Ant-Man

A legacy of shrinking heroes and telepathic ant control.

Ant-Man is the name of several superheroes appearing in Marvel Comics books who can shrink to the size of an ant and usually possess telepathic control over ants. The mantle was originated by Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym, a biophysicist who first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27 (January 1962) and assumed the Ant-Man identity in his second appearance in Tales to Astonish #35 (September 1962). Following Pym's adoption of aliases like Giant-Man, Goliath, and Yellowjacket, reformed thief Scott Lang and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Eric O'Grady also took on the title. Most characters connected with this legacy have ties to the Avengers, a team for which Pym was a founding member. The history of Ant-Man is defined by these successors who utilized size-changing technology to solve crimes and battle injustice.

Quick Facts

Publisher

Marvel Comics

Debut

Tales to Astonish #27 (January 1962) (as Dr. Henry Pym); Tales to Astonish #35 (September 1962) (as Ant-Man)

Creators

Stan Lee (co-creator)
Larry Lieber (writer)
Jack Kirby (co