Friday 20 July 2018

The Pym Family Tree

Obviously, after having recently watched the Ant-Man and The Wasp movie, I've been doing a little digging into the history of both Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne so that I can present a (hopefully) complete and accurate Pym Family Tree for the MC2 Universe.





Dr Henry 'Hank' Pym first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27, becoming Ant-Man for the first time in Tales to Astonish #35. Over time, Hank's mental health and stability would fluctuate dramatically, causing several issues with his self-esteem, personal life and heroic identity. Through the years Hank would adopt various monikers: Giant-Man (Tales to Astonish #49), Goliath (Avengers #28), Yellowjacket (Avengers #59) and simply Dr Pym. Despite his many successes, Hank is usually only remembered for two things: the creation of Ultron (Avengers #54)and a scene of domestic abuse during a mental breakdown (Avengers #213) which has followed the character to this day. After hitting rock bottom, Hank attempted suicide but was talked out of it by fellow Avenger Firebird (West Coast Avengers vol. 2 #17). In the MC2, Hank is among the Avengers who perished while on the team's final mission (A-Next #7).







Janet Van Dyne became The Wasp when her father, a scientist named Dr Vernon Van Dyne, opened a portal to an extradimensional prison and was murdered by one of it's escaping inhabitants. To avenger her father, Janet sought assistance from Hank Pym, who granted her the ability to shrink in size, shoot bio-electric blasts and fly by means of insect-like wings implanted in her back (Tales to Astonish #44). Janet and Hank worked as crime-fighting partners for sometime before becoming founding members of the Avengers (Avengers #1) and after dating form sometime, were eventually married after Janet agreed to Hank's proposed while he was suffering a schizophrenic episode
(Avengers #60). The two would later divorce in Avengers #213 following the aforementioned spousal abuse. Janet would go on to successfully serve as Chairperson and leader of the Avengers and later joined the West Coast Avengers roster at which time she and Hank resumed a romantic relationship (West Coast Avengers vol.2 #42). In the MC2, Janet was among the few Avengers to returned from the team's final mission but was heart-broken and was later said to have died of a 'broken heart'.









While in university Hank met and fell in love with Maria Trovaya; a Hungarian woman who had immigrated to the United States with her father, Janos. The couple were soon married and Maria convinced Hank to take her back to Hungary for their honeymoon. Sadly, Maria was captured and  killed by some of Janos' political opponents. Hank later learned that Janos Trovaya was also killed in an a suspicious explosion while working in his lab in the United States around the same time. It was at this time that Hank suffered his first mental breakdown, ending up arrested and jailed during his unsuccessful attempts to find his wife. The US embassy negotiated his release and he returned to America as a widow. Upon meeting Janet Van Dyne for the first time, Hank notes she bares a strong resemblance to his deceased wife. (Tales to Astonish #44, Avengers #227).





In the MC2, we learn that Hank and Janet had two children: twins Hope and Henry Pym Jr. As a result of their parents deaths, the two are left orphaned (A-Next #7, A-Next #12). Hope makes her first cameo appearance as a pair of silhouetted legs in A-Next #7 and makes her first full appearance in A-Next #10 where she learns the new team of Avengers have re-activated the portal that led to her parents demise. Hope and Henry Jr under the guise of the Red Queen and Big Man respectively, formed and led the Revengers in an invasion of the Avengers Compound, using their parents old security codes to gain access.  After taking Edwin Jarvis, Tony Stark and Clint Barton hostage, the Revengers launched a surprise attack on the exhausted Avengers team upon their return from the parallel Earth.







Henry began to have major doubts when he witnessed Hope torturing Stinger (Cassie Lang, daughter of the second Ant-Man) and threatening to kill the entire team. While Henry only intended to prove the new Avengers weren't worthy of the title, it became clear Hope had far deadlier plans. Hope blamed the Avengers for the death of her parents, and believed Stinger in particular had tarnished their legacy. Hope was defeated by her own brother Henry, who turned himself over to the Avengers for his crimes (A-Next #12).






Henry Jr was next seen among a gathering of heroes who met to defeat the god Seth (Spider-Girl #58) before joining a government sanctioned team for reformed super villains led by Arthur Weadon to combat threats (Spider-Girl #62, #64-66, #73, #77-78, #93, #95-96 ). As of Amazing Spider-Girl #9, it appears Henry has 'graduated' the program and paid in full for his crimes. Depending on whether you want to count MC2 stories post-Spider-Verse, Big Man also appears in the Spider-Girl story published in Spider-Island #1-5.


Hope next appears in the Last Planet Standing mini series, leading a new incarnation of the Revengers against the Avengers, launching attacks on them despite the ongoing threat to the entire planet posed by Galactus and even resorting to looting during the chaos. The Red Queen returns to menace American Dream, this time only accompanied by Ion Man. The duo monitor American Dream's exploits and team up with the villainous Silikong to defeat the hero but were themselves defeated by American Dream and the Avengers. Depending on whether you want to count MC2 stories post-Spider-Verse, The Red Queen also appears in the Spider-Girl story published in Spider-Island #1-5.






