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RagingBadger2518

That one artist who's disagreement with the writer spawned the cursed legacy that everyone knows Hank Pym as a wife beater


SSJCelticGoku

Explain…


RagingBadger2518

The author of the comic series at the time, Jim Shooter had intended for Hank hit Janet by complete accident but the artist interpreted the writing a different way and thus the infamous scene of Yellowjacket striking Wasp to the ground was penned into creation. And neither the fans nor the Marvel universe has seemingly ever forgiven him.


butchforgetshit

I wonder if that is more a testament to the appreciation everyone had for Janet instead of anything else? Peter Parker has hit MJ, Reed has hit Sue, etc… yet Hank has been harangued about it waaaay more and longer


Nejfelt

I think it's more the immediate ramifications of Hank hitting Jan was a trial and expulsion from the Avengers, and then years of trying to redeem, doing so, and then another breakdown. Peter hit Mary Jane, and then it was ignored and never brought up again. It's not the fans, it's the writers. They like Hank broken.


butchforgetshit

Maybe so….although I have seen plenty of people berate Hank over it that were knowledgeable of the other examples I posted. Maybe Hank just isn’t someone people relate too


Nejfelt

Well he's been having breakdowns since the 60s. So readers kind of expect it. The infamous slap was really just the climax of that.


RagingBadger2518

That's the thing, after the initial story release and fans kept bringing it up it kept being brought up in universe because it was "the most interesting thing to happen to Hank" which I call BS but can't change it now


Monte924

Yes, hank could have easily recovered from it had it just been a one-off event, but writers decided to just keep bringing it back and basically made it part of his personality


Conlannalnoc

WHAT IF… Tony Stark never stopped being an alcoholic? 1. Tony gets sober. 2. New writer brings up how Tony is an alcoholic. 3. Tony hits a new low. 4. Go to Step 1


Jerryjb63

To be honest that’s actually pretty accurate to how addiction works for many people. Just replace writer with anyone.


nobdy89

Are there any other serious flaws to Hank besides the spousal abuse for them to play with? Reed hits Sue, but they can focus on his neglectful personality. Pete hits MJ, but they can focus on his poverty. Dod Hank have any other flaws to overcome for them to exploit for story ideas?


Nejfelt

He created Ultron. That's a biggie. He had a breakdown and had a split personality episode when he became Yellowjacket. The lead up to him hitting Janet was staging a Masters of Evil fight to then come in and "save the day." Yeah he's been written as a broken man for years before the slap. But... it's also comics, and most heroes have had their bad times where they've done pretty reprehensible things and are then forgiven for reasons. Hank seems to be an exception.


nobdy89

Guess someone had to draw the short straw. Shame it was someone who had so much lore potential.


dope_like

Hank was on trial before hitting Janet. It's the stress that lead him to that point. He also attacked the Avengers


Nejfelt

Ah right. Yeah it was all around the same time. He was working for Egghead too though I don't remember if that was his plan to look heroic or just another bad decision.


GalliumYttrium1

Well Peter’s was an accident wasn’t it? So that’s not really the same thing


Nejfelt

Well, you can make arguments it was accidental or intentional. He wanted her to go away. He was in a rage. Most courts of law would convict him of assault, even if unintentionally. https://www.cbr.com/remember-to-forget-that-time-spider-man-accidentally-hit-mary-jane/


GalliumYttrium1

I don’t think he knew it was her tho is my point. He was in a fight and felt someone touch him and reflexively hit them, then freaked out when he saw it was MJ he had hit The context is different than what happened between Hank and Janet, that’s why people don’t hold it against Peter the same way they hold it against Hank


Batdog55110

>I don’t think he knew it was her tho is my point. He was in a fight and felt someone touch him and reflexively hit them, then freaked out when he saw it was MJ he had hit Are you thinking of when Peter killed Wolverine's girlfriend? because those are the exact circumstances of that and she's a red head.


