It always annoys me whenever someone brings up Hank hitting Janet but failing to mention the absolute hell Hank went through because of what he did. This moment in West Coast Avengers makes me so emotional.

Ultron is so deeply connected to Hank that it’s simply not possible to separate the two. The part of him that hates humanity is ironically enough the most human part. His hatred comes from Hank. In a twisted way, the seeds of Ultron had been planted even before his creation. I don’t know why they did Ultron if you’re not gonna have his father with all his flaws and problems.

West Coast Avengers Hank Pym is where I absolutely fell in love with him. Most the time, I feel like a little kid having my world shattered every-time I talk about a favorite character online and get absolutely trashed on. Like, come on, look at this silly guy! I just love him!

“Enter the Yellowjacket! Who is this new costumed menace terrorizing New York and the Avengers? And how does he have personal knowledge about the team?” - Marvel Unlimited

One of my hobbies is making my own comics, and one of them is a fan comic called Steve and John and Sam and Lemar and Bucky Are Friends.  Sometimes it has a serious tone and sometimes it has a comedic tone.  Since a couple of the installments mention Hank Pym, I thought I’d share them here (both as comics and transcripts).  You’ll notice one thing that makes my fan comics different from a lot of the fan art out there: Since I’m not great at drawing people, all the characters are half-human/half-bird of prey [Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, and John Walker/Jack Daniels are eagle men, Lemar Hoskins, Tony Stark, James Rhodes, and Clint Barton are hawk men, and Sam Wilson is a falcon man (Whenever I get around to introducing Joaquin Torres, he’ll be a falcon man as well). I would depict Hank as a hawk man too since hawks can be formidable whether they're large or small, and I'd make Jan a hawk woman to go along with that.].

First comes the seventh installment, which was  inspired by me A) learning there’s a Doombot (a robotic duplicate of supervillain Dr. Doom) who’s an Avenger and B ) reflecting that a number of Avengers started out as antagonists before reforming and joining the heroes’ ranks

The realization

Scene 1

*[Captain America (Steve Rogers) is eating lunch when U.S.Agent (John Walker alias Jack Daniels) enters]

*U.S.Agent: Dang it, C.A., you need to talk Pym [Hank Pym alias Ant-Man, Giant-Man, and Yellowjacket] out of this!

Scene 2

* Captain America: What?

*Agent: This whole business of making that Doombot an Avenger! It’s a terrible idea!

Scene 3

* Cap: Why’s that?

*Agent: Because it started out as an enemy,…

Scene 4

*Agent: …and it has a big ego,…

Scene 5

*Agent: and it’s probably not 100% mentally stable, and…um…

Scenes 6-8

*(Agent stops as he has a realization. Cap smirks and Agent gradually smirks too)

Scene 9

*Agent: Aw, forget I said anything!

Before this was the fourth installment, which I’m putting second because Hank is only mentioned near the very end.

The test tube’s contents, part 1

Scene 1

*Narration: In some random mad scientist’s lair…

*[The Winter Soldier (Bucky Barnes) has the evil scientist handcuffed and his wings restrained (since the characters in this fan-fiction are all portrayed as half human/half bird of prey).  Battlestar (Lemar Hoskins) stands by.  U.S.Agent (John Walker alias Jack Daniels) presents a test tube he’s found.]

*U.S.Agent: So this is the poison?

*Mad scientist: (bragging) Yes, that’s it.

Scene 2

*(The test tube is shown in close-up as he continues to gloat.)

*Mad scientist: Half of that is enough to cause certain effects leading to death for a normal human!

Scene 3

*Mad scientist: An antidote can be made, but it requires a sacrifice.

Scene 4

*Mad scientist: The antidote requires the blood of someone who has ingested a fatal dose, you see.

Scene 5

*Mad scientist: In order to save those who have been infected, a decision must be-

Scene 6

*Agent: (referring to test tube) So half of this is a fatal dose because it could kill most people.

*(Battlestar looks back at Agent somewhat confused and concerned)

*Mad scientist: (confused) Um…yes.

Scene 7

*Mad scientist: (goes back to gloating) You’ll have to make-

*(Agent, smirking, uncorks the test tube)

*Sound effect: POP!

Scene 8

*(Agent slurps down a little more than half of the chemical mixture)

*SFX: SLURRP!

Scene 9

*(Agent swallows the mixture and recorks test tube)

*SFX: GULP!

