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

The Logan Family Tree

This one was an eye opener. I now understand why X-Men fans tear their hair out. Ladies and gentlemen, I present the combined kin of Natchios and Logan...with a few asterisks.

Wolverine has presented me with a conundrum. For the purposes of these family trees, I accept that MC2 characters share their published history (up to a point) with their 616/Main Marvel Universe counterparts. I make exceptions for any retcons implemented after the point the MC2 diverges from the 616 and in cases where it's explicitly or implicitly different (Aunt May really died) or when a writer later introduces a previously unheard of relative (the Lang family and likely the Pym family) who is never mentioned, seen or heard of in the MC2. With the last exception, I would add them to the family tree in later updates should they be mentioned in MC2 material at any point.

Wolverine presents a new case of a previously unresolved plot point (his true name and origin) being resolved post-MC2 but due to it being a long standing pre-MC2 mystery and it not at face value contradicting elements of the MC2. So, information revealed in the Origin mini-series can be accepted as MC2 canon also. I personally feel I need only list James Howlett as his real name and leave out his family members, at least for now. If later MC2 works utilize these story elements, I'll add them.

As for post-Origin relatives of Wolverine, including potential offspring such as X-23 and Daken and his half-dozen other kids from one storyline who die, I have decided that these are all later retcons not directly affiliated with his MC2 counterpart. Further, the Wolverine: Origins ongoing series apparently revealed that several significant characters throughout Wolverine's past were related to him, specifically by his mother's own extended family. Character's such as the Professor involved with the Weapon X program (Professor Andre Thorton) were retroactively made Wolverine's long lost relatives-the Hudson's- despite some of these characters having established names. I will not be referring to these characters in the family as they were later retconned relatives, not pre-established.

With all of that out of the way, let's start in earnest. Logan aka the mutant known as Wolverine first appeared in the final panel of The Incredible Hulk #180 with his first full appearance the following issue in The Incredible Hulk #181.  For decades, Logan's true name and origin was a mystery. It wasn't until the mini series Origin that we got the answers that had been long teased. We learn that the man we know as Logan was born 'James Howlett' as a result of an affair between Elizabeth Howlett and Thomas Logan, the grounds-keeper on the Howlett's estate. Thomas Logan had another son, 'Dog' Logan, making him James' half-brother. As stated above, I have decided to leave them off this MC2-centric family tree for now.


During an adventure in the Savage Land, seen in Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure, Logan find's spends a period of time with the leader of Tribe of Fire, a woman named Gahck. At the conclusion of the story, she is seen holding an infant. Logan's status as the child's father and the child's name (Erista) were only implied, at least until being confirmed in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: X-Men 2004.

Logan also adopted a young girl named Amiko Kobayashi following her mother's death during a giant monster attack in Tokyo in Uncanny X-Men #181. Amiko was eventually left in the care of a woman named Yukio, which led to an encounter with the assassin Elektra, which is as good a transition as any to the other half of this family tree.


Elektra Natchios is another character with a somewhat convoluted family history. First appearing in Daredevil #168, Elektra was reportedly intended as a one-off character, but proved popular enough to make regular appearances in the series until her first death in Daredevil #181. Elektra returned from the dead soon after and has gone onto be a consistent fan favourite character.

Elektra's first appearance in Daredevil #168 is also her father's first appearance and death, as he is shot to during a terrorist hostage situation. It's not until the Elektra Assassin mini that we learn his name is Hugo Natchios. Through the story, Elektra attempts to recall her past by revisiting memory fragments, some of which seem to be partially imagined, such as her recollection of her own birth during her mother Christina's assassination as depicted in Elektra Assassin #1.

Christina Natchios proves to be an interesting case of multiple characters providing differing accounts of her personality, character and even the events surrounding her death. A later mini-series called Elektra: Root of Evil features Hugo telling a young Elektra his version of the events of Christina's death and Elektra's birth. According to Hugo, his wife openly had affairs, embarrassing the newly appointed ambassador. When Christina became pregnant, Hugo drunkenly shared his shame with his son Orestez (more on him later) who -enraged- organised the assassination which injured his father and killed his mother who gave birth to Elektra as she died (Elektra: Root of Evil #2). When Hugo learned Elektra was in-fact his daughter by blood, he threw himself into raising her.