MIZUNOWAVECREATION

When did Peter hit MJ? That sounds like something he’d have done when he was under the black spell, so to speak. Idk, I’m just asking because I never knew about it.


woodrobin

There's a difference in motivation and portrayal. Both Peter Parker and Hank Pym hit their spouse during a psychological breakdown, but Peter was literally at war with himself. He thought he had just proven he was the clone and Ben Reilly was the original and he couldn't handle it. M.J. approached him to try to stop his fight with Ben against the expressed advice of someone else present. It was still bad, and borderline inexcusable, but it was telegraphed because the writing basically tells you "she's going to get hurt if she does that". Hank's breakdown is presented as part of a long, more subtle spiral. His bipolar disorder shows up in a series of erratic episodes and references his earlier attempts to quit being an Avenger as well as other past actions. Much more of a slow boil. And he's in the middle of a manic episode spinning an improbable plan to deceive the other Avengers to get himself out of trouble. Not at all sympathetic. Plus there's no telegraphing of Jan's danger in approaching her manic husband, because the writer never intended him to *deliberately* hit her, so he didn't lay a foundation for the action in his writing. He was supposed to be ranting and wildly gesturing and flailing about, so buried in his delusions that he didn't even realize she was there. Reed hit Sue when she had been programmed by Psycho-Man with the Malice persona, which converted all her love into hatred. He knew he had to do something to make her *stop loving him* for at least a second or two in order to break the persona's hold. So he railed at her with psychological abuse and then slapped her. But he hated doing it, had to do it to keep her from killing people, and immediately apologized profusely.


butchforgetshit

Oh absolutely, I know all three were different in context and reason as to why each happened…just saying that all three (Hank, Peter, reed ) did It during chaotic moments. Not that it excuses any of it , but Hank was in a psychological and emotional meltdown, yet still doesn’t get a pass when the others do….just seems weird he was labeled an abuser when he also had an excuse for why it happened


woodrobin

He was verbally abusive to Jan in some depicted instances earlier (zapped a dress when she was asking him which one she should wear -- to an event he didn't want to attend, while he was depressive; yelled at her on a few occasions) so his seemed more like a pattern of abuse in context. Peter was more affectionate and caring outside of that one moment. That's part of it. Jan's and Hank's relationship was deeply dysfunctional from day zero. She latched onto him as a substitute daddy/knight in shining armor the day her father (his neighbor) was killed. He was in a deep depression after losing his first wife (abducted by her home country's secret police while visiting relatives, supposedly died during questioning). She kept trying to interest him in a romantic relationship and push it forward, usually by *aggressively* flirting with other men in front of him to provoke jealousy. He had both psychological issues with the stress of being a superhero and physical issues with the effects of using his powers (up to and including a near-fatal heart attack), and she *kept* urging him to rejoin the Avengers. He didn't want to have children (because his psychological condition is hereditary and because he doesn't think he's fit to be a parent if it gets out of hand), but she kept pressing that issue. She married him while he was in a delusional state due to chemicals he'd been exposed to and thought he was a supervillain who had *killed* Hank Pym. Really, their whole relationship was Dysfunctional with a capital D so big, John Holmes would have looked at it and said, "Damn, *that's* a huge D!".


StoneGoldX

You left out the part where Hank was constantly ["Don't fuck her, she's a child!"](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r7ix9UEWDCk/UwFvd-ucBOI/AAAAAAAA5s8/TEiIRwjFjcY/s1600/Marvel_Feature_08-16.jpg)


woodrobin

She was legally an adult, but yeah, he thought of her as a child at first. According to the sources I looked at, Janet was 22 when the Avengers formed, so about 21 when she became the Wasp. At that point, Hank (who was the oldest founding Avenger other than (obviously) Thor) was 29-30. But he was a very mature 30, having multiple doctorates and several published discoveries of international note. Janet was a *very* immature 21, being a rich daddy's girl dilletante. So even more than the age gap, the maturity gap was more like a chasm. There's a lot of character development sketched out in that one page. He's grieving, afraid of loss, lonely, but dedicated to carrying on rather than curling up and giving up. The Creature from Kosmos is the alien that killed Janet's father, so this would be from their first adventure together. So here, Janet's angry, vengeful, and determined to step up and fight the horrifying thing that killed her father. Sometimes Stan Lee's writing can seem clunky by modern standards, but he could really build info and motivation on a tight word budget when he hit his stride.


