym particles.
Enemies
The following are the known enemies of Hank Pym in any of his aliases:
*
Absorbing Man - A powerful enemy that can absorb the properties of everything he touches.
*
A.I.M. - A scientific community that tried to recruit and kill Hank Pym in different occasions.
* Alkhema - an artificial intelligence born to be the second wife of Ultron. She has the brain patterns of the Avenger
Mockingbird
Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the family (biology), family Mimidae. They are best known for the habit of some species Mimicry, mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly ...
.
*
Atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets.
Atlases have traditio ...
- Erik Josten is a supervillain that can shrink or grow his own size. He also used the Goliath persona during his permanence in the Masters of Evil.
*
Black Knight - A scientist who made knight-based technology after being denied the Ebony Blade.
* Dimitrios - A supervillain artificial intelligence created by Pym himself to destroy Ultron only to take a life of its own afterwards.
*
Doctor Nemesis - A supervillain with the ability to shrink and grow in size just like Ant-Man.
*
Egghead - A mad scientist with an egg-shaped head.
*
Hijacker - An armored car company owner who became a car thief.
*
Kraglin - An A-Chiltarian that assisted his kind in controlling a
Cyclops
In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; , ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguished. In Hesiod's ''Th ...
robot to capture some human specimens.
* Kulla - The dictator of the dimension of Dehnock.
* Liso Trago - A jazz musician from India who uses a special trumpet to control people. Ant-Man and Wasp turned his music against him causing Trago to forget his criminal intention and resume his career as a jazz musician.
* Living Eraser - An alien from Dimension Z whose Dimensionizer can transport anything to Dimension Z.
*
Magician - A
stage magician who used his stage acts in his crimes.
*
MODAM - An alternate female version of MODOK who was originally supposed to be a revived Maria Trovaya. She is later revealed to be the mother of Hank's daughter Nadia prior to becoming MODAM.
*
People's Defense Force - A team of Eastern European super-powered beings who had fought Hank Pym individually before coming together.
** Beasts of Berlin - A group of
western lowland gorilla
The western lowland gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla gorilla'') is one of two Critically Endangered subspecies of the western gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla'') that lives in Montane ecosystems#Montane forests, montane, Old-growth forest, primary and sec ...
s mutated to human intelligence by Communist scientists and speech. They operate as a team.
** El Toro - El Toro is Cuba's first super agent and an early opponent of Henry Pym.
** Madame X - Madame X is a patriot and spy for the communist Hungarian government.
** Scarlet Beetles - The Scarlet Beetles are normal
beetle
Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...
s that have been mutated to a size of 10-feet and given human intelligence and speech.
** Voice - A supervillain whose voice enables him to control anyone.
* Pilai - A Kosmonian criminal that was accidentally brought to Earth by Vernon van Dyne.
*
Porcupine
Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...
- A
porcupine
Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...
-themed villain.
* Protector - A jewelry store owner who adopted the Protector alias to extort his rivals.
* Time Master - Elias Weems is an elderly scientist who made an aging ray after having been fired from the Modern Scientific Research Company. After being defeated by Ant-Man when he realized that his visiting grandson Tommy was in the crowd that he aged, Weems was exonerated after Ant-Man and the Modern Scientific Research Company's owner persuaded the judge to waive the charges. Afterwards, Weems got his job back and showed Tommy around his place of work.
*
Ultron
Ultron () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the character first appeared as an unnamed character in ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers'' #5 ...
- A robot created by Hank Pym that obtained sentience.
*
Whirlwind
A whirlwind is a phenomenon in which a vortex of wind (a vertically oriented rotating column of air) forms due to instabilities and turbulence created by heating and flow ( current) gradients. Whirlwinds can vary in size and last from a cou ...
- A mutant that can spin at supersonic speeds.
Reception
Accolades
* In 2011, ''
IGN
''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' ranked Hank Pym 67th in their "Top 100 Comic Book Heroes" list.
* In 2011, ''
Wizard Magazine
''Wizard'' or ''Wizard: The Magazine of Comics, Entertainment and Pop Culture'' (previously titled ''Wizard: The Guide to Comics'' and ''Wizard: The Comics Magazine'') was a magazine about comic books, published monthly in the United States by ...
'' ranked Hank Pym 93rd in their "Top 200 Comic book Characters" list.
* In 2015, ''
IGN
''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' ranked Hank Pym 16th in their "Top 50 Avengers" list.