Scene 10

*(Battlestar stares in surprise while the mad scientist and The Winter Soldier gape in astonishment)

Scene 11

*Battlestar: (surprised, but more amused than shocked) The frick, dude?!

*Mad scientist: (shocked) WHAT THE FRICK!?

*Winter Soldier: (astonished) Golly, gee whiz!

Scene 12

*(Battlestar and the mad scientist look back at Winter Soldier in surprise)

*Mad scientist: What?

*Winter Soldier: (flustered) Oh, uh…

*Battlestar: (thinking) He was so shocked he reverted to 1940s Bucky!

Scene 13

*Agent: (starting to sweat from the poison, but smirking as he holds up the slightly more than halfway empty test tube) You thought someone would have to die for an antidote to be made, but you didn’t expect a superhuman to ingest the poison!

Scene 14

*Agent: You didn’t expect me!

*Battlestar: (jokingly) Nobody ever expects you, man! (Gives appreciative thumbs up as he thinks) Thanks for not making me or Bucky do it!

Scene 15

*Winter Soldier: (to Battlestar about the scientist) You hold onto this guy and I’ll start taking Agent’s blood.

*Battlestar: Fine by me.  I’ll radio base.

*Winter Soldier: Sounds good!

Scene 16

*(Bucky and Battlestar switch places.  Agent gives Winter Soldier the remaining sample of chemical mixture before taking off his shield, gloves, and shirt and sitting in a chair.  Winter Soldier takes out some hypodermic needles and a protective case to hold biological samples.  Agent is sweating and weakened, but holds up his arm for Bucky to take blood samples from)

*Battlestar: (off-camera) Hang in there, Agent!

*Winter Soldier: (holds hypodermic syringe) I’ll take a lot of samples.

*Agent: Good!  You know, this reminds me-

Scene 17

*(Agent starts to smile oddly and laugh as Winter Soldier takes the first sample.)

*Agent: Heh!  This reminds me- hee hee hee hee ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Scene 18

*Agent: (sweats more as he laughs more uncontrollably) HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

*Winter Soldier: (thinking as he prepares to put the first blood-filled needle in the case) Dang, this must be one funny story!

Scene 19

*Agent: (starts to double up from laughter and discomfort) I-I can’t- HA HA HA HA HA!

*Winter Soldier: (realizing) Oh, frick…

Scene 20

*(Agent continues to laugh hysterically off-camera)

*Winter Soldier: (turning toward the mad scientist and Battlestar while taking out another needle) What percentage of a chance is there that’s the poison & not him thinking he’s funnier than he is?

*Mad scientist: (gloating) 100%

*Battlestar: (concerned) 82%

*Winter Soldier: Okay.

The test tube’s contents, part 2

Scene 1

*Narration: Soon…

*(Winter Soldier tucks away the blood samples while Agent continues to laugh and sweat profusely.  The hysterical laughter has caused his eyes to stream tears and his stomach & chest to hurt)

*Winter Soldier: Okay, I’ve taken enough samples, so I’m going to sedate you.

*Agent: Ha ha ha ha- GOOD!- ha ha ha ha ha!

Scene 2

*(Agent continues to laugh, interrupted only by coughing)

*Winter Soldier: (reaching into utility belt) Um…uh, oh…

Scene 3

*Battlestar: What?

*Winter Soldier: I just realized…

Scene 4

*(Agent’s laughing continues, interrupted by some coughing and gasping)

*Winter Soldier: …the only sedative I have right now is nitrous oxide.

Scene 5

*(Battlestar and the mad scientist stare blankly)

Scene 6

*Battlestar: Laughing gas.

*Mad scientist: (amused) Ha!

*Battlestar: Well, beggars can’t be choosers!

Scene 7

*Narration: One hero activates the lab’s vents & starts the flow of gas. [Nitrous oxide maintains its potency when exhaled, so people working with it need proper ventilation]

*(Bucky turns on the gas tank and holds it up to John’s face with one arm while supporting him with his other arm.  Throughout the panels, there is the whooshing of the vents and the hissing of the gas tank)

*Winter Soldier: (concerned) Just breathe normally, comrade- I mean, buddy!  You’ll be fine!

Scene 8

*Narration: Soon another hero finds relief with every breath.