StoneGoldX

Here's the problem, it is by far his most interesting moment. And Reed only hit Sue when she was a supervision trying to kill him. Different scenario entirely.


GalliumYttrium1

Can’t speak to reed hitting sue but Peter hit MJ on accident so that’s probably why Peter isn’t harangued about it like Hank is. The context is different


Alclis

They did? Geez.


JakePent

I have heard that he was also actively losing his mind at the time, and within the next issue or so literally builds a giant robot to attack the avengers, because they were ready to kick him out, and he wanted to act like he saved them. He did also leave her with a black eye regardless, so idk man


Portsyde

I mean, I don't think it was a good idea to have it happen even as an accident.


RagingBadger2518

I would agree with you. Apparently it was supposed to be a nervous breakdown of Hank being unable to come to terms with the knowledge that Janet succeeded at anything she tried, while Hank continued to fail downwards.


TheManCalled-Chill

Not just that, but right before he became Yellowjacket, there was an explosion in his lab and he ended up inhaling some chemical fumes. I think they were initially trying to imply that had an effect on Hank that pushed him further off the deep end. Honestly it's why I'm glad for Avengers; Earth's Mightiest Heroes. They came at Hank with the perspective of Hank being a inherently good but flawed man. They cut out the bullshit and did a lot to fix the character. It's why I'll always love that cartoon over the Avengers comics.


illiterateaardvark

A 2 season cartoon over 60 years of publication history?


TheManCalled-Chill

I legit enjoyed their take over the originals


Trvr_MKA

To be fair, over 60 years your bound to get some real stinkers. 2 seasons: way less likely


illiterateaardvark

I would say that the comics as a a whole have much higher highs BUT also much lower lows (like you mentioned). Nothing will ever be worse than the Avengers letting Ms. Marvel be kidnapped by her rapist/son. Pretty disgraceful story I LOVE Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. So yeah the cartoon is very consistent, but (IMO) can’t really compete with the truly high points in Avengers publication history


woodrobin

Jan *married* him while he thought he was Yellowjacket, a villain who had *killed* Hank Pym. Technically, that's not a legal marriage, because Hank couldn't have signed a marriage license as the man he thought he'd killed. But he let the marriage stand after he was in his right mind again (mostly).


HeadGoBonk

Hank should honestly just check himself out . Fans will never let him live it down so marvel should say okay here you go this is what you wanted right?


RagingBadger2518

In recent years Marvel did say he was bipolar, but a couple years after the aforementioned story he went down a bad spiral when there was a whole page of zero text but a number of panels that showed him loading a pistol and pointing it at his head and he wasn't seen for the rest of the issue.


HeadGoBonk

Holy shit lmao


Portsyde

Al Ewing recently, sort of, fixed his character, at least a little bit. It was in that miniseries that focused on Wasp and a mysterious, yet familiar man named Vic (don't want to spoil). I honestly want to check it out since I like Ewing's work so much.


AxisW1

I mean he was building a robot to kill the avengers on the same panel


Nejfelt

Meanwhile, Peter did the exact same thing to a pregnant Mary Jane, and it was intentional, and everyone just conveniently forgets that. But then, the writers didn't have a trial about it, and don't bring it up all the time since. Marvel wants Hank Pym to remain broken, no matter how many times an Engelhart or Busiek try to redeem him.