* In 2020,
Comic Book Resources
''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...
(CBR) ranked Hank Pym 4th in their "10 Most Powerful Members Of The Pym Family" list and 6th in their "10 Best Superhero Doctors In Marvel & DC" list.
* In 2022, ''
Newsarama
''Newsarama'' is an American website that publishes news, interviews, and essays about the American comic book industry. It is owned by Future US. In June 2020, Newsarama was merged with the website ''GamesRadar+'', also owned by Future US.
Hi ...
'' ranked Hank Pym 11th in their "Best Avengers members of all time" list.
* In 2022, ''
Screen Rant
''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and comic books. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publications including Comic Book Resources, Collider, MovieWeb and XDA Developers.
...
'' included Hank Pym in their "9 Strongest West Coast Avengers" list.
* In 2022, CBR ranked Hank Pym 5th in their "10 Smartest Marvel Scientists" list and 8th in their "10 Smartest Tech-Powered Heroes" list.
Other versions
Earth-5012
In this reality, Hank Pym is an intelligent, Hulk-like brute.
Heroes Reborn (2021)
In the 2021 ''
Heroes Reborn'' reality, Hank Pym is a scientist and a devoted
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
who is a former friend and sidekick of
Hyperion. After being possessed by Ultron, Pym is banished to the
Negative Zone and eventually dismantled by Hyperion.
Marvel 1602
An alternate universe variant of Hank Pym, philosopher Henri le Pym from Earth-311, appears in ''
Marvel 1602''.
Marvel Adventures
Hank Pym appears in issue 13 of ''
Marvel Adventures: The Avengers'' as a scientist working for Janet's father with no superhero identity, and was the one who gave his wife superpowers. He is visited by Spider-Man and Storm when Janet van Dyne (Giant-Girl in this continuity) falls under insect mind-control. He tells them how to free her (severing the antennae on her mask), gives her a new costume, and uses an insect telepathy helmet (identical to his Earth-616 Ant-Man helmet) to create an illusion of several giant-sized people, scaring the insects away. He returns in issue 20, becoming Ant-Man. He not only joins the team, but begins a relationship with Janet.
Marvel Apes
An alternate universe gorilla variant of Hank Pym from Earth-8101, known as Gro-Rilla, appears in ''
Marvel Apes''.
Marvel Zombies
A zombified alternate universe variant of Hank Pym from Earth-2149 appears in ''
Marvel Zombies''.
MC2
The
MC2 imprint title ''
A-Next'', set in a futuristic
alternate universe, features Hank Pym and Janet Pym's twin children (Hope Pym and Henry Pym Jr.), who have turned into the supervillains
Red Queen and
Big Man respectively.
Old Man Logan
In the post-apocalyptic ''
Old Man Logan
Old Man Logan is an alternative version of the superhero Wolverine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. This character is an aged version of Wolverine set in an alternate future universe in which the supervillains overth ...
'' storyline, which takes place on Earth-807128, Hank Pym (as Giant-Man) is killed by the
Red Skull's army of villains. Decades later, a settlement called "Pym Falls" is built around his corpse. In addition, his Ant-Man helmet is shown in the possession of a young boy named Dwight, who uses it to command an army of ants to enforce the payment of tolls across a bridge.
''The Last Avengers Story''
In an alternate future in the miniseries ''The Last Avengers Story'' #1-2 (November 1995), Ultron wishes for a decisive victory over the Avengers. After eliminating the team, he has Hank Pym gather a new group. After recruiting other heroes and mercenaries, Pym leads them to victory though fatalities are heavy on both sides.
Ultimate Marvel
An alternate universe variant of Hank Pym from Earth-1610 appears in ''
Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, later known as the ...
''. This version is a former member of the
Ultimates
The Ultimates is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and created by writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch, which first started publication from ''The Ultimates (comic book), The Ultimates'' ...
who gained his abilities from experimenting on his wife Janet van Dyne. He is later killed by the
Multiple Man before being resurrected by the
Maker and
High Evolutionary.
Ultimate Universe
During the "
Ultimate Invasion" storyline,
Maker traveled to
Earth-6160
The Ultimate Universe is an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics beginning in 2023; the imprint is overseen by writer Jonathan Hickman. It reimagines several classic Marvel characters in a new fictional Fictional universe#Fictional c ...
and remade it into his own image, creating a new world order ruled by himself and his
Council
A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...