*(Agent’s laughter and pain diminish due to the sedation)

*Winter Soldier: (smiling in relief) There we are!

Scene 9

*(Agent’s laughter continues to diminish)

*Mad scientist: This is just a setback, you know.

Scene 10

*(Agent, laughing weakly, and Winter Soldier look irritated by the scientist’s taunts)

*Mad scientist: Even if you foil this plan, that won’t stop my machinations.

Scene 11

*(Agent finally stops laughing due to the sedation affecting the poison’s action)

*Mad scientist: I’ll be back and you’ll never know what to expect.

Scene 12

*(Agent and Winter Soldier continue to look irritated as the evil scientist continues to taunt them)

*Mad scientist: (off-camera) You will never-

*Battlestar: (off-camera) Oh, for crying out loud!

Scene 13

*(To the surprise of Agent, Bucky, and the scientist, Battlestar rushes over to grab the tank of laughing gas)

*Battlestar: Give me that!

Scene 14

*(Agent and Winter Soldier watch Battlestar deal with the scientist off-camera.  The hissing sound is now louder since Battlestar turned up the flow of nitrous oxide)

*Mad scientist: (off-camera) Wha-What are you-

*Battlestar: (off-camera) What do you think!?

Scene 15

*(Agent and Winter Solider smile in grim satisfaction)

*Mad scientist: (off-camera) Y-You can’t- (coughs from inhaling gas)

*Battlestar: (off-camera) That’s it!  Keep talking, loud-mouth!

Scene 16

*Winter Soldier: (smiling and pointing to Battlestar as he continues to sedate the scientist) I like this guy!

*Agent: (amused) He-He-He’s great!

Scene 17

*Narration: Later…

*(Agent wakes up in a hospital bed with Battlestar and Winter Soldier at his bedside)

*Agent: I feel right as rain again!  Does that mean…

*Winter Soldier: (happily) It does!  All the infected have been cured & that creep’s locked up!

Scene 18

*Battlestar: (happily) Pym [Giant Man] whipped up an antidote no problem!  The danger’s over!

*Agent: (relieved) Thank G-d!  Pym has his…um…

Scene 19

*Agent: (has awkward realization) We…We could have had Pym drink that poison in giant form, couldn’t we?  We’d have a blood sample and he’d have minimal damage.

*Battlestar: (awkwardly) Uh…

*Winter Soldier: (awkwardly) Oh…

Scene 20

*Agent: (irritated, but smiling in pride) Well, my heart was in the right place, and we got to help save the day!  I enjoyed working with you guys again.

Winter Soldier: (smiles) Same here!  It was kind of fun!

Scene 21

*Battlestar: (lightheartedly) We had some-

*Agent: Please don’t say we had some laughs.

*Battlestar: You got it!

Dr. Henry Jonathan Pym. You'd be hard pressed to find a more controversial character, and yet I'm not ashamed to call him my second favorite comic book hero.

To say that Hank is a complicated individual would be an understatement. He's a man haunted by guilt, self-doubt and an inferiority complex. He has a temper somtimes, and not always the best control of it. He has battled a bipolar disorder and depression that once brought him to the brink of suicide. And yet, he always remained a good man genuinely dedicated to helping humanity with his passion for science and exploration. He always tried to atone for his mistakes. To set things right. His desire for redemption caused him to believe that everyone deserved a second chance, and because of that, he helped others become heroes too.

A while back, I went on a long journey of exploring who Hank Pym is. It was a journey both very enjoyable, and rather depressing.

I started my journey from the famous "Trial of Yellowjacket" arc by Jim Shooter and the amazing Roger Stern in the original Avengers run. I'm not familiar with Hank's prior portrayal, but he is rather asshole-ish in Shooter's initial issues. When Roger Stern steps in though, more of the character's nuances come through. He begins to overcome his breakdown and regain his dignity. He understands the scope of his mistakes and accepts that he must face the consequences of them. The story paints a picture of a man who cracked under the weight of guilt caused by Ultron, mental struggles and failing lab work to the point of reaching a severe nervous breakdown, much to the sorrow of his friends who genuinely want to see him recover. The arc ends with Hank finding redemption and owning up to his mistakes entirely. He doesn't try to use his mental illness or nervous breakdown as an excuse or even a shield to blunt the impact. He acknowledges that he should've sought help in order to avoid spiraling into the psychotic episode, apologizes and vows do better. All while bearing a deep guilt over the incidents for years to come.

