In a bold move, Marvel just transformed a foundingAvengershero, giving them a major new purpose in its shared universe. Earth’s Mightiest Heroes boast some of the most iconic superheroes of all time as members, but there’s always room for improvement, and in this case, it’s been a long time coming.
Until now, magic didn’t have an opposite force in Marvel lore. That just changed.
In a preview ofMoon Knight #9- from Jed MacKay, Devmalya Pramanik, Rachelle Rosenberg and Cory Petit - the vigilante visits Hank Pym, aka the founding AvengerAnt-Man, for help with the new street drug Glitter. Thanks to mystic properties, the drug induces an unparalleled level of addiction, but it only takes Hank Pym a few minutes to develop a cure. That’s becauseit turns out the original Ant-Man has a previously unknown connection to anti-magic.
The issue confirms thatAnt-Man’s iconic Pym Particles(which allow him to change size) are the same thing as ‘Kirbons’ - a cosmic energy underpinning Marvel’s reality.This makes the former Avengers hero the world expert on anti-magic- something that was thought of as a new discipline in Marvel lore until now.
Hank Pym Just Became the Master of Anti-Magic
Marvel Is Rewriting the Founding Avenger, Including a New MCU-Esque Design
In 2020’sS.W.O.R.D. #1(from Alewing and Valerio Schiti), Marvel introduced Mysterium - a miracle element mined from outside time and space.The new metal has unique properties, including being immune to magic and all-but-unbreakable,even able to crumple adamantium. However, it turns out that Mysterium is essentially just the compressed form of Pym Particles, making Hank Pym the last person in the world who can make more Mysterium, as well as the world expert on its use. This fits howMoon Knighthas been reinventing Hank, with far more of a focus on his inventive genius than his superhero persona.
Despite his founding Avenger status, Hank Pym has become Marvel’s most problematic character. In 1981,The Avengers #213depicted Hank striking his wife and fellow superhero Janet Van Dyne, aka the Wasp. Despite being an art error (Hank was scripted as striking Janet accidentally),the moment came to define Hank Pym, andMarvel hasn’t really known what to do with him since. Later Ant-Men took up the mantle, and when the MCU adapted Marvel lore, Hank was no longer a founding Avenger and was even aged-up, with Michael Douglas' Hank turned into a mentor to Scott Lang’s hero.
2015’sRage of Ultrontook Hank off the board by merging him with his android ‘son’ Ultron, but recent adventures (particularly Al Ewing and Leonard Kirk’sAvengers Inc.) brought Hank back, now older to match his movie depiction. Recently, Hank began working with Moon Knight, with the title bringing more attention to Hank’s bipolar disorder and how his mental health issues have often seen him sidelined by Marvel’s other heroes.
This new status quo is the only way for Hank Pym to be a hero again, given the Ant-Man name has been firmly passed down.
Hank Pym Is Marvel’s Scientist Supreme Again
This Is a Bold New Direction That Could Revitalize the Character
By revealing that Hank Pym is uniquely experienced with and able to deploy Mysterium and its anti-magic properties,Moon Knightis attempting to give the hero a new purpose in the Marvel Universe. Up until recently, the only real foil for magic was more magic, but Mysterium has changed the game. Now characters like Iron Man can build weapons and armor that resist magical influence, whileHank Pym is able to infuse anti-magic into new inventions.
Hank’s new anti-magic abilities call back toMighty Avengers #30(Dan Slott, Christos N. Gage and Sean Chen), whereEternity seemingly named him Earth’s Scientist Supreme. While Loki later claimed this was one of his tricks, future comics have seemed to back up the claim, suggesting that as living forces in the Marvel cosmos,science and magic are engagedin a Cold War, with each acting through exemplars on Earth.
Hank was named Scientist Supreme despite not being as intelligent as Reed Richards, who Eternity explained was an explorer at heart, whereas Hank is obsessed with pure science.
For decades,Avengershas failed to find a way to use Hank Pym as an out-and-out hero, always eventually returning to his original sin.However, by recontextualizing Hank as Earth’s foremost expert on anti-magic and exploring the character through the prism of mental health, Marvel is seemingly trying to redefine Hank Pym for the long term.It’s unlikely that the aged-up Hank Pym will ever be the mainAnt-Managain, butMoon Knightshows that as a cutting-edge inventor, his story as a hero may only just have begun.
The Avengers
Ant-Man
TheAnt-Manfranchise is a key component of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, blending heist film elements with superhero action. It centers around Scott Lang, a former thief who becomes Ant-Man, using a suit that allows him to shrink or grow in scale while maintaining his strength. The franchise explores the Quantum Realm, familial bonds, and redemption, with a unique mix of humor and heart.
