Wasp (comics)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Wasp | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
The Wasp is a comic book superheroine in the Marvel Comics' universe. She was a central member of The Avengers, and will be a central character in the early 2007's The Mighty Avengers. She was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Tales to Astonish #44 (June 1963) and perhaps most well known for changing her costume in every 3rd issue she appears in.
Contents |
[edit] Fictional character biography
Janet van Dyne was a shallow, self-centered, flighty heiress, daughter of wealthy scientist Vernon van Dyne. During an experiment, however, an alien monster was unleashed and Dr. van Dyne was killed. Her father's associate, Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym, had created a substance called "Pym particles", which allowed the user to grow or shrink in size, and had become the superhero Ant-Man; when Janet's father died, she convinced Pym to help her, and he gave her a supply of "Pym particles" and subjected her to a procedure which granted her the ability to, upon shrinking, grow wings and fire blasts of energy, which she called her "wasp's stings". As Ant-Man and The Wasp, they defeated the monster and sent it to its own dimension, and had several more adventures together.
[edit] Avenger
Soon afterwards, the superhero team, which Janet herself dubbed the Avengers, formed, and the pair were among its founding members. Still shallow, Janet frequently commented on the attractiveness of her male colleagues. Never lacking for confidence or bravery and by nature an outgoing personality, Janet was always in the thick of their battles with villains, who included Norse gods and aliens. Although she and Hank took occasional leaves of absence, the two have almost always remained members, being on reserve when not on active duty. During the course of their many adventures as Avengers, Janet grew as a person, becoming a resourceful and seasoned hero. Several years later would be elected leader of the team.
The relationship between Janet and Pym had always been one of loving squabbling, but her wealth and his research had always stopped him from proposing. One day a cocky new costumed crimefighter called Yellowjacket broke into Avengers HQ. He claimed to have disposed of Pym and even kidnapped Janet. To the outrage of her colleagues, Janet then married Yellowjacket. A tension-filled wedding was made even more edgy by an attack by the Circus of Crime. During the fight it was discovered that Yellowjacket WAS Pym. He had had an accident with some chemicals causing a severe case of schizophrenia. Janet had realised this from very early on and had taken advantage to finally tie the knot.
However, her relationship with Pym became rocky, as he suffered a further series of mental problems, exacerbated by the stress on his body of his frequent size changes and exposure to chemicals. A few years later, Pym had a complete breakdown, and became completely paranoid. During the course of this breakdown, he became overbearing and verbally abusive. At the nadir of his degeneration, he struck Janet, and then proceeded to concoct a plan to make himself look good in front of his teammates by staging an attack upon them which only he could stop. This plan backfired and Pym was exposed, disgraced, and expelled from the Avengers, and the couple divorced. She remained with the team despite these hardships, and after Pym's mental state returned to normal, the two became friends again and, some years later, resumed a romantic relationship. On a trip to Las Vegas, however, she turned down his proposal, saying she wouldn't marry him again. She had a brief fling with fellow teammember Hawkeye but returned to Hank.
[edit] Avengers Disassembled and Civil War
Recently, during the events of Avengers Disassembled, she was knocked into a coma by an attack on Avengers Mansion. Hank watched over her as she lay in the hospital, and when she recovered, they reconciled. The two retired from the Avengers in order to pursue a new life together in Oxford.
With the onset of Civil War, Hank has helped spearhead the pro-registration movement. Janet is also pro-registration and has become the host of a pro-registration reality show called America's Newest Superhero.
Wasp reappears with Pym in Beyond! as well. He is at this point still her ex-husband.
[edit] Other versions
[edit] MC2
Hank and Janet, would end up giving birth to two children: Hope Pym/Red Queen and Henry Pym Jr./Big Man. Giant-Man would later perish on the last mission of The Original Avengers, with The Wasp dying of a broken heart. Their parents death motivates Red Queen to form The Revengers. Big Man a one time member, however, joins a government reform team.