Hank would then retire from superheroics for a while until his return in West Coast Avengers. This book sees a Hank who realized he cares too much about the avengers to leave them behind completely, but is fearful of returning to superheroics, a life he was never entirely comfortable with. His depression reaches a climax when he nearly commits suicide after saying goodbye to his loved ones, only to be stopped by Bonita Juarez/Firebird. The young woman helps Hank forge a new path to help others in a different way and better accept who is, and things seem to get better for a while.

Next up for me was Ultron Unlimited by Kurt Busiek in Avengers vol 3. It is an arc that portrays Ultron as a thing of nightmares who committed the genocide of every man, woman and child in an entire country. An arc that explores the amount of pain and guilt that Hank had to deal with because of his worst creation, especially when Ultron was based on his brain patterns. It sees a Hank who has rejoined the avengers and reignited his old romance with Janet, but still keeps a distance because he's afraid of losing control and hurting his loved ones again.

Buseik's Avengers Annual 2001 would continue to expand on Hank. Mainly his guilt and fear of hurting Janet again, and the way he came to view "Yellowjacket" as an embodiment of his mistakes and demons. Hank would come to realize that he was wrong to define himself through others. Wrong to try and be someone he thinks another person (Jan) wants. Wrong to compare himself to others. He accepts all of himself: a flawed man, but the only man he needs to be. The best Hank Pym he could be.

I then did some skimming, but the vibe l got was that the era of Bendis basically saw Hank reduced to little more than a punching bag/butt monkey (Hank is actually the prime example of the later at the TV Tropes site when it comes to Marvel comics), with his relationship with Jan being portrayed as more toxic than ever after her continued assassination that began with the Chuck Austen run. So I elected to jump straight to Avengers Academy by Christos N. Gage.

And, man, what a joy that book turned out to be. Hank is rarely the focus, unfortunately, and I do wish his relationship with his students had been fleshed out better. But the book portrays Hank at his most heroic. He is a kind and patient headmaster genuinely trying to help damaged kids because he knows what it's like to be "damaged" and seen as such. He refuses to act on his guilt, his fear of being without Jan or his selfish desire to have her alive. Rather he postpones bringing her back because he knows it's what's best for her. It's a book that captures Hank's dedication to the black sheep like Pietro and his belief in redemption and second chances. His monologue about what it means to be an avenger and how they helped him be better was one of the book's best moments.

Next up was Age of Ultron by Brian Michael Bendis. The event itself was middle of the road for me, but issue 10 AI by Mark Waid stole the show imo. It's a deep look into the character and his past, exploring his passion for science and the way he views it as an artform. Hank's creativity is amazing, and he always liked to invent what he wanted rather than what others saw as practical. Hank comes to realize that, even with Ultron in the equation, the world is a poorer place without him. He overcomes the need to be "practical", and understands how important his role as a superhero was. That he'd always felt pressured into being a "traditional" and "practical" scientist could explain why his "creator's block" back in the day contributed to his nervous breakdown. But he ends the issue feeling reinvigorated. Feeling that he matters, and that he now has a new beginning.

Avengers A.I by Sam Humphries was a weird and fun book about the ethics of A.I in the crazy Marvel universe. To no one's surprise, Hank is revealed to be Bi-polar in this. The book explores Hank's struggles with mental illness and how he keeps it at bay very repsectfully, and it shows him as a caring individual who deeply values all forms of life, including artificial ones. His dynamic with his grandsons Vision and Victor Mancha (and Doombot, of course) is very charming and enjoyable.

And then, Rage of Ultron happened.

I really really, didn't care for that graphic novel. Hank does a 180° from his characterization in Avengers A.I and now suddenly doesn't view A.I as a lifeform and has no problem killing them. The book seems to almost stigmatize Hank's struggles with mental illness, saying that he deep down has a deep loathing for humanity because of his upbringing and blaming Ultron's vile evil on that. Hank comes across as cold and pragmatic to the point of risking living beings to stop Ultron, which didn't feel like him to me. And I really didn't care for how soapy his relationship with Ultron was handled given Hank should've absolutely hated Ultron after the events of Ultron Unlimited and hasn't viewed him as a son for ages by then.