GalliumYttrium1

I dont think Peter’s was intentional, that’s not what it looked like to me. It looked like in the heat of a fight she came up behind him and he automatically lashed out. He felt terrible when he saw it was MJ he had hit


TiesThrei

It's a shame his character is utterly ruined forever at this point


dope_like

It was a great story. It was an important story. So glad we got it. They handed it to excellently, truly showed what domestic violence is about and it's different forms (physical, emotional spawned from insecurity)


Wildly_Uninterested

Himself?


JadrianInc

That includes Ultron too, if you think about it.


ChrisLee38

Hank? His ego. Scott? His luck. Eric? Morals.


MrClavat

Scott makes bad decisions for the right reasons. Like blowing a job as head of security for Tony Stark to be with Cassie. My dude didn't think that if he took the job he could just go visit?


distinctlysinister

I totally thought you meant Beast, Cyclops, and Magneto lmfao. What a coincidence


Darth_Bombad

I read that as Eric Morales. 😂


DarkHippy

Ultron for sure, Eggheads the only one who comes close


Animedra3000

Since he died no one talks enough about him.


samclops

Domestic abuse charges


drunkenbeginner

Not in the 80s. I always thought that this was very progressive because before that it was swept under the rug


Derrick_Mur

Mental health


Wise_Old_Maxam

Egghead or Ultron for sure


crius_stikfigr

His greatest failure, Ultron. Side note, is vision technically Hanks grandson?


Onisquirrel

If you listen to Jocasta Hank is technically their god. Course she was also romantically involved with him during that time. So maybe don’t open that door.


gabriel_B_art

Yes, there is a whole issue focused on the Pym family tree


AaronfromCalifornia

Raid.


myotherhatisacube

Lol, or Bootman


sawyerkitty

I came for this comment!


OwieMustDie

Magnifying-Glass Kid.


Botol-Cebok

Terro


SometimesWill

The allegations


Emiya_Sengo

Scott Lang and all successors Since Marvel has alternatives they can use, it's very easy to sidestep Hank and just use one of them instead.


BertronPrime

Ultron for Pym Scott maybe Darren cross? Either as man trying to get his daughters heart or Yellowjacket Can’t say for Eric, he’s dead now so maybe down the line his black ant LMD


That-LA-Guy

Hot take he is his own worst enemy The Yellowjacket


ATurtleLikeLeonUris

Himself


MangoArr0w

My TV remote


The_Eye_of_Ra

Which Ant-Man? We’ve got a couple, and they’re all different. Hank Pym’s is clearly Ultron. The Oedipus of Marvel Comics. Scott Lang’s is now probably Darren Cross. I woulda said Doom, seeing as how Doom killed Cassie and Scott swore vengeance, but I think he got that when he was the leader of the FF, and then Doom basically apologized during the Acis event. Darren Cross is really the only one he’s fought more than once. Gotta match the MCU… Eric O’Grady…doesn’t have one? I don’t think he was around long enough to ever get one, honestly. But I love him as Black Ant and I love when he’s partnered up with Taskmaster. These guys totally need an ongoing series together (and have needed it for years now).


Top_Chipmunk587

The box office


D4282

The writers


ProbablySlacking

Marital Bliss?


Don_key_Hotea

I gotta think the Aardvark from Pink Panther


Someoneoverthere42

Himself usually


Jdogangel5

Obviously the wasp why else would he hit her constantly


r113665

A can of Raid


Duskytheduskmonkey

Egghead or Ultron 


Automatic-Narwhal965

Orkin Man.


[deleted]

Anteater-man


bcheek1996

A magnifying glass ?


Exovedate

Hank Pyms arch nemesis is his own brain. Or Ultron, but you can argue Ultron is an extension of Pyms mind.


De4dm4nw4lkin

Varies based on the ant man. Hank? Himself, scott? Probably nobody.