Alternatively, as recounted in Elektra (vol. 1) #18, we are given an entirely different account of Christina by a man named Stavros who knew the Natchios family well. He tells an adult Elektra that as a teenager Christina used to work for a resistance cell led by Hugo, showing cold determination and kindness. While eight months pregnant Christina was shot during a hostage situation, but managed to disarm the shooter and prevented him from being killed by the angry crowd before she dying as Elektra was born. While it's perhaps possible that parts of Stavros' story could be true (how Hugo and Christina met) it's impossible to reconcile the two different series of events leading to Christina's death. As such, I'm inclined to go with the earlier telling of events given they connect to much of Elektra's family history, including Orestez, who goes completed unmentioned in this new telling.

Orestez Natchios is the older brother of Elektra, and son to Hugo and Christina who first appeared in flashbacks in Elektra: Root of Evil #2. As mentioned above, a drunken and disgraced Hugo tells Orestez of his mother's infidelity and the likelihood of her current pregnancy being to another man. Orestez hires mercenaries to kill his mother as punishment while she vacationed, unaware his father had joined her. When Orestez learns his beloved father was injured during the attack, he left the family out of guilt. Years later, Orestez saved his young sister Elektra from an attack and returned her home to their father, telling him she needed to learn to protect herself, choosing to remain in his self-imposed exile.

Finally, we arrive at the MC2 section of this write-up! Rina Logan aka Wild Thing, daughter to Logan and Elektra first appeared in J2 #5. Seeking out the titular character for information about his father the previous Juggernaut, Rina battled J2 until Wolverine put a stop to the fight. Though young, Rina is frequently depicted as adventuring far and wide, even sending her parents letters from her travels. At some point in her past, Rina was brutally attacked and left to die on a mountain top by her half-brother, Hudson.

The animalistic Hudson aka Sabreclaw first appeared in J2 #8, working alongside the villainous Enthralla against the combined efforts of J2, Magneta and his half-sister Wild Thing. Following his initial appearance, Sabreclaw would join various teams, including The Revengers and The Savage Six before finally seeing the light and joining The Avengers. There is no information on the identity of Sabreclaw's mother.

It's not immediately clear whether Hudson is Sabreclaw's first or last name, nor if he shares the surname 'Logan' with his half-sister. The only name we are given in-story is simply 'Hudson' in his first appearance so that leaves secondary sources, so let's explore those. The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005 identifies Sabreclaw as 'Hudson Logan', while the following year's All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #12 Wild Thing profile back-tracks to 'Hudson (surname unrevealed)'. The All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Update #3 (2007) features a Sabreclaw profile entry in which his real name is given as 'Hudson (full name unrevealed)', suggesting the name could be either his given name or surname whereas The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol. 7 refers to him as Hudson Logan. However, the Wild Thing profile published in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol. 13 (2010) reverts to 'Hudson (surname unrevealed)'. Personally, I'd assume Hudson is Sabreclaw's first name, based on the context of it's usage in J2 #8 and it's debatable whether Logan is his surname.

This entry took a lot of time and effort to research and I am still uncertain if I've done it justice. Hopefully my rationale regarding the use of family members and names discussed at the top makes sense and holds up to your scrutiny. I've given this a lot of thought.

Until I take up a nice relaxing hobby like bee-keeping, I remain

frogoat

Quick Facts: MC2 Edition No. 4

This factoid will be the fast and furious fourth in the series of facts.

Did you know that the MC2 was the originator of both the Revengers (A-Next #12) and Savage Six (Spider-Girl #25) teams. A Revengers team led by Wonder Man would later be used in the regular Marvel Universe in  New Avengers Annual vol.2 #1. The Savage Six name would also be used in the MU by the Crime Master's team of villains starting with Venom vol. 2 #17.

The MC2 Revengers.

Until Tom Defalco gets the recognition he deserves, I remain

frogoat

Quick Facts: MC2 Edition No. 1
Quick Facts: MC2 Edition No. 2
Quick Facts: MC2 Edition No. 3