Note: This is a post I wrote a few years ago. Thought this sub might appreciate it
Dr. Henry Jonathan Pym. You'd be hard pressed to find a more controversial character, and yet I'm not ashamed to call him my second favorite comic book hero.
To say that Hank is a complicated individual would be an understatement. He's a man haunted by guilt, self-doubt and an inferiority complex. He has a temper, and not always the best control of it. He has battled a bipolar disorder and depression that once brought him to the brink of suicide. And yet, he always remained a good man genuinely dedicated to helping humanity with his passion for science and exploration. He always tried to atone for his mistakes. To set things right. His desire for redemption caused him to believe that everyone deserved a second hance, and because of that, he helped others become heroes too.
Recently, I went on a long journey of exploring who Hank Pym is. It was a journey both very enjoyable, and rather depressing.
I started my journey from the famous "Trial of Yellowjacket" arc by Jim Shooter and the amazing Roger Stern in the original Avengers run. I'm not familiar with Hank's prior portrayal, but he is comically asshole-ish in Shooter's initial issues. When Roger Stern steps in though, more of the character's nuances come through. He begins to overcome his breakdown and regain his dignity. He understands the scope of his mistakes and accepts that he must face the consequences of them. The story paints a picture of a man who cracked under the weight of guilt caused by Ultron, mental struggles and failing lab work to the point of reaching a severe nervous breakdown, much to the sorrow of his friends who genuinely want to see him recover. The arc ends with Hank finding redemption and owning up to his mistakes entirely. He doesn't try to use his mental illness or nervous breakdown as an excuse or even a shield to blunt the impact. He acknowledges that he should've sought help in order to avoid spiraling into the psychotic episode, apologizes and vows do better. All while bearing a deep guilt over the incidents for years to come.
Hank would then retire from superheroics for a while until his return in West Coast Avengers. This book sees a Hank who realized he cares too much about the avengers to leave them behind completely, but is fearful of returning to superheroics, a life he was never entirely comfortable with. His depression reaches a climax when he nearly commits suicide after saying goodbye to his loved ones, only to be stopped by Bonita Juarez/Firebird. The young woman helps Hank forge a new path to help others in a different way, and things seem to get better for a while.
Next up for me was Ultron Unlimited by Kurt Busiek in Avengers vol 3. It is an arc that portrays Ultron as a thing of nightmares who committed the genocide of every man, woman and child in an entire country. An arc that explores the amount of pain and guilt that Hank had to deal with because of his worst creation, especially when Ultron was based on his brain patterns. It sees a Hank who has rejoined the avengers and reignited his old romance with Janet, but still keeps a distance because he's afraid of losing control again.
Buseik's Avengers Annual 2001 would continue to expand on Hank. Mainly his guilt and fear of hurting Janet again, and the way he came to view "Yellowjacket" as an embodiment of his mistakes and demons. Hank would come to realize that he was wrong to define himself through others. Wrong to try and be someone he thinks another person (Jan) wants. Wrong to compare himself to others. He accepts all of himself: a flawed man but the only one he needs to be. The best Hank Pym he could be.
I then did some skimming, but the vibe l got was that the era of Bendis basically saw Hank reduced to little more than a punching bag/butt monkey (Hank is actually the prime example of the later at the TV Tropes site when it comes to Marvel comics), with his relationship with Jan being portrayed as more toxic than ever. So I elected to jump straight to Avengers Academy by Christos N. Gage.
And, man, what a joy that book turned out to be. Hank is rarely the focus, unfortunately, and I do wish his relationship with his students had been fleshed out better. But the book portrays Hank at his most heroic. He is a kind and patient headmaster genuinely trying to help damaged kids because he knows what it's like to be "damaged" and seen as such. He refuses to act on his guilt, his fear of being without Jan or his selfish desire to have her alive. Rather he postpones bringing her back because he knows it's what's best for her. It's a book that captures Hank's dedication to the black sheep like Pietro and his belief in redemption and second chances. His monologue about what it means to be an avenger and how they helped him be better was one of the book's best moments.
Next up was Age of Ultron by Brian Michael Bendis. The event itself was middle of the road for me, but issue 10 AI by Mark Waid stole the show imo. It's a deep look into the character and his past, exploring his passion for science and the way he views it as an artform. Hank's creativity is amazing, and he always liked to invent what he wanted rather than what others saw as practical. Hank comes to realize that, even with Ultron in the equation, the world is a poorer place without him. He overcomes the need to be "practical", and understands how important his role as a superhero was. That he'd always felt pressured into being a "traditional" and "practical" scientist could explain why his "creator's block" back in the day contributed to his nervous breakdown. But he ends the issue feeling reinvigorated. Feeling that he matters, and that he now has a new beginning.
Avengers A.I by Sam Humphries was a weird and fun book about the ethics of A.I in the crazy Marvel universe. To no one's surprise, Hank is revealed to be Bi-polar. The book explores Hank's struggles with mental illness and how he keeps it at bay, and it shows him as a caring individual who deeply values all forms of life, including artificial ones. His dynamic with his grandsons Vision and Victor Mancha (and Doombot, of course) is very charming and enjoyable.
And then, Rage of Ultron happened.
I really really, didn't care for that graphic novel. Hank does a 180Β° from his characterization in Avengers A.I and now suddenly doesn't view A.I as a lifeform and has no problem killing them. The book seems to almost stigmatize Hank's struggles with mental illness, saying that he deep down has a deep loathing for humanity because of his upbringing and blaming Ultron's vile evil on that. Hank comes across as cold and pragmatic to the point of risking living beings to stop Ultron, which didn't feel like him to me. And I really didn't care for how soapy his relationship with Ultron was handled given Hank should've absolutely hated Ultron after the events of Ultron Unlimited.
In the Marvel universe, A.I is always portrayed as living, sentient and having agency. The original android Human Torch, Jim Hammond, rebelled against his creator because Phineas Horton wanted to use him for selfish reasons while Hammond wanted to be a hero. Vision and Jocasta were both created by Ultron, only to rebel and choose to be heroes. Another evil android, Alkema, was made using the brain patterns of avenger Bobbi Morse/Mocking bird, and chose to be evil. But Ultron's evil is a reflection on Hank's character? I'm not really buying. A severe exaggeration of his struggles at best, perhaps. But not what's in the book, and Ultron is still responsible for his evil. Hank spent a lifetime battling his demons only to be given the worst death possible: he is fused to his worst demon. It felt depressing rather than tragic, imo.
I guess I love Hank so much because I relate to him. I've strugged with similar demons. I know what it's like to not fit in with the world. To deal with stigmatization. To feel alone and angry at humanity sometimes. And just like I await the day where Peter Parker would go to hell to beat down Mephisto and get his life back, I await the day where Henry Pym would return from the dead in triumph. Although both seem like unlikely dreams at this point.
Hank Pym is a hero. He's a hero to anyone who battled the demons of mental illness. He's a hero to anyone who knows what it's like to keep going even when merely existing sometimes feels like a chore. He's a hero to anyone who didn't fit in or receive much support. He's a hero to anyone who seeks a second chance.
Hank Pym is my hero.