. The Maker's memory log states that Hank Pym is inactive.
It is later stated the Maker ruined Pym's experiments with Pym Particles, which left him with brain damage enough that he doesn't remember doing them or the occurring of his impairing. Hank and
Janet
Janet may refer to:
Names
* Janet (given name)
Surname
* Charles Janet (1849–1932), French engineer, inventor and biologist, known for the Left Step periodic table
* Jules Janet (1861–1945), French psychologist and psychotherapist
* Maur ...
operate a extermination service as a couple where they deal with an infestation at a Hoboken restaurant. They find a family of
Moloids as they recommend to its owner to enlist a relocation service for them. Afterwards, they are confronted by the Ultimates. They assume the alias of Giant-Man and Wasp when the Ultimates are attacked by
Henri Duggary of
Maker's Council and his army where most of them are stepped on by Giant-Man. Both of them join the Ultimates afterwards.
In other media
Television
* Hank Pym as
Giant-Man and
Goliath
Goliath ( ) was a Philistines, Philistine giant in the Book of Samuel. Descriptions of Goliath's giant, immense stature vary among biblical sources, with texts describing him as either or tall. According to the text, Goliath issued a challen ...
appears in ''
The Marvel Super Heroes
''The Marvel Super Heroes'' is an American animated television series starring five comic book superheroes from Marvel Comics. The first TV series based on Marvel Comics, Marvel characters, it debuted in broadcast syndication, syndication on Amer ...
'', voiced by Tom Harvey.
* Hank Pym as
Ant-Man appears in a 1979 sketch of ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'', portrayed by
Garrett Morris.
* An alternate timeline variant of Hank Pym as Goliath makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the ''
X-Men: The Animated Series'' episode "One Man's Worth". This version is from a timeline where
Professor X
Professor X (Prof. Charles Francis Xavier) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 ( ...
was killed before the
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 (September 1963). Although initial ...
's formation.
* Hank Pym as Ant-Man and Giant-Man appears in ''
The Avengers: United They Stand'', voiced by Rod Wilson.
This version is the leader of the
Avengers.
* Hank Pym as Ant-Man appears in the ''
Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes'' episode "World's Tiniest Heroes", voiced by
John Payne.
This version is a friend of
Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The character is a founding member and the leader of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mast ...
's.
* Hank Pym as Ant-Man appears in ''
The Super Hero Squad Show
''The Super Hero Squad Show'' is an American superhero animated series produced by Marvel Animation that aired from 2009 to 2011. It is based on the Hasbro toyline " Marvel Super Hero Squad", which portrays the Avengers, the X-Men, and various ...
'' episode "This Forest Green!", voiced by
Greg Grunberg.
* Hank Pym as Ant-Man, Giant-Man, and
Yellowjacket
Yellowjacket or yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genus, genera ''Vespula'' and ''Dolichovespula''. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of ...
appears in ''
The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes'', voiced by
Wally Wingert.
[ A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.] This version is a pacifist and founding member of the Avengers. He operates as Ant-Man and Giant-Man in the first season and Yellowjacket in the second season.
* Hank Pym as Giant-Man appears in ''
Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers'', voiced by
Yasunori Masutani.
* Hank Pym, based on the Marvel Cinematic Universe version (see below), appears in ''
Ant-Man'' (2017), voiced by
Dee Bradley Baker
Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of his work has consisted of vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as '' Adventure Time'', ''American Dad!'', '' Avatar: The Las ...
.
* Hank Pym makes a cameo appearance in the ''
Marvel Future Avengers'' episode "The Rage of Black Bolt".
Film
* Hank Pym as Giant-Man and Ant-Man, based on the
Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, later known as the ...
incarnation, appears in ''
Ultimate Avengers'' and ''
Ultimate Avengers 2'', voiced by
Nolan North.
He joins the
Ultimates
The Ultimates is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and created by writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch, which first started publication from ''The Ultimates (comic book), The Ultimates'' ...
in fighting
Chitauri invasions until he is killed in battle.
* Hank Pym as Giant-Man makes a non-speaking appearance in ''
Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow''. He was killed by
Ultron
Ultron () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the character first appeared as an unnamed character in ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers'' #5 ...
alongside the other
Avengers prior to the film.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
Hank Pym appears in media set in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
(MCU), portrayed by
Michael Douglas,
with
Dax Griffin and John Michael Morris serving as
body doubles in flashback sequences.
