Why Not Hank Pym?
By Jesse Berberich
I believe it was a mistake not putting Hank Pym (and Wasp, but let’s keep this focused, shall we?) aka Ant-Man/Giant-Man/Goliath/Yellowjacket/Wasp (yeah, that happened) in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. I thought he should have at least been in the Avengers film this summer in some capacity. A cameo would have been more than enough and welcomed. But, he has been ignored so far in Marvel’s stellar films. I believe this is for two reasons: people either don’t take Pym seriously as a hero or they think he’s nothing more than a wife-beater.
First of all, for anybody who thinks Ant-Man is ‘silly’ or ‘not as cool as Iron Man or Hulk’ or ‘weak’, you’re wrong, just wrong. Not only is he an original Avenger, Hank Pym is one of the most engaging characters in comic book history, at least he is in my opinion. His genius is on Tony Stark’s level, even higher, and his strength could rival Hulk’s as Giant-Man or Goliath. The fact that he invented his and the Avengers’ greatest villain, Ultron, certainly has potential for some of the most powerful drama ever in a comic book/superhero film.
The argument against people who do not believe Ant-Man is ‘cool’ enough to be included in Marvel’s films is a simple one against people who either do not read comics or have little to no experience with comics featuring the character. I’ve heard non-comic book fans say the same things they say about Ant-Man now about Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor in the past before their respective films and the Avengers. The big problem with Hank Pym, what is keeping him off the big screen, is the belief that he is an abusive husband.
Now, for anybody who dislikes Pym for being a wife-beater: yes, there is a moment in his history where he struck his wife Janet Van Dyne aka Wasp. He did this during a time when his mental stability was very questionable. While I’m not defending his actions (I do not condone violent behavior of any kind), I feel as though it is unfair that this one, singular yet very, very terrible and revolting mistake has followed and defined this character for decades since it happened.
Heroes and villains who have done terrible things in the past have found redemption in comics. Here are some examples:
Tony Stark was forgiven by Captain America for the Superhuman Civil War. He also has been nearly universally forgiven for all the grief he put the superhero community through with his registration act, cloning Thor, and pretty much EVERYTHING he did as the head of SHIELD.
Many people have forgiven or at least put up with the fact that Wolverine has an ENORMOUS amount of blood on his claws (including whole generations of Japanese citizens).
Magneto, once considered a mutant terrorist and the X-Men’s greatest foe, is a member of Scott Summers’ X-Men.
Seen recently in Avengers vs. X-Men #0, several heroes have forgiven Scarlet Witch for all she has done in the past, including killing fellow Avengers teammates as well as basically committing genocide of her mutant race.
The list goes on and on and on.
Why can’t Hank Pym have redemption? The most dramatic stories feature protagonists overcoming their character flaws in order to become better individuals. We’ve seen heroes in comics have this internal struggle for control and betterment. They usually succeed and become stronger, rounder heroes. Why can’t Ant-Man do this? Why can’t he overcome his moment of ugliness and depravity? This right here is the fault of people within the industry. The question is who?
Hasn’t anyone ever pitched a story to an editor at Marvel that would see Pym finally redeemed and/or forgiven and continue on as a greater hero, one his own or in the Avengers? It seems pretty foolish if no one has. Or have there been pitches and individuals in editorial or higher positions turned them down? This is very possible. Some people might think it might be too hard to successfully write a story about a character that has so much darkness attached to him or a story like that might be too hard to sell. Either way, it’s taking the easy way out because it can definitely be done, in my opinion. There are countless talented creators in the industry today who I believe could make a story like this work.
However, if no one makes an attempt to redeem Pym, then he will forever be doomed to be in the position he is now: an underutilized gold mine of potential in both comics and film that has a dark past. And that is the main reason why Ant-Man has been excluded from Marvel films. No one wants to put Pym into a film and then have potential new fans, even kids, come to find out that the highlight of his published life is hitting a woman. I believe that with the right story, though, Ant-Man can come out from the shadow of his past and become a hero worthy of film appearances; a hero no one is embarrassed or revolted by.
I have no delusions of Ant-Man being able to carry his own movie. I know he probably couldn't That’s OK, though. I would just like to see him cast strongly and included in the eventual Avengers sequel and in some of the other upcoming Marvel productions (Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Captain America 2, etc.). He has the potential to steal the show like the Hulk did in the Avengers.
