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The Wasp is a fictional comic book superhero, owned by Marvel Comics. She is most famous for her association with the group the The Avengers, for whom she was a founding member.
The Wasp can shrink down to insect size, usually about a half an inch. When she shrinks, her strength increases to a super-human level. She can grow insect-like wings on her back and fly. She also can grow tiny antennae which allow her to communicate with the higher insect forms. Formerly, in order to change size, she had to expose herself to “Pym Particles” in gas or pill form. Over the years she has adapted to the point where she can change her size at will. She also used to use artificial weapons to create a wasp sting effect, but now her bioelectric energy grows when she shrinks so that she can emit a bioelectric blast effect from her hands that can be powerful enough to smash through a concrete wall. She can grow to giant size as well, but prefers not to do this since the effects are known to put a physical and mental strain from which her ex-husband, Hank Pym, (formerly Ant-Man and Giant-Man) suffered many debilitating effects.
She is a wealthy woman, having inherited a fortune from her late scientist father, and is a successful fashion designer. As the wealthy Ms. Van Dyne, she is considered to be quite a glamorous character. As the Wasp, she is considered a formidable superhero. She has studied unarmed combat under Captain America, and has grown into being a smart charismatic leader, serving as Avengers chairman during different periods of her career. She is currently working with Tony Stark (Iron Man) on the government sanctioned team of Avengers (in the comic book series The Mighty Avengers) promoting the Initiative, which is a plan to make superheroes properly trained, licensed, and accountable members of law enforcement under the Superhuman Registration Act, as well as to place a team of government sanctioned superheroes in each of the fifty states.
The Wasp with Hank Pym, during his early Giant-Man stage.
Character Origin
Janet was a young frivolous socialite when she first met Dr. Henry (Hank) Pym, the scientist who was secretly Ant-Man. Her father, Vernon Van Dyne wanted Dr. Pym’s help on a project to contact intelligent life in another solar system using a gamma enforced ray beam. Dr. Pym was not interested in this project, but was struck by the scientist’s pretty young daughter, who reminded him of his deceased wife Maria. Later, Van Dyne’s experimental ray worked only too well, and he freed a criminal on a distant world who used the beam to come to Earth. The alien, by the name of Pilai, murdered Vernon Van Dyne, and set out to do more damage to his new world. Not knowing what else to do, Janet called Hank, who comforted her. Hank was impressed with Jan’s desire to help hunt down her father’s killer, and when she later expressed a desire to help others under similar circumstances. Hank ended up making her his partner, and designed the Wasp identity for her. In addition to using the shrinking gas he used on himself as Ant-Man, Hank also implanted specialized synthetic cells on her back and head that allowed her to grow wings and antennae when she shrank. While Jan was definitely lighter when she shrank, her strength remained that of a normal grown woman. He later equipped her with various weapons that would allow her to “sting” her opponents. After repeated exposure to his gases and more tinkering with her bioengineered powers, Jan began to assimilate her powers so that she could change her size at will, increase her strength to super-human levels when she shrank, and emit a natural bioelectric “sting” making her an even more formidable adversary.
She was with Ant-Man, The Hulk, Iron Man and Thor when they went up against Loki, who had manipulated the Hulk in a plot against Thor. At the end of this adventure, she suggested that the group get together regularly and call themselves The Avengers, and became the only female founding member of the great superhero team.
Hank was at first afraid to allow himself to have his relationship with Jan to develop beyond the professional stage, because he felt she was too young and was afraid to be hurt like he was when his wife died. Eventually, though, he gave in to his feelings, and the two were married during a time when he was suffering from mental illness, and had taken on the identity of Yellowjacket. They were happy for several years, but the strain of changing to giant-size and ant-size finally took its toll, and, in a moment of frustration, Hank slapped her. This act leads to their divorce, as well as Hank’s eventual retirement as a superhero. While Hank and Jan have tried to rekindle their relationship a number of times over the years, the two remain “just friends”.
Janet matures and grows as a person over the years, and eventually develops into the strong independent leader in the superhuman community that she is today. She has had romantic relationships with Tony Stark, as well as Clint Barton (Hawkeye) and the mercenary Paladin.
2008, SCI FI. All rights reserved.