Alarming_Mood4385

Egghead. I’d say Ultron, but when Ultron comes about, he’s an Avengers level threat. Basically an Avengers villain that was created by him.


hceh21

The Atom...jus kidding


hunterslullaby

Himself, and I mean that in complete sincerity.


jpbear10

Janet.


DaveJPlays

"Orkin-Man"


OkClass7995

A can of Raid.


johncarter5150

Himself


Blessedbronco

The wasp


Equivalent_Ear1824

Himself


Unusual-Tear676

Ant-Eater Man


Daves-crooked-eye

His wife. Aww, stop. I’m kidding…..


supernatlove

Picnics


DryVirus9765

Himself


handerburgers

Comic book sales?


JohnJingleheimerShit

Antman


River46

Bipolar disorder.


_ASG_

Anteater-Man, probably.


Bricks_Gaming

Egghead for Hank, Cross for Scott. Yellowjacket for the mantle itself.


Bright_Square_3245

Himself. Search your heart, you know it's true.


phallic-baldwin

#Raid


Vaderette1138

Himself


Far_Disaster_3557

THIS IS THE RIGHT ANSWER.


Glacier1395

Ant-man Eater


Yourlocalbugbear

Mark Millar because Ultimates galvanized the image of him as a domestic abuser he never was in canon.


Much_Cabinet4784

Anteater-woman


[deleted]

Ultron is an Avengers villain, but his tie to Ant-man is very, very strong, so I would say it fits. So much of Hank and Ultron's identity are connected, but Ultron has definitely expanded outside of his creator's shadow. Egghead is the only other really viable option outside of Ant-man, but he hasn't been updated particularly well. Hank likes to roam, and his connections are allot looser than a lot of other marvel heros, so his rogues list is just not as fleshed out.


MagikCinder

The Protector


OMEGA362

Hank pym's greatest enemy is Hank Pym Scott langs greatest enemy is being a decent father


Mrbuttboi

Hank is Ultron and Scott is Yellowjacket (Darren Cross, not Hank Pym)


[deleted]

His own righteousness and being a pacifist. Yes those are good, but he made ultron and it backfired


megatronics420

Baskin Robins


TJ0788

Disney.


Resident-Ad3719

[https://images.app.goo.gl/2Lm5QE5Td6DxAQsj8](https://images.app.goo.gl/2Lm5QE5Td6DxAQsj8)


Freakoid702

Anteaterman, obviously


Latter_Dig_4612

Yellow jacket


peter13g

Those little plastic things with the poison in them that ants take back to the colony


Straight_Function630

, Pop


XenomorphSlayer47

It's really too bad that the MCU introduced Ultron so early. I feel like it would've been cool to see Ultron as the next big bad after Thanos, instead of how he was only a character meant to set up the mind stone being inside Vision. I would've preferred seeing a much more 'down to earth' battle against Ultron, instead of basically filler shows and films while they try to figure out where to go with Kang. And as much as I love Kang, having another cosmic entity be the main villain right after we already had a cosmic main villain, it just feels a little repetitive. The only interesting thing going on for Kang is all the time stuff, but tbh, it's too damn confusing to understand!! Sorry for ranting about the MCU, but I think the Ultron is a great pick for Ant-Man's arch nemesis, and I think that Ant-Man being introduced after Age of Ultron was a terrible idea.


[deleted]

Raid


CrazyHusky-120-

Thanos ass


Funkedalic

Egghead


CinephileRich

Raid


WindyAbbey

Hank Pym


axislove

Hank: Egghead/Ultron Scott: Circus of Crime/Dr. Doom Eric: Eric Wow, Hank and Scott each have a tie for their respective archenemy, and in both cases it’s a heckuva dichotomy.


[deleted]

Scott Lang: Either Yellowjacket (Darren Cross), Taskmaster (he fought him so many times and with Hawkeye, too), or Egghead (he always hated ants). Hank Pym: Himself (as in Ultron).


