Who is Ant-Man, anyways? Is he Hank Pym? Scott Lang? Plain ol' Ant-Man? It's hard to keep up with this ever-changing Marvel Comics character, so we're bringing you a list of Ant-Man (and Avengers) trivia to catch you up to speed before the movie comes out in July, 2015.
Ant-Man is a difficult character to pin down (literally and figuratively); his unique abilities and irregularities make him one of the most interesting and controversial Avengers characters. This is a guy who is a hero, but who has also been court marshaled then kicked off the Avengers, more than once... a guy who has helped the planet just as much as he's harmed the planet.
He's able to become new Superheroes whenever he feels emasculated. And that's just the first guy, the best and brightest of the lot. The only one who wasn't a thief or S.H.I.E.L.D. agent turned thief. That's right there are not one, not two, but three Ant-Men.
Ant-Man, the movie, comes out on July 17th, 2015, so we should sort through the myths and the years of continuity (this guy has been around more than 50 years, and most people didn't know his name until Marvel announced the movie!) to bring you the facts you should know before you see Paul Rudd put on that iconic helmet and become Ant-Man!
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Hank Pym Actually Invented Ultron
First appearing in Avengers #54 (1968) as the Crimson Cowl, the mysterious character leads the Masters of Evil against the Avengers (he even hypnotizes Jarvis into working with him). In the following issue, #55, the Crimson Cowl is identified as Ultron-5 the living automaton, but his origin remains a mystery until issues #57–58.
It's in these comics where, in a flashback, it is revealed that Ultron was created by Hank Pym, and based on Pym's own brain patterns. The robot develops its own intelligence and quickly rebels, almost immediately forming an Oedipus Complex, wherein it feels irrational hatred for his 'father' Hank, and demonstrates an interest in Hank's lover/ his 'mother', Janet van Dyne (the Wasp.)
He rebuilds himself, learns how to turn himself on, and upgrades five times, Ultron then brainwashes Pym into forgetting Ultron ever existed.
Source: Wikipedia
The Original Ant-Man Is a Slew of Other Characters, too.
Not content with just being Ant-Man, Hank Pym has also taken the guise of a whole gamut of different masked vigilantes. Including Ant-Man, Giant Man, Goliath ,Wasp, Yellowjacket and even Scientist Supreme.
Source: Marvel Wiki
Ant-Man's Always Been a Creative Commuter
Eventually, Ant-Man trained flying ants and would ride them around as a means of transportation. But in the beginning he would... wait for it... launch himself out of a tiny little cannon and land on a pile of mind controlled ants. The 60's and 70's were weird, y'all.
Source: Comics Alliance
The Third Ant-Man Is a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent
Eric O'Grady is the third and most recent man to take up the mantle of Ant-Man. Eric O'Grady was a low-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agent when he stumbled across the Ant-Man suit. Being a man of few morals (to put it lightly) he had no problem stealing the suit and using it to not only pick up women but to humiliate and torment others. Ultimately, he somehow made being a superhero a selfish act.
He was in his own title for a bit (The Irredeemable Ant-Man), but has also been members in both the Secret Avengers and the Thunderbolts.
Source: Wikipedia
Yellowjacket IS Ant-Man
That's right, Ant-Man's villains are so bad they had to make Ant-Man's main adversary an alias of Ant-Man himself. Now, we're not suggesting this is some Tyler Durden situation (though that would be interesting), but in the comics, Yellowjacket and the suit are another identity Ant-Man/Hank Pym assumes.
Source: Wikipedia
Ant-Man Was Invented by One of the Most Prolific and Iconic Comic Duos of All Time!
Tales to Astonish #27 (Ant-Man's first ever appearance) was written by none other than Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (with some help from Stan's brother Larry Leiber).
This incredibly prolific comic duo are also responsible for such incredible characters as the Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and The X-Men.
Stan Lee is also responsible for Spider-Man and about 60 other characters you know and love, while Jack Kirby designed Captain America and dozens of other beloved comic heroes that are still around to this day.
Source: Wikipedia
Ant-Man Is One of the Original Members of the Avengers
That's right, since Issue #1 way back in September of 1963 both Hank Pym (Ant-Man) and Janet Van Dyne (The Wasp) have been Avengers - founding members of the team, in fact. The only other heroes in all of comic-dom that can make this same claim are Iron Man, Thor, and The Hulk (yup not even Captain America, as he first appeared in Issue 4).
Ant-Man Is a Generally Unstable Dude
Ant-Man was known for his genius and tech savvy but he was never known for his mental stability. He invents the character of Goliath over his feelings of inadequacy (hanging out with Thor and Cap will do that to a man).
He invents the brash and cocky Yellowjacket and claims to have taken out Pym to feel better about himself. He invents Ultron, one of the Avengers greatest foes who almost kills the heroes/destroys the planet multiple times. He dresses as, and goes by the title of, The Wasp after her presumed death.
At points he's even kicked off the West Coast Avengers for his behavior... or kept on in a civilian/non-costumed capacity. Ant-Man gets kicked off teams more often than he get's divorced, which is saying a lot.
Source: Comics Alliance
The First Ant-Man Was Biophysicist Henry 'Hank' Pym
Biophysicist Dr. Henry 'Hank' Pym decided to become a superhero after inventing a new a chemical substance which he then dubbed "Pym particles". These particles would allow their user to alter their size (at first only to shrink but eventually manipulating them to grow larger as well). He then added a helmet which allowed him to communicate with and control ants (insects) and took up the mantle of Ant-Man!
It wasn't long until his girlfriend, Janet Van Dyne, became his crime-fighting partner, the Wasp!
Source: Marvel.com
Ant-Man's First Appeared in Tales to Astonish
Henry Pym first appeared way back in 1962 in the horror/sci-fi anthology comic Tales to Astonish (Issue #27). It was a short 7-page story called, "The Man from the Ant Hill," and was intended as a one-off story. Due to the characters popularity, he was soon brought back and eventually became the superhero we all know and love.
Source: Comics Alliance