In the Marvel universe, A.I is always portrayed as living, sentient and having agency. The original android Human Torch, Jim Hammond, rebelled against his creator because Phineas Horton wanted to use him for selfish reasons while Hammond wanted to be a hero. Vision and Jocasta were both created by Ultron, only to rebel and choose to be heroes. Another evil android, Alkema, was made using the brain patterns of avenger Bobbi Morse/Mocking bird, and chose to be evil. But Ultron's evil is a reflection on Hank's character? I'm not really buying. A severe exaggeration of his struggles at best, perhaps. But not what's in the book, and Ultron is still responsible for his evil. Hank spent a lifetime battling his demons only to be given the worst death possible: he is fused to his worst demon. It felt depressing rather than tragic, imo.

Thankfully, Hank is revived after many years by Al Ewing in the Ant-Man (2022) and Avengers Inc minis. While this current version of Hank thankfully didn't lose his growth, he did come out as deeply traumatized and haunted by his time as Pymtron. He falls back into the pattern of pushing away his loved ones because of his self-loathing, guilt, and fear of hurting them. However, both his guest appearances in Moon Knight: Fist Khonshu and his lead role in Battlworld show him making positive strides. He realizes that this withdrawal is the easy way out, and not what his loved ones and children need or deserve. That even though it's scary, he needs to rise to the challenge and try his best to be the man and father they need and deserve.

Time will tell when we'll see Hank next.

I guess I love Hank so much because I relate to him. I've strugged with similar demons. I know what it's like to not fit in with the world. To deal with stigmatization. To feel alone and angry at humanity sometimes. And just like I await the day where Peter Parker would go to hell to beat down Mephisto and get his life back, I await the day where Henry Pym would recieve the love and happiness he deserves. Although both seem like unlikely dreams at this point. Because it's easy to be the hero when you're like Captain America: strong, healthy, respected, and adored. But to be the hero when you're broken? When getting through the day can be a challenge? When you're doubted and stigmatized? That is a different kind of strength. A different kind of hero. I think so many of us need Hank.

Hank Pym is a hero. He's a hero to anyone who battled the demons of mental illness. He's a hero to anyone who knows what it's like to keep going even when merely existing sometimes feels like a chore. He's hero to anyone who didn't fit in or receive much support. He's a hero to anyone who seeks a second chance.

Hank Pym is my hero.

Of course, we have John Walker, Hank Pym (WCA Version ofc!), and Eric O’Grady! (Secret Avengers version.)

Of course there are absolutely no Eric O’Grady patterns out there, so I drew my own, and figured I’d make my own John and Hank ones along with him.

I’m definitely gonna be doing this for a few others too, like Julia and Century maybe.

During my TikTok lives, a lot of people say “with the reboot we may get an accurate Hank Pym” but how likely do you guys think that is to happen?

I don’t really know what to expect of this reboot, and though I hope for an accurate Hank and Janet kind of story (something similar to EMH) most of me thinks it just won’t happen. Is there really room for this? I feel like the MCU is giving up on Avengers related content. Especially with the new X-Men centered stuff. Heck, Avengers Doomsday should be titled X-Men/Fantastic 4 Doomsday instead with how its marketing treats the actual Avengers.

Do you think we may see an accurate Hank Pym in the future of the MCU? And if so, do you have any Hank Pym fan casts or type of story you think could work?

If you've never seen it, this is a fanmade series of covers to a fictional crossover DC/Marvel series. Lots of fun stuff.

Cover - Avengers West Coast (1985) #67

There’s something about Hank Pym in The West Coast Avengers that just did it for me.

WCA was essentially my first introduction to him! But not really, because I’ve seen all three Ant-Man movies in theaters once. This brings me to my frustration with the MCU, because I completely forgot of Hank’s existence even having seen those when I was younger.

After I read WCA, I fell in love with the character. I even asked my friends “who is Hank in the MCU it Scott is Ant-Man??” (I was getting back into the MCU after thunderbolts, and entering comics for the first time) And that was my relearning of MCU Hank Pym. (I still haven’t got the courage to rewatch them, it just makes me too mad.)

I don’t think any other Hank Pym comic can top WCA for me, even though I love him as Ant-Man too. Him just being the scientist on the team, randomly pulling out shrunken vehicles, I love it! I read WCA for John Walker, came out with another hyper fixation character. (Two if you count Julia!)

I really hope that with the reboot we may get a better Hank Pym adaptation, likely false hope, but it’s hope still!