The Original Ant-Man!: Hank Pym Appreciation

[LoganAlpha30X33]

chamber, I think that it was more that the writer of that article here was a fan of Tony and Janet together and would rather see Hank come back and be bad to help push the pairing and just use Hank as the bad guy...yeah Hank screwed up years ago, he and everyone else has admitted it and he's apologized for it and tried to make amends, and since then others have done far worse and haven't been treated nearly as badly, Hank just gets used as the poster child for it unfortunately...

[Mary Jay]

Saw an article on the front page here about whether or not Janet dating Tony could push Hank to be a villain when he comes back, I'm not sure that he'd be happy about it but I doubt that it'd make him go bad, he'd probably just stay away from it all imho, still think that he should come back and save Janet and/or Nadia, or save them due to his knowledge of the shrinking and getting bigger tech and such but without them knowing until after that he was the one that saved them...

Yeah, I saw the article too. I thought it was rubbish, personally. As if the only reaction Hank could have was to turn villain. Like Chamber-music said, if all the things he has gone through in his life haven't pushed him into villainry yet, this will not either. Into depression, possibly, but not into becoming a villain.

I think to a point.

The Skrull acted enough like the genuine article to foil but they also deliberately acted in a way that furthered the Skrull's agenda.

Granted, it was in hindsight, but when the real Hank learned about what happened during the Civil War he was absolutely horrified in a way the Skrull Pym wasn't.

You're absolutely right. Also, when he learned that the Avengers' plan to get rid of Hulk was to send him out into space, he thought right away it was a bad idea and that the Hulk would only come back angrier (it was mentioned in Slott's Mighty Avengers, I believe)

Didn’t the original Skrull Pym think the Secret Invasion is a lost cause and tried to warn random cilvilian about it? The Queen then replaced her with a clone and asked her to improvise and stir as much **** as possible in Civil War etc.

If I remember correctly, Skrull-Pym was replaced several times. One of them started saying the invasion would fail, and Skrull-Duggan accused him of something along the lines of "this is Pym talking" or something like that. Then the Skrulls chased him in the woods and killed him.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

Right now yeah Hank would probably just avoid everybody while he tried to figure out what to do next and would know with Tony and Janet together that any and all news people would be asking him about his thoughts on it and such and that Hank would rather not talk about it and he probably wouldn't even know about his daughter, and even if he did find out he'd probably think that she hated him and didn't want to have anything to do with him, all before finally showing himself in some dire time of need...whether they appreciated or wanted his help or not, and then he'd plan to leave again before they'd stop him...

[Captain M]

That article was awful and disrespectful to borh Hank for coming up with such stupid theories and Janet for implying she can't live her life as she wishes.

[Sutekh]

That article was awful and disrespectful to borh Hank for coming up with such stupid theories and Janet for implying she can't live her life as she wishes.

Yeah. It's not like Janet's been a nun since they were divorced, and it's not like Hank has any business flipping out that his ex is dating.

He's been romantically involved a time or three himself, with Firebird and Jocasta and Tigra, IIRC. Him flipping out *now* about Janet dating someone would make about as much sense as Wanda suddenly flipping out about discovering that her kids were gone, *again* (after finding that out years ago), which, I suppose, means that Marvel will probably do exactly that...

Honestly, I'd be over the moon if Tony got a little clingy and Janet gently shot him down, and let him know that it was just a friends with benefits sort of thing, and that neither of them were looking for anything more than that, right now (assuming that Tony, in particular, were even psychologically capable of 'more than that...').

It'd be a funny twist if Tony's reputation as a player sort of bit him, as he was seriously thinking about building something real and lasting, and Janet was just looking for some 'play.' He'd laugh it off and say that of course he wasn't serious and walk away serious-faced muttering, 'But what if I was?'

But that's a level of 'mature' I'd hardly expect from comic books. Instead, Bat-dick. :/

[Sutekh]

Right now yeah Hank would probably just avoid everybody while he tried to figure out what to do next and would know with Tony and Janet together that any and all news people would be asking him about his thoughts on it and such and that Hank would rather not talk about it and he probably wouldn't even know about his daughter, and even if he did find out he'd probably think that she hated him and didn't want to have anything to do with him, all before finally showing himself in some dire time of need...whether they appreciated or wanted his help or not, and then he'd plan to leave again before they'd stop him...

