Warning: contains spoilers for The Darkhold: Wasp #1!
Marvel's Ant-Man has over fifty years of history in comics books, but Marvel editorial has decided that the character should be known for only one moment - and has refused to allow him to change ever since. While multiple characters have suited up as Ant-Man, Hank Pym was the first and arguably the most well-known, and along with his wife Janet Van Dyne (the Wasp) became one of the founding members of the Avengers. But in The Darkhold: Wasp #1, Marvel reveals what they truly think of the shrinking hero.
Hank and Janet's marriage has had it's ups and downs like most real-world relationships. But all that came to a head in The Avengers #213, in which a chemical spill forced Hank to adopt the unstable personality of Yellowjacket, another alter ego at the time. Yellowjacket attacked a surrendering villain, causing the Avengers to consider revoking his membership status. A furious Hank retreated to his lab for days; when Janet came to check in on him, he angrily hit her in her face.
Despite the fact that Hank was never actually meant to hit Janet (editor Jim Shooter stated the panel was the result of a miscommunication between the writer and artist) and the fact that Hank was under the influence of mind-altering chemicals (which he did not deliberately consume), Ant-Man was forever cemented in the minds of readers as a domestic abuser who routinely beats his wife. Though Hank realized what he had done was terrible and worked to make sure it would never happen again, and though the pair would eventually reunite after Janet left Hank, this is the Ant-Man story that gained the most traction in pop culture above any other.
Enter The Darkhold: Wasp #1, in which the events leading up to Hank hitting Janet play out in a similar manner...but this time, a dark inner monologue prompts the Wasp to loathe and despise Hank even before he hits her. Hank's behavior is exaggerated to cartoonish levels of anger; he appears ready to snap at any moment. When Hank actually does hit the Wasp, she responds by stabbing him repeatedly with a piece of broken glass. Hank lies dead and the Wasp is alive...but what is meant to be a victorious moment for Janet does both parties a disservice. With this issue, Marvel has decided there can be no salvation for Hank or Janet.
Domestic abuse is a very real problem in the world, but Marvel has seen fit to place Hank Pym firmly in the category of a serial abuser who cannot be helped. In the real world, programs such as anger management exist to help violent people change their lives for the better - but Marvel refuses to tell that story. Instead, Ant-Man's worst moment is revisited again and again, with no chance for the character to learn from his mistakes and become a better person.
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