Like Captain Marvel, Black Panther, and many other heroes, Ant-Man is yet another superhero who took various characters under one superhero name. Ant-Man’s persona was originally Hank Pym, a brilliant scientist that invented a chemical that could shrink and enlarge a person. However, in the following Ant-Man series, more characters have subsequently taken the mantle of Ant-Man, including Scott Lang and Eric O’Grady.
Ant Man’s Personas
Dr. Henry ‘Hank’ Pym
Dr. Henry ‘Hank’ Pym is a fictional superhero that has been published by Marvel Comics. Ant-Man, as Hank Pym, initially appeared in Tales to Astonish # 27, released in January 1962. He was created by artist Jack Kirby, editor-plotter Stan Lee, and scriptwriter Larry Lieber.
Hank Pym was a physicist that decided to be a superhero after his first wife, Maria Trovaya, was murdered.Pym was devastated by the death of his wife and decided to do whatever he could to combat injustice in the future. He made himself a helmet that could regulate ants, after discovering a chemical substance he called Pym Particles, which allowed the user to adjust his height. Pym then shrinks to the size of an insect to become the mysterious Ant-man, who solves crimes and stops criminals.Pym was the original Ant-Man iteration with the power of shrinking into aninsect’s size.
After he met his new girlfriend, Janet van Dyne, Pym shared his discovery to van Dyne. The couple then collaborated to combat crime and became the founding member of the Avengers. Pym also helped Janet to avenge the death of her father, who was killed by an unleashed alien. In the following series, Pym continues to take up the mantle of other superheroes including, Giant-Man and Goliath, and the insect-themed Yellowjacket. He also briefly appeared as the Wasp alongside his partner in crime-fighting, Janet van Dyne.
Scott Lang
Scott Lang was the second superhero character to use the name Ant-man in the Marvel universe. He was created by David Michelinie, Bob Layton, and John Byrne and was first introduced in The Avengers # 181 in March 1979. Lang was a specialist in electronics and a former robber before he was known as Ant-Man.
In the comic series, Scott Lang was a thief that was turned into an Antman after stealing Antman’s suit to save Cassie, his daughter, from a heart condition. Afterward, Lang began his crime life reform with Hank Pym’s incentives and took on a full-time career as Ant-Man. He was an affiliate of the Fantastic Four, which later became an Avengers’ member. In the subsequent series, Lang dated Jessica Jones for a certain period of time. However, in Avengers Disassembled series, he was killed by the Scarlet Witch, Vision, and Hawkeye. After his death, his daughter, Cassie, took his heroic mantle in the Young Avengers.
Eric O’Grady
Eric O’Grady is the third character to use the name of Ant-Man. O’Grady was created by Robert Kirkman and Phil Hester and was published by Marvel Comics. He was first mentioned was in the series of Irredeemable Ant-Man, issue # 1 released in December 2006. Later on, Eric O’Grady became the main character in the on-going series of‘The Irredeemable Ant-Man,’ where he first appeared. This series was named “Irredeemable” by the title, to show the immoral attitude and behavior of the character.
O’Grady is a S.H.I.E.L.D. low-level agent that stumbled over Ant-Man’s suit at S.H.I.E.L.D.’s headquarters. After seeing the suit, he stole the armor for his own evil purposes. Part of his plan was to use his superhero status to seduce women, as well as to humiliate and torment people. Before joining the Avengers, he had his short title as a superhero, before subsequently joining The Thunderbolts. Later on, he joined the Secret Avengers, where he perished while defending a child against a vile man known as ‘Father.’
Superpowers and Abilities
Each time Ant-Man is in the suit, he was able to shrink to the size of an antand strike as hard as an average-sized human. As much as the suit shrinks him to the size of an ant, it also allows him to become a giant. Moreover, the helmet of the suit allows him to communicate telepathically and control insects. With the help of the suit, he can even amplify his voice so that an ordinary person can hear him. It is also equipped with wrist gauntlets that enable him to fire bioelectric blasts.
Ant-Man Film (2015)
Ant-Man (2015) is an American superhero movie released based on Marvel’s character of the same name. It was the 12th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that was produced by Marvel and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The movie was directed by Peyton Reed, from the screenplay of writers including Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Adam McKay, and Paul Rudd. The Ant-Man film was starring Rudd as Scott Lang and Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, alongside Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, and Bobby Cannavale.
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) is a superhero film based on Marvel’s Ant-Man. Marvel Studios produced this film as the sequel of the Ant-Man released in 2015. Ant-Man and the Wasps were directed by Peyton Reed and written by Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Paul Rudd, Andrew Barrer, and Gabriel Ferrari.
This film stars Paul Rudd as Scott Lang, and Evangeline Lilly as Lang’s partner, Janet Van Dyne. In this sequel, Scott Lang, together with the Wasp, has assisted Dr. Hank Pym in entering the quantum realm, as confronted by newly-found enemies.