[edit] Marvel Zombies
The Marvel Zombies series features an alternate Wasp as one of the main characters. She is now a zombie, another victim of the virus that has infected nearly all of her world's superhumans. After earth's human population is almost entirely devoured, Wasp is one of the zombies who finally kill (and consume) Magneto.
The Wasp then discovers that Hank Pym has kept a secret food supply - a sedated and maimed Black Panther, held prisoner in Hank's lab. She confronts Hank but he decapitates her in the struggle that follows. When the Black Panther later escapes the lab he also takes the Wasp's head - still 'alive', but helpless. He eventually reaches safety, encountering Magneto's surviving Acolytes. The Acolytes announce that they will study the Wasp, seeking a cure for the virus.
An epilogue, five years later, shows the Wasp exploring the deserted earth alongside the Acolytes. Her severed head is now sealed within a liquid-filled helmet, controlling a robotic body.
[edit] Ultimate Wasp
| Ultimate Wasp | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
In the Ultimate Marvel continuity, Janet Pym holds two PhDs (one we know to be in molecular biology) and is of Asian descent. She is moderately fluent in German. Her mutant status remains hidden from the public but is known by Hank Pym and S.H.I.E.L.D. She can generate a wasp-like sting which she discharges through her hands. Side-effects of her insectoid genetics include the occasional consumption of bugs, forming her own larval nests and laying egg-like constructs.
During her college years she shared a room with Betty Ross and started seeing Henry Pym. He was abusive to her early in their relationship and during college is known to have hit her at least twice, putting her head through a door on one occasion and splitting the roof of her mouth on another. Betty Ross can also recall instances where Janes was missing chunks of hair.
Hanks attempts at change through medication and enlistment in the Ultimates did not improve his behavior. As a result of his humiliating loss against the Hulk and simmering jealousy against Jan's friendship with Captain America, Henry and Jan fought viciously until Janet resorted to stinging him and Hank commanding an army of ants against her. Janet was found in a state of anaphylactic shock, caused by receiving multiple ant stings she received while at wasp-size. Captain America, upon learning of Hank's violence, tracked him down and beat him unconscious. Captain America's visits to Jan after the fight left her exasperated and angry, stemming more from embarassment of her personal life becoming public.
After stopping the Chitauri invasion, Captain America and the Wasp reconciled as friends and slowly started dating, despite Hank Pym's attempts at making amends. On one of their secret meetings, Jan later confessed to Hank, now classified as a security risk by SHIELD, that the generation gap between Captain America and herself, along with the elderly status of his friends, put a large strain on their relationship. She recently walked out on Steve and met up with Hank in a bar.
The invasion of America by the Liberators failed to take Janet into account. They discounted the possibility that someone whose only ability is to make herself "smaller and weaker" could be a threat. By the time they found her, Janet had made her way to the cells in the Triskelion where Captain America was being held under suspicion of murdering Hawkeye's entire family. Soldiers working for the Liberators entered his cell and found two metahuman signatures. At first, Janet was easily subdued, but they failed to realise that she had already liberated her boyfriend. Captain America easily beat the Schizoid Man, but stopped fighting when several super soldiers threatened to tear Jan apart. However, Jan surprised them all though by using her stringing powers at her normal size for the first time, killing or incapacitating all of the super soldiers at once.
At some point, Hank gave the Wasp a dose of the Giant-Man Serum giving her the power to grow to gigantic proportions. Larger in size, Janet helped turn the tide in favor of American forces and crushed Swarm with one stomp of her foot.
[edit] External links
- Wasp's Profile at The Women of Marvel Comics
- the Wasp's entry at Marveldatabase
- Wasp bio on Marvel.com
Categories: Asian superheroes | Fictional millionaires | Fictional models | Marvel Comics mutants | Marvel Comics characters who can fly | Marvel Comics mutates | Ultimates members | 1963 introductions | Fictional characters with the power to manipulate electricity | Fictional characters with the power to change their size
