The Wasp (Janet van Dyne) is a comic book superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. She was a central member of The Avengers, and is a central character in 2007's The Mighty Avengers. She was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Tales to Astonish #44 (June 1963) and is perhaps most well known for changing her costume quite frequently. Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Publishing, Inc. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to first comic book to feature a character. ... Tales to Astonish #44 Tales to Astonish is the name of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber on December 28, 1921[1]) is an American writer, editor, was the Chairman Emeritus of Marvel Comics, and memoirist. ... Jack Kirby (August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was one of the most influential, recognizable, and prolific artists in American comic books, and the co-creator of such enduring characters and popular culture icons as the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Hulk, Captain America, and hundreds of others stretching... The Avengers is an elite fictional comic book superhero team in the Marvel Universe. ... The West Coast Avengers was a spin-off superhero team of the Avengers, as well as the title of their comic book series. ... Mighty Avengers is a comic book published by Marvel Comics. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... A superhero is a fictional character who is noted for feats of courage and nobility and who usually has a colorful name and costume and abilities beyond those of normal human beings. ... Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Publishing, Inc. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... The Avengers is an elite fictional comic book superhero team in the Marvel Universe. ... Mighty Avengers is a comic book published by Marvel Comics. ... Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber on December 28, 1921[1]) is an American writer, editor, was the Chairman Emeritus of Marvel Comics, and memoirist. ... Jack Kirby (August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was one of the most influential, recognizable, and prolific artists in American comic books, and the co-creator of such enduring characters and popular culture icons as the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Hulk, Captain America, and hundreds of others stretching... Tales to Astonish #44 Tales to Astonish is the name of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Fictional character biography

The Wasp's first appearance in Tales to Astonish #44.
Art by Jack Kirby.
This image is a candidate for speedy deletion. It will be deleted after Thursday, 2 August 2007.

Janet Van Dyne was born in Cresskill, New Jersey. She was initially a shallow, self-centered, flighty heiress, daughter of wealthy scientist Vernon Van Dyne. During an experiment, however, an alien monster was unleashed from an alternate dimension and Dr. Van Dyne was killed. Her father's associate, Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym, had created a substance called "Pym particles," which allowed the user to grow or shrink in size, and had become the superhero Ant-Man. When Janet's father died, she convinced Pym to help her. He gave her a supply of "Pym particles" and subjected her to a biochemical procedure which granted her the ability to, upon shrinking, grow wings and fire blasts of energy, which she called her "wasp's stings." As Ant-Man and The Wasp, they defeated the monster, sent it to its own dimension, and had several more adventures together. Image File history File links Cover to Tales to Astonish #44. ... Image File history File links Cover to Tales to Astonish #44. ... Jack Kirby (August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was one of the most influential, recognizable, and prolific artists in American comic books, and the co-creator of such enduring characters and popular culture icons as the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Hulk, Captain America, and hundreds of others stretching... Map highlighting Cresskills location within Bergen County. ... Dr. Henry Hank Jonathan Pym is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe, created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby. ... Dr. Henry Hank Jonathan Pym is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe, created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby. ...

Avenger

Soon afterwards, the superhero team, which Janet herself dubbed the Avengers, formed, and the pair were among its founding members. Still shallow, Janet frequently commented on the attractiveness of her male colleagues, especially Thor, in order to provoke jealousy from Pym. Never lacking for confidence or bravery and by nature an outgoing personality, Janet was always in the thick of their battles with villains, who included Norse gods and aliens. Although she and Hank took occasional leaves of absence, the two have almost always remained members, being on reserve when not on active duty. During the course of their many adventures as Avengers, Janet grew as a person, becoming a resourceful and seasoned hero. Several years later she would be elected leader of the team. The Avengers is an elite fictional comic book superhero team in the Marvel Universe. ... It has been suggested that Ultimate Thor be merged into this article or section. ...

The Winsome Wasp captured by John Buscema as a sixties glamor girl.

The relationship between Janet and Pym had always been one of loving squabbling, but her wealth and his research had always stopped him from proposing. One day a cocky new costumed crimefighter called Yellowjacket broke into Avengers HQ. He claimed to have disposed of Pym and even kidnapped Janet. To the outrage of her colleagues, Janet then married Yellowjacket. A tension-filled wedding was made even more edgy by an attack by the Circus of Crime. During the fight it was discovered that Yellowjacket was Pym. He had had an accident with some chemicals causing a severe case of schizophrenia. Janet had realised this from very early on and had taken advantage to finally tie the knot. Image File history File links Waspjanet. ... Image File history File links Waspjanet. ... John Buscema, true name Giovanni Natale Buscema (December 11, 1927–January 10, 2002) was an American comic book artist and one of the mainstays of Marvel Comics in its 1960s and 1970s heyday. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this comics-related article or section may require cleanup. ...

However, her relationship with Pym became rocky, as he suffered a further series of mental problems, exacerbated by the stress on his body of his frequent size changes and exposure to chemicals. A few years later, Pym had a complete breakdown, and became completely paranoid. During the course of this breakdown, he became overbearing and verbally abusive. At the nadir of his degeneration, he struck Janet, and then proceeded to concoct a plan to make himself look good in front of his teammates by staging an attack upon them which only he could stop. This plan backfired and Pym was exposed, disgraced, and expelled from the Avengers, and the couple divorced. She remained with the team despite these hardships, and after Pym's mental state returned to normal, the two became friends again and, some years later, resumed a romantic relationship. On a trip to Las Vegas, however, she turned down his proposal, saying she wouldn't marry him again. She had a brief fling with fellow teammember Hawkeye but returned to Hank. Hawkeye (Clint Barton) is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, a longtime member of the Avengers. ...

Civil War and Mighty Avengers

During the events of Avengers Disassembled, Janet was knocked into a coma by an attack on Avengers Mansion by the Scarlet Witch. Hank watched over her as she lay in the hospital, and when she recovered, they reconciled. The two retired from the Avengers in order to pursue a new life together in Oxford. Avengers Disassembled, referred to in some participating series as Disassembled, is a crossover event between several Marvel Comics series. ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

The Wasp reappeared with Pym in the miniseries Beyond!. He is at this point still her ex-husband and over the course of the events chronicled in this series, it is revealed that they had called off their most recent attempt at a romantic relationship, although they remain on good terms. Beyond! was a six-issue limited series published by Marvel Comics. ...

With the onset of the superhuman Civil War, Hank has helped spearhead the pro-registration movement. Janet is also pro-registration, although she was very upset about the murder of her friend Bill Foster, and has become the host of a pro-registration reality show called America's Newest Superhero. Civil War is a Marvel Comics summer 2006 crossover event, based around a core limited series of the same name written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven. ... Dr. Bill Foster, known variously as Black Goliath, the second Giant-Man, and the fourth Goliath, is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

When selecting the roster for the latest incarnation of the Avengers team, this time as part of the Fifty States Inititiative, Tony Stark selected Janet a founding member of the Mighty Avengers. This article is about Iron Man, the Marvel Comics superhero. ... Mighty Avengers is a comic book published by Marvel Comics. ...

Powers and abilities

Making use of sub-atomic Pym particles, the Wasp possesses the power to alter her physical size, causing her body's mass to be shunted to or gained from an alternate dimension known as Kosmos. She is able to shrink to a minimum of half an inch or grow to a maximum of several hundred feet. Smaller or larger sizes are possible but the exertion begins to put a strain on her body. Intitially, these abilities stemmed from use of a Pym particle gas released from special capsules. Over time, however, her body has absorbed enough particles to allow her to alter her size at will.

At miniature size, her strength level increases as her body's mass is compacted. At giant size, her strength and endurance increase geometrically with her height, reaching superhuman levels. Despite the advantages of giant size, Janet usually prefers to remain the diminutive Wasp, calling on her growth power only in times of extreme emergency.

At miniature size, the Wasp grows a pair of translucent insect wings from her back, a result of genetic modifications provided by Hank Pym. These grant her the power of flight, at speeds up to 40 MPH.

The Wasp is able to harness and augment her body's natural bio-electric energy, releasing it from her hands in powerful electrical bursts, which she calls her "stinger blasts" or "wasp's stings." Originally, she required special wrist devices to produce these but again, Pym particle absorption has allowed her to create the ability unaided.

The Wasp's genetic modifications also grant her the ability to sprout small prehensile antennae from her forehead which allow her to telepathically communicate with and control insects. This is an ability which she rarely uses however.

Other versions

MC2

In the possible future of the "MC2" universe, Hank and Janet would end up giving birth to two children: Hope Pym/Red Queen and Henry Pym Jr./Big Man. Giant-Man would later perish on the last mission of the original Avengers, with The Wasp dying of a broken heart. Their parents' deaths motivate Red Queen to form The Revengers. Big Man, a one time member, however, joins a government reform team. Characters from the MC2 universe. ... For the Matt Helm spy novel by Donald Hamilton, see The Revengers (novel) The Revengers are a fictional team of supervillains who were formed to fight A-Next in Marvel Comics MC2 series A-Next. ...

Marvel Adventures

The all-ages series Marvel Adventures: The Avengers (set in its own continuity) features Janet Van Dyne as Giant-Girl, showcasing her ability to grow rather than shrink. Issue 13 of the series reveals her origin as a wealthy socialite given access to size-changing Pym particles by scientist Henry Pym (here an employee of Janet's father, rather than a superhero). Janet does not appear to have ever used her Wasp identity in this version.

Marvel Zombies

The Marvel Zombies series features an alternate Wasp as one of the main characters. She is now a zombie, another victim of the virus that has infected nearly all of her world's superhumans. After Earth's human population is almost entirely devoured, Wasp is one of the zombies who finally kills (and consumes) Magneto. Marvel Zombies is a comic book miniseries, published by Marvel Comics. ... Magneto (Magnus[3]) is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

The Wasp then discovers that Hank Pym has kept a secret food supply - a sedated and maimed Black Panther, held prisoner in Hank's lab. She confronts Hank but he decapitates her in the struggle that follows. When the Black Panther later escapes the lab he also takes the Wasp's head - still 'alive', but helpless. He eventually reaches safety, encountering Magneto's surviving Acolytes. The Acolytes announce that they will study the Wasp, seeking a cure for the virus. The Black Panther (TChalla) is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe who is the first modern Black superhero. ... The Acolytes is a team of comic book mutant supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

An epilogue, five years later, shows the Wasp exploring the deserted Earth alongside the Acolytes. Her severed head is now sealed within a liquid-filled helmet, controlling a robotic body.

The Wasp seems to be relatively peaceful by this time; it's possible her helmet provides a substitute to her need for living flesh.

Ultimate Wasp

Cover of The Ultimates vol 01. #06, featuring Giant Man and Wasp. Art by Bryan Hitch.

In the Ultimate Marvel continuity, Janet Pym holds two PhDs (one we know to be in molecular biology) and is of Asian descent. She is moderately fluent in German. Her mutant status remains hidden from the public but is known by Hank Pym and S.H.I.E.L.D. She can generate a wasp-like sting which she discharges through her hands. Side-effects of her insectoid genetics include the occasional consumption of bugs, forming her own larval nests and laying egg-like constructs. Image File history File links Ultimates06. ... Image File history File links Ultimates06. ... Members of the Ultimates, on the cover of The Ultimates is a comic book published by Marvel Comics, part of the Ultimate Marvel line featuring classic Marvel Universe characters re-imagined for a modern audience. ... Yellowjacket. ... The various characters of the Ultimate Marvel Universe, as seen on the cover to Ultimates (v2) #12. ... This article deals primarily or exclusively with the definition of Asian in English-speaking countries, mainly referring to immigrants or descendants of immigrants living therein. ...

During her college years she shared a room with Betty Ross and started seeing Henry Pym. He was abusive to her early in their relationship and during college is known to have hit her at least twice, putting her head through a door on one occasion and splitting the roof of her mouth on another. Betty Ross can also recall instances where Janet was missing chunks of hair. Categories: Hulk supporting characters | Comics stubs ...

Hank's attempts at change through medication and enlistment in the Ultimates did not improve his behavior. As a result of his humiliating loss against the Hulk and simmering jealousy against Jan's friendship with Captain America, Henry and Jan fought viciously until Janet resorted to stinging him and Hank commanding an army of ants against her. Janet was found in a state of anaphylactic shock, caused by receiving multiple ant stings she received while at wasp-size. Captain America, upon learning of Hank's violence, tracked him down and beat him unconscious. Captain America's visits to Jan after the fight left her exasperated and angry, stemming more from embarrassment of her personal life becoming public. Anaphylaxis is a severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to a trigger substance, called an allergen. ...

After stopping the Chitauri invasion, Captain America and the Wasp reconciled as friends and slowly started dating, despite Hank Pym's attempts at making amends. On one of their secret meetings, Jan later confessed to Hank, now classified as a security risk by SHIELD, that the generation gap between Captain America and herself, along with the elderly status of his friends, put a large strain on their relationship. She recently walked out on Steve and met up with Hank in a bar.

The invasion of America by the Liberators failed to take Janet into account. They discounted the possibility that someone whose only ability is to make herself "smaller and weaker" could be a threat. By the time they found her, Janet had made her way to the cells in the Triskelion where Captain America was being held under suspicion of murdering Hawkeye's entire family. Soldiers working for the Liberators entered his cell and found two metahuman signatures. At first, Janet was easily subdued, but they failed to realise that she had already liberated her boyfriend. Captain America easily beat the Schizoid Man, but stopped fighting when several super soldiers threatened to tear Jan apart. However, Jan surprised them all by using her stinging powers at her normal size for the first time, killing or incapacitating all of the super soldiers at once. The Liberators are the principal task force of a coalition of nations in Ultimate Marvel Universe that are opposed to the United Statess deployment of their super soldiers in foreign countries. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Hawkeye (Clint Barton) is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero, a longtime member of the Avengers. ... Metahuman is a term to describe superhumans in the DC Universe. ...

At some point, Hank gave the Wasp a dose of the Giant-Man Serum giving her the power to grow to gigantic proportions. Larger in size, Janet helped turn the tide in favor of American forces and crushed Swarm with one stomp of her foot.
Swarm (Fritz von Meyer) is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

In other media

The Wasp appeared on the short-lived Avengers animated series (sometimes known as The Avengers: United They Stand). Her look was radically redesigned to include insect-like armor. She was played by Linda Ballantyne. Linda Ballantyne is a voice actress currently charged with voicing Sailor Moon in the American dub. ...

In the animated movies Ultimate Avengers and Ultimate Avengers 2, The Wasp is portrayed by Grey DeLisle. This version is adapted primarily from the Ultimate Universe continuity. Ultimate Avengers (also known as Ultimate Avengers: The Movie) is a direct-to-video animated film based on the Marvel comic book The Ultimates. ... Ultimate Avengers 2 (also known as Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther) is the sequel to Ultimate Avengers. ... Grey DeLisle (born August 24, 1973 in Fort Ord, California) is an American singer, songwriter, and voice actress of Irish, Dutch and Hispanic descent. ... Ultimate Marvel is an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and updated versions of the companys most popular superhero characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, The Avengers and the Fantastic Four. ...

The Wasp appears as a NPC in the video game Captain America and the Avengers, briefly helping the player attack enemies. An NPC from the video game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. ... Captain America and the Avengers is the title of a side-scrolling coin-op arcade game released by Data East in 1991 and based on the Marvel Comics series The Avengers. ...

External links

• Wasp's Profile at The Women of Marvel Comics
• Wasp bio on Marvel.com