Was Wasp underage at the time, or was Hank upset at realizing he gave potentially dangerous superpowers to a young Paris Hilton type? (Well before her, of course.) Then he sent her out into battle against an alien monster, with untested powers, no training, and not a lot of 'life experience.'
Either way, I'm pretty sure Jan's very adept at getting what she wants, possibly just by crying. I just had a post where mid-battle, Jan's yelling at Hank for not upgrading her powers. And mid-battle, Hank's like, "But honey!"
It's nice to know that poor ol' Hank has been seriously demented right from the very start. Not that Janet is a whole lot saner. Obviously, they were meant for each other.
You've spotlighted what may be the most disturbing story Stan Lee ever wrote.
A super-hero attracted to a girl who looks like his dead wife as a child. It's no wonder Henry Pym was the only Marvel super-hero of the day without a non-costumed friend or two in his solo strip.
This is one of the reasons I've always dug Hank Pym. Brother-man has serious issues. He's had, like, four nervous breakdowns, one caused by inadvertantly getting his first wife killed by suggesting that maybe her home country, where she's considered a political enemy by a dictatorial regime, would be a peachy place for a honeymoon. And then he hooks up with a younger look-a-like with a desperate need for a father figure.
Out of the whole Civil War mess, Hank Pym's one of the few characterizations I thought Millar et. al. flat nailed. One of the few superheroes to actually lose his marbels and still so conflicted by what he's having to do in the name of "good for all" renders him strung out on anti-depression meds and barely able to function. Dug the Beyond limited, too.
And wasn't Sue Storm basically a teeny-bopper when she started chasing after Reed Richards? Reckon that makes Mr. Fantastic the Elvis to Pym's Jerry Lee Lewis?
Was Wasp underage at the time, or was Hank upset at realizing he gave potentially dangerous superpowers to a young Paris Hilton type? (Well before her, of course.) Then he sent her out into battle against an alien monster, with untested powers, no training, and not a lot of 'life experience.'
ReplyDeleteEither way, I'm pretty sure Jan's very adept at getting what she wants, possibly just by crying. I just had a post where mid-battle, Jan's yelling at Hank for not upgrading her powers. And mid-battle, Hank's like, "But honey!"
It's nice to know that poor ol' Hank has been seriously demented right from the very start. Not that Janet is a whole lot saner. Obviously, they were meant for each other.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what's more disturbing, the pedophilia implication or Dr. Van Dyne's flesh-colored mustache.
ReplyDeleteI think Hank's just looking for any excuse for his attraction to Janet:
ReplyDelete"She looks somewhat like Maria...only much, much younger. Well, they have the same hair color at least."
I hope it's not... Rasputin's large and most private attribute.
ReplyDeleteThough, since it's preserved in a jar, I suppose Pym *could* have it.
Oh, crap, I just realized you mean Colossus, not the weird Russian mystic.
ReplyDelete(shuffling away, whistling quietly to myself)
You've spotlighted what may be the most disturbing story Stan Lee ever wrote.
ReplyDeleteA super-hero attracted to a girl who looks like his dead wife as a child. It's no wonder Henry Pym was the only Marvel super-hero of the day without a non-costumed friend or two in his solo strip.
This is one of the reasons I've always dug Hank Pym. Brother-man has serious issues. He's had, like, four nervous breakdowns, one caused by inadvertantly getting his first wife killed by suggesting that maybe her home country, where she's considered a political enemy by a dictatorial regime, would be a peachy place for a honeymoon. And then he hooks up with a younger look-a-like with a desperate need for a father figure.
ReplyDeleteOut of the whole Civil War mess, Hank Pym's one of the few characterizations I thought Millar et. al. flat nailed. One of the few superheroes to actually lose his marbels and still so conflicted by what he's having to do in the name of "good for all" renders him strung out on anti-depression meds and barely able to function. Dug the Beyond limited, too.
And wasn't Sue Storm basically a teeny-bopper when she started chasing after Reed Richards? Reckon that makes Mr. Fantastic the Elvis to Pym's Jerry Lee Lewis?