This version originally operated as Ant-Man and an agent of
S.H.I.E.L.D. decades earlier until his wife
Janet van Dyne / Wasp seemingly died during one of their missions and he discovered S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attempts to recreate his
Pym Particle formula and resigned. In the present, he recruits
Scott Lang to become the new Ant-Man, helps his daughter
Hope van Dyne become the new Wasp, rescues Janet from the
Quantum Realm, and becomes a victim of
the Blip. Pym is introduced in the live-action film ''
Ant-Man'' (2015),
and makes subsequent appearances in the live-action films ''
Ant-Man and the Wasp'' (2018), ''
Avengers: Endgame'' (2019), and ''
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania'' (2023). Additionally, Douglas voices alternate timeline variants of Pym in the
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
animated series ''
What If...?'',
with one appearing as Ant-Man and another as Yellowjacket.
Video games
* Hank Pym as Giant-Man appears as an assist character in ''
Avengers in Galactic Storm''.
* Hank Pym appears as an
NPC in ''
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance'', voiced by
Jerry Houser.
* Hank Pym as Yellowjacket appears as a boss in ''
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2'', voiced by Wally Wingert.
* Hank Pym as Ant-Man makes a cameo appearance in ''
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3''.
* Hank Pym as Ant-Man and Giant-Man appear as separate playable characters in ''
Marvel Super Hero Squad Online'', voiced by
Yuri Lowenthal.
* Hank Pym appears as an unlockable character in ''
Marvel: Avengers Alliance''.
* Hank Pym appears as an NPC in ''
Marvel Heroes'', voiced again by Wally Wingert. Additionally, his Ant-Man design appears as an enhanced costume for
Scott Lang / Ant-Man.
* Hank Pym as Ant-Man appears in ''
Lego Marvel Super Heroes'', voiced again by
Nolan North.
* Hank Pym as Ant-Man appears in ''
Lego Marvel's Avengers''.
* Hank Pym as Ant-Man appears as a team-up character in ''
Disney Infinity 2.0''.
* Hank Pym's fusion with
Ultron
Ultron () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the character first appeared as an unnamed character in ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers'' #5 ...
appears as a playable character in ''
Marvel: Future Fight'', with Giant-Man and Goliath appearing as alternate skins.
* Hank Pym appears as an unlockable character in ''
Marvel Avengers Academy'', voiced by Christopher McCullough.
* Hank Pym as Giant-Man, Ant-Man, and Yellowjacket appear as separate playable characters in ''
Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2'', voiced by
Dar Dash. In a bonus mission,
A-Bomb, the
Hulk
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...
, and
Wonder Man
Wonder Man (Simon Williams) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in '' The Avengers'' #9 (October 1964). The character, wh ...
rescue Pym from his future self, who has become Yellowjacket.
* Hank Pym appears as an NPC in ''
Marvel's Avengers'', voiced by
Danny Jacobs.
This version originally operated as Ant-Man before
A.I.M. altered his physiology so that any attempt to shrink himself would be fatal. Following this, he became the leader of the Resistance to rescue
Inhumans
The Inhumans are a superhuman race of super beings appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The comic book series has usually focused more specifically on the adventures of the Inhuman Royal Family, and many people associat ...
from A.I.M. and give them sanctuary in his base, the Ant Hill.
* Hank Pym appears in ''
Marvel Future Revolution'', voiced again by Wally Wingert. This version is a scientist for
Omega Flight. Additionally, an alternate reality version of Pym as Yellowjacket makes an appearance.
Miscellaneous
* Hank Pym appears in
Peter David's novelization of ''
Spider-Man 2''. He attends Dr.
Otto Octavius's first experiment with his mechanical arms. After the experiment goes awry, Pym confirms he is alive and implies his wife Rosalie is dead.
* The MCU incarnation of Hank Pym serves as the namesake of the Pym Test Kitchen and Pym Tasting Lab restaurant attractions in
Avengers Campus at
Disney California Adventure
Disney California Adventure is a theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division. The park is themed after Disney's interpretation of California ...
.
Collected editions
Notes
References
k
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pym, Hank
Ant-Man
Avengers (comics) characters
Characters created by Jack Kirby
Characters created by Larry Lieber
Characters created by Stan Lee
Comics characters introduced in 1962
Fictional characters from Nebraska
Fictional characters who can change size
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Male characters in film
Marvel Comics American superheroes
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