The Pym Twins (that's so much fun to say) appear to be legally adults. For example, Hope's initial appearances suggest she is in charge of the company (Pym Laboratories, perhaps?)  that granted Ion Man his powers and Henry working for Weadon's government sanctioned team. If the twins are, in fact, adults then we must shift the point at which the MC2 diverged from the Main Marvel Universe back even further from the usually cited 15 years. This will be something I'll attempt to address in a later discussion.

Finally, some random bits and pieces I should mention lest I be accused of a mistake: Ultron and his entire kin will be covered in another Family Tree. A reference to Dr Pym's mother being killed is made in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Vol. 13, though I can't find any specific issue for this mention and it's not present in earlier entries to my knowledge; as such I have left it out. Apart from those seen above in the Pym Family Tree- stories published after the (likely) divergent point for the Avengers of the MC2- have mentioned or depicted other relatives. As these are most likely not relevant to the characters MC2, I will simply list them here for the sake of completeness:

  • Hank references an Aunt Sally and Uncle Harry in Ant-Man's Big Christmas #1
  • Janet also refers to an Uncle Bertram, an Aunt Ruth and a cousin named Sally in Ant-Man's Big Christmas #1
  • Amelia Van Dyne and Blaine Van Dyne are potential relatives mentioned in the special 1939 Daily Bugle #1 special, though may have been mentioned earlier. Let me know.
  • Hank mentions that Janet's Mother was left in a vegetative state following a car accident and eventually died (Avengers Academy #7)
  • We learn that Hank's paternal grandmother (Angela Pym) encouraged him to pursue wild and creative inventions before her death, that his father and mother (Brad Pym and Doris Pym) tried to push him into more mundane fields such as engineering and medicine (Age of Ultron #10A.I.
  • Nadia Van Dyne/Pym is the daughter of  Hank Pym and Maria Strovaya, introduced as the Main Marvel Universe's answer to Hope Pym from the MC2 after the release of the first Ant-Man movie (Free Comic Book Day 2016 Civil War II)


Well, I think that's just about it for now! I've attempted to cover everything in brief, but if you feel I've missed a Pym or Van Dyne somewhere along the line, please let me know.

Until I figure out the secret to Pym Particles, I remain

frogoat






Wednesday 18 July 2018

What's The Buzz: Spider-Man Unlimited

A somewhat unexpected bit of MC2-related news this time. The Spider-Man Unlimited video game for mobile devices is adding another character to the roster: Jack Jameson aka The Buzz! To be honest, there isn't really any further information to add at this point, but below you can see the official character image produced for the in-game character card.




The games developers have once again surprised me. I didn't expect another MC2 character to be introduced into the game at this point, particularly one without....you know....a spider-motif. Keep them coming, Gameloft! So far we've had May 'Mayday' Parker aka Spider-Girl in her regular costume, her black costume, unmasked and as 'Spider-Woman' post-Spider-Verse; Felicity Hardy in both her Scarlet Spider costumes; Peter Parker as Spider-Venom; April Parker as both Spider-Girl and Mayhem; May Parker of Earth X aka Venom and, of course, May 'Mayday' Porker aka Swiney-Girl.




With the way things are going, perhaps we'll see Darkdevil, Kaine and others from everyone's favourite corner of the multiverse. Seeing as being spider-related doesn't seem to matter as much anymore, may I suggest Stinger?

Until I stop being surprised by obscure and left-field choices in the Spider-Man Unlimited video game, I remain

frogoat


Sunday 15 July 2018

Bill Foster in the MC2

Fresh from seeing Ant-Man and the Wasp at the cinema, I've decided to do a few quick posts looking at the MC2 counterparts to some of the films supporting characters. Perhaps, even one central protagonist later on, if time permits...For today, a brief look at Bill Foster, portrayed in the film by Laurence Fishburne.



 Dr William 'Bill' Barrett Foster first appeared in Avengers #32 where he worked to help Hank Pym who was stuck at a large size. Bill would eventually replicate and modify Pym Particles to become the heroic... erm… Black Goliath, then the second Giant-Man and eventually just Goliath. That last nom de guerre may not apply to the Doctor Foster of the MC2 as it was only adopted in the mid-2000's, well after his sole MC2 appearance in A-Next #2 which was published in 1998.






In A-Next #2 we learn that Bill works for the Maria Stark Foundation as the leader of a team of scientists working on reforestation techniques in the Washington National Park. When a Kree vessel crashes in two sections in the park, Bill asks the newly formed Avengers team to investigate before the military 'sanitizes' the entire area.








During the investigation, Bill is accompanied by his son John Foster who, along with the Avengers encounter the remains of the crashed Kree ship and it's robotic Sentry 666. John finds the pilot of the vessel has died during the crash with the ship precariously teetering over a precipice. When the ship is disturbed by Sentry 666 colliding with it, a bulkhead door shuts on Bill's leg trapping him as the vessel begins to slide off the cliff top.








 In a desperate attempt to save his father, John merges with the ship's systems, becoming part-Kree in the process. As Earth Sentry, John saves his father, destroys Sentry 666 and blows up the Kree vessel. Telling his father he has found direction in his life, John Foster departs, vowing to protect the Earth from the Kree and other threats.

It's a shame we never encounter Bill Foster in the MC2 again. I think the relationship between Bill and his son John was worth exploring further. Come to think of it, we never do find out what the Kree's plans for the Earth were either. Perhaps that's a discussion for another day?

Until I stop plumping the depths of the MC2, I remain

frogoat