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