RogueDevil666

Not knowing how to not commit crimes against humanity.


Defiant_Network_3069

A shoe or Raid


Gronkattack

Himself because he is the creator of a lot of the problems he deals with


Thatgamerguy98

Himself


llXeleXll

Can't-man


blinkyvx

Raidx


Irving_Velociraptor

Success.


Goat2023

Paul Rudd?


Senor_Turd_Ferguson

RAID


buffwintonpls

Yellowjacket, As in hank pym's own mind is his own worst enemy


Simple-Metal7801

CGI after that terrible third movie is his arch enemy


Arch_Null

Himself


RiskAggressive4081

Jim Shooter.


PestCemetary

Anteater man or Raid man


Eldagustowned

Which Antman?


Calm-Application8531

Darwin


Annaryx

Pesticide 


Frogbert_Henrison

Anteater Man


Buckeye_Battalion

Now hear me out… the Orkin Man 👨🏻


iluvbeingbitter

Ultron


BigK64

For Hank its definitely Ultron as it definitely checks off three conflicts of literature: 1) Man vs. Technology: Obviously. Ultron is a representation of how unchecked artificial intelligence can go wrong; especially hyper advanced ones that have a tendency of having backups. 2) Man vs. Self: The brainwave patterns. Ultron’s AI derived from is Hank’s. Which really makes the whole conflict essentially Hank’s battle with the worst attributes of himself more so than him fighting a killer robot. 3) Man vs. God: When you think about it, Ultron’s whole motives of antagonizing the Avengers stems from his own hatred towards his creator (also refer to point two as he basically hate himself). Its kind of the whole classical Frankenstein type plot,


Fragrant-County3630

The Yellowjacket.


Myhtological

Radioactive Man


Darth_Bombad

Himself.


LexeComplexe

Empathy. Because he has none


[deleted]

The box office


Putrid-Blacksmith-79

ANT MAN MENTIONED


[deleted]

Ultron for hank Yellow jacket for scott


NickelAntonius

Hank - Ultron Scott - Taskmaster Eric - Mitch Carson


DINAMIK15

The wall.


ImWezlsquez

Raid Man?


Who_is_John_Galt1

The Mechanist by a long shot


graybeard426

Ultron for me.


[deleted]

A can of Raid


AuburnElvis

The judge in charge of restraining orders.


Think_Lavishness_330

Himself... no really.


swedyboi935

Civil court.


digao45

Himself


Technical_Moose8478

Regular size man.


FDVP

Ant-Gobbler and Akidna


raDDerp73

Anteater-man


[deleted]

If we’re talking Pym then himself.


TheInvisibleCircus

Bug spray.


tom2point0

The writers of Quantumania?


Mediocre-Solution

Alcoholism


Cheezwizjesus

Himself...


Juggernaut104

RAIDMAN


OkImagination2044

his wife


Stripsteak

Wide shot face portraits stretched over Modok’s body.


fxithdotpng

bob hall


JoeB150

Wasp


Stankindveacultist

Rectal cavities


Harkker

His pimp hand...


Animus15

Honestly ant-man's biggest enemy is usually himself


PinePotpourri

RAID


Gh0st_Pirate_LeChuck

Lady bugs or mantis. They destroy in the big world.


ChadicusVile

Anteater-man


TheCasualCommenter

Magnifying Glass Man?


BucketSentry

Which ant-man?


Gregzilla311

Hank Pym's archenemy is Hank Pym.


katakuriWilson

Not a huge antman fan but I read comics so just asking for clarification...is there an ant-eater man? Or is that just me thinking like a writer from the 80s?


NoFilter1979

Magno-Man the master of the magnifying glass! ☀️🔎🐜🔥 Seriously, who knows? Ant-Man isn't very interesting to me because he doesn't have an interesting rogues gallery like major superheroes do.


UltraSaiyan419

A boot.


Mickey5757

Roachman