Now that's an interesting thought. Due to his scientific knowledge, experience with the super-hero community, insect control and shrinking powers, Hank is well suited to operate behind the scenes, with few, if any, suspecting that he's anything other than gone, dead, retired, whatever. Convenient things happen in comics all the time, and it could be fun for a writer a few years down the road to soft retcon Hank Pym into some of the previous events. 'Remember when X did the Y? Yeah, I was the one who weakened the supports/jammed their communications/unleashed the computer virus.' 'Remember when Team Blah showed up just in the nick of time? I was the one that arranged for them to find the hidden base in time, and for it's defenses to conveniently fail to blow them out of the air. You could say there was a 'bug in their system,' if that wasn't a horrible dad joke...'

That sort of retcon could allow Hank to have been active, without being seen, because he felt like he was contributing more behind the scenes (and also felt like his situation could be hard to explain in a world full of hero-on-hero Civil Wars over far more trivial crap than Hank and Ultron working together, better to stay on the down-low than risk having someone like Hawkeye plant an adamantium arrow in your skull for 'the greater good' or some crap like that!).

[LoganAlpha30X33]

It's just that the first time that he showed his face the other Avengers would probably attack him rather than actually listen to him long enough to find out that he's not still merged with Ultron, then again they wouldn't believe him even if he told them that so...but I do wonder how Janet would react to knowing that Hank was alive again, no I don't think that she'd want to date him right this second, but then in the end just not reveal that Hank is fully back until he could show up and save the day, or maybe he shows up and saves like Nadia or Janet when no one else can and so everybody thinks that they're dead before they show back up later on, maybe never knowing that Hank was the one to save them, but then maybe have like Captain America or someone like that know that it was him and then wonder how to tell Janet and such...

I'm just hoping for a short Janet and Tony pairing, yeah as for Tony right now he's in no condition for a big relationship and Janet...who knows...

[Michael Watkins]

Yeah. It's not like Janet's been a nun since they were divorced, and it's not like Hank has any business flipping out that his ex is dating.

He's been romantically involved a time or three himself, with Firebird and Jocasta and Tigra, IIRC. Him flipping out *now* about Janet dating someone would make about as much sense as Wanda suddenly flipping out about discovering that her kids were gone, *again* (after finding that out years ago), which, I suppose, means that Marvel will probably do exactly that...

Honestly, I'd be over the moon if Tony got a little clingy and Janet gently shot him down, and let him know that it was just a friends with benefits sort of thing, and that neither of them were looking for anything more than that, right now (assuming that Tony, in particular, were even psychologically capable of 'more than that...').

It'd be a funny twist if Tony's reputation as a player sort of bit him, as he was seriously thinking about building something real and lasting, and Janet was just looking for some 'play.' He'd laugh it off and say that of course he wasn't serious and walk away serious-faced muttering, 'But what if I was?'

since we're talking about mischaracterizations, when was the last time that Tony acted as "a player?" it certainly wasn't when he was building Pepper the Rescue armor or when he was with that woman that Doom knocked up. Tony isn't any more flirtatious than Jan.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

I think that it's more that many view that as Tony's "default" setting in terms of his relationships and that sooner or later he'll return to it...

[Michael Watkins]

I think that it's more that many view that as Tony's "default" setting in terms of his relationships and that sooner or later he'll return to it...

maybe. but can you think of a time when Tony Stark engaged in infidelity? he has been cheated on. but I can't remember the reverse every happening. closest time was when he was on the run during dark reign. he slept with Maria Hill in a clichéd moment of mutual stress. but he wasn't betraying anyone. it would just be really weird for them to suddenly depict him as cheating on Jan. it would be more likely for Jan to catch Hank with another woman (a skrull posing as a student) and vice versa (Clint Barton).

[tliscord]

maybe. but can you think of a time when Tony Stark engaged in infidelity? he has been cheated on. but I can't remember the reverse every happening. closest time was when he was on the run during dark reign. he slept with Maria Hill in a clichéd moment of mutual stress. but he wasn't betraying anyone. it would just be really weird for them to suddenly depict him as cheating on Jan. it would be more likely for Jan to catch Hank with another woman (a skrull posing as a student) and vice versa (Clint Barton).

Just thinking back, your right. He was dumped by Pepper for Happy (sort of), Marianne Rogers went off the deep end, Whitney dump him after the whole “you killed my dad” thing. Can’t remember what happened with Bethany McCabe, but we can also include Janet on the first go around.

Poor Tony...

[LoganAlpha30X33]

Well Janet would have to know that Hank was alive first, but I don't think that I meant that Tony would cheat on someone just that he'd have a string of one night stands with one woman after another and not be a long term kind of guy...in some ways...I wonder if Hank used his abilities once he comes back if he'll have to get used to using them again, as in they'd tire him out at first, or if he'd be able to just use them at will and be fine...

[Mary Jay]

Right now yeah Hank would probably just avoid everybody while he tried to figure out what to do next and would know with Tony and Janet together that any and all news people would be asking him about his thoughts on it and such and that Hank would rather not talk about it and he probably wouldn't even know about his daughter, and even if he did find out he'd probably think that she hated him and didn't want to have anything to do with him, all before finally showing himself in some dire time of need...whether they appreciated or wanted his help or not, and then he'd plan to leave again before they'd stop him...

^^^^^ This. 100% this.

That article was awful and disrespectful to borh Hank for coming up with such stupid theories and Janet for implying she can't live her life as she wishes.

Well, you know what they say... damned if you do, damned if you don't. I've read disrespecting articles about Hank for years, I should be used to them. But this one is so farfetched, and it seemed to show a lack of understanding for the character that is so flagrant it's laughable.

As for Jan, as far as she knows, Hank is dead-dead ever since they threw Pymtron into the sun in Uncanny Avengers. Whether she thinks it's fine to date one of his ex-husband's friends is, as we the readers see it, a question of personal values. In real life, I would find this a bit odd and slightly disrespectful, but I've known very nice people who have done it. Each person sees it in their own sets of values. Bottom line, Jan is free to do whatever she wants with her life.

Tony, on the other hand, knows that Pymtron is still alive, because he encountered him in Civil War II... that is if Stark knows everything holo-Tony did. Again, it's judged by our own personal values, but I think that Jan still has the right to know the whole story.

Yeah. It's not like Janet's been a nun since they were divorced, and it's not like Hank has any business flipping out that his ex is dating.

He's been romantically involved a time or three himself, with Firebird and Jocasta and Tigra, IIRC. Him flipping out *now* about Janet dating someone would make about as much sense as Wanda suddenly flipping out about discovering that her kids were gone, *again* (after finding that out years ago), which, I suppose, means that Marvel will probably do exactly that...

Honestly, I'd be over the moon if Tony got a little clingy and Janet gently shot him down, and let him know that it was just a friends with benefits sort of thing, and that neither of them were looking for anything more than that, right now (assuming that Tony, in particular, were even psychologically capable of 'more than that...').

It'd be a funny twist if Tony's reputation as a player sort of bit him, as he was seriously thinking about building something real and lasting, and Janet was just looking for some 'play.' He'd laugh it off and say that of course he wasn't serious and walk away serious-faced muttering, 'But what if I was?'

But that's a level of 'mature' I'd hardly expect from comic books. Instead, Bat-dick. :/

Don't give them ideas :P

[LoganAlpha30X33]

Kind of liking the idea of say Janet gets hurt and everybody thinks that she died say in an explosion, as she was knocked out at the time, and then she wakes up in a hospital room the next morning and a nurse comes in and explains that she was brought in the night before but that she would be fine, that the guy that brought her in really seemed to care about her as he stayed by her bedside all night, maybe or maybe not holding her hand for much of it all while looking like he could use a stay in the hospital as well though he left before Janet woke up, Janet thinks that it was Tony that was that guy but then she finds out that it wasn't him...but the fact that it was Hank remains a mystery for a bit...or the Avengers are all beaten and can't fight and so they have to assemble a team of what's left to make a stand say with Captain America leading them, and he tells Janet and Tony that he has a plan/ace in the hole, and that ace in the end is Hank who gets all big and beats up the baddies before vanishing at the end of the fight...leaving most in shock...or something like that...

[Michael Watkins]

Kind of liking the idea of say Janet gets hurt and everybody thinks that she died say in an explosion, as she was knocked out at the time, and then she wakes up in a hospital room the next morning and a nurse comes in and explains that she was brought in the night before but that she would be fine, that the guy that brought her in really seemed to care about her as he stayed by her bedside all night, maybe or maybe not holding her hand for much of it all while looking like he could use a stay in the hospital as well though he left before Janet woke up, Janet thinks that it was Tony that was that guy but then she finds out that it wasn't him...but the fact that it was Hank remains a mystery for a bit...or the Avengers are all beaten and can't fight and so they have to assemble a team of what's left to make a stand say with Captain America leading them, and he tells Janet and Tony that he has a plan/ace in the hole, and that ace in the end is Hank who gets all big and beats up the baddies before vanishing at the end of the fight...leaving most in shock...or something like that...

Why does Janet have to get hurt to prop up Hank? Isn't this the same crap that happened during disassembled; when he called her a bad wife?