The Avengers, Earth’s mightiest heroes, contain some of the strongest and most famous heroes of all time. Captain America: the pinnacle of good and patriotism, Iron Man: the billionaire, genius, philanthropist, Thor: the freaking god of thunder, and Hulk: an indestructible rampage of green anger. However, there is one hero that is always overlooked; a man with many different titles, but always known as Henry “Hank” Pym.
When the Avengers were first introduced, Hank Pym, under the title of Ant-Man, was present as a major part of the team’s first adventure. To summarize, Loki, the god of trickery, tricked the Hulk into going on a rampage and Iron Man, Thor, Wasp and Ant-Man tried to stop him. As the battle ensued, Hank figured that they were all being tricked and brought the heroes to their senses. He then rallied them against Loki and defeated him. Seeing that together they were a powerful force for good, the Avengers were born. Hank Pym was at first reluctant to join, being a pacifist, but decided to join after seeing how many bad criminals were out there. So, you have Ant-Man to thank for bringing together the greatest superhero team known to man. In comics currently, he is the head of the Avengers academy, which is basically the X-mansion for non-mutant superheroes. He trains them in academics and training exercises as well.
Hank is the smartest man on Earth in the Marvel Universe. When the Avengers went to help the Higher Being, he dubbed Hank the “Scientist Supreme”. This means that his inventions are so amazing they defy physics, and could be considered magic but without magical principles. He is an expert in biochemistry, quantum physics, robotics, cybernetics, artificial intelligence programming and entomology. He even discovered a sub-atomic particle that he called “Pym Particles”. This discovery allows mass to be shunted or gained from in an alternate dimension in order to increase and decrease sizes of objects. He also created the indestructible robot, Ultron, and when it went rogue and defeated all the Avewngers, Hank was able to defeat it by throwing him into the sun…… WITH HIS BARE HANDS!
Hank also has a plethora of superpowers. In his first title he was Ant-Man, and his powers included his ability to shrink down to the size of an ant due to his manipulation of the Pym particles. However, he was retained the strength of his normal form, allowing him to beat up villains without them even knowing where he was. While acting as Ant-Man, he also possessed the Ant-helmet, an invention of his own that enabled him to communicate with ants. It was originally created to help him with his work as an entomologist, but led to him being able to defeated Iron Man! He had the bugs go into the crevasses of Iron Man’s armor where the ants cut the wires to his weapons and main control functions. Hank’s second superhero title, Giant Man, meant he could now grow to 60 feet tall. In this form, he had increased strength, defence, and agility. He could lift 30 story buildings with ease and even knocked out the Hulk when he was on a rampage. Lastly, Hank became the Yellowjacket. He added bio-blasters to his gloves, which could stun or knock you out completely, and a utility belt similar to Batman’s, only with way more stuff. The Pym particles allowed him to shrink his gadgets to the nanoscopic level so his supply is virtually endless. He has also been trained by Captain America in hand-to-hand combat and various weapon styles. In addition, he can also fly because after aliens kidnapped his wife, The Wasp, and killed her, he became the new Wasp to honor his wife with all of his abilities from his old titles as well. As for the aliens that killed her, Hank destroyed their mothership and most of their armada single handedly.
Besides Hank’s impact on the greatest superhero team, his supreme intellect and his amazing power set that borderlines on kryptonian, Hank’s most admiral qualities are his pacifism, willpower and his desire to help the world. Hank was initially reluctant to join the Avengers as he considered himself more of a scientist than a superhero and couldn’t bring himself to believe that people could not be saved. He always saw the better side of people and believed that the super criminals could be rehabilitated and reintegrated into civilization. When he finally joined the Avengers he also took on a lot of the responsibility, making it his priority to ensure no one would be hurt and sacrificing himself if need be.
In summary, Ant-Man was a founding member of Earth’s mightiest superhero team and continues to educate and train the next generation of Earth’s mightiest heroes. As the smartest guy on the planet, he discovered a particle that is essentially a door-way into another dimension then fabricated a suit to manipulate that particle. He is a hand-to-hand expert, has enough gadgets to put Batman, Iron Man, and Inspector Gadget to shame, yet also has giant strength, control of potential poisonous insects, flight, power gloves, and an ability to become so small you can’t even see him. To top it all off, he has a heart of gold and the mentality of a true hero. So when you’re out watching the Avengers new movie and think “HOLY CRAP THAT WAS AMAZING” just remember it could have been 10 times better with one guy named Henry “Hank” Pym.
Leave a Reply