Warning: Spoilers for Avengers Inc. #1!One of the more infamous members of the Avengers just made a shocking return to the Marvel Universe. The return takes place during the premiere issue of Avengers Inc., starring Janet van Dyne aka the Wasp. Now filling the role of a private counselor, Janet is investigating the sudden and mysterious deaths (and subsequent resurrections) of six supervillains. One of these villains, David Cannon aka Whirlwind, is resurrected with the powers of Vision and calling himself Victor Shade, which is an alias Vision has used in the past.
As if the mystery wasn’t shocking enough, a presumed dead familiar face resurfaces in the final pages of Avengers Inc. #1 by Al Ewing, Leonard Kirk, Alex Sinclair, and VC’s Cory Petit. The ending takes place in a lab where an older gentleman in a lab coat is in the middle of a conversation with someone who appears to be Eric O’ Grady, the third Ant-Man. Eventually, the “doc” reveals himself to be none other than Hank Pym.
Hank Pym is Back (But How and Why?)
Hank is the original Ant-Man/Giant-Man, a founding Avenger, and the Wasp’s ex-husband. The last time that Hank was featured prominently on-panel was during the Rage of Ultron event in 2015. In that story, Ultron’s original creator and Ultron himself merge together, but the result ends in Hank’s immediate death, or so readers thought. Ultron spends the story using the scientist’s corpse as a vessel and becoming an entirely new monster, Ultron Pym. When Ultron is defeated, it is made apparent that Hank is gone forever, and Marvel has stuck to that assumption ever since, until now. It’s rare to see a superhero remain dead forever, but for eight years straight since the event’s conclusion, Hank has been as good as dead.
Hank is Masterminding the New Mystery
While these final pages demand more questions than answers, it does make it apparent that Pym is the mastermind behind this new mystery, as he expresses his regret for including Whirlwind, leading to his ex-wife’s involvement in the case. It’s yet to be revealed how Eric O’Grady is involved, or how he’s alive himself as he, too, was killed off back in 2012’s Secret Avengers #22. Speaking of returns from the dead, one has to wonder if this is all setting the stage for Ultron to come back from the grave, as was teased last year.
In either case, it’s most surprising to see Hank Pym return given the controversy that surrounds his history. The Pym name is most associated with his domestic abusive past and how he’s physically hurt Janet. That history always made Pym’s role in the Marvel Universe feel like an awkward elephant in the room, especially once he gained mainstream popularity following his inclusion in the MCU as of 2015’s Ant-Man. It’s probably not a coincidence that the movie came out the same year he was killed off in the comics.
What also can’t be a coincidence is the fact that Rage of Ultron was released shortly after Secret Wars, which helped Marvel reboot its own status quo. Having Pym’s death happen around this time read to fans as a way to wipe the slate clean, removing the elephant from the room entirely. It’s as surprising as it is interesting to see Marvel so much as tease his return now. There are several implications regarding the return of the founding Avenger, and it will be interesting to see how characters like the Wasp react to his return.
Avengers Inc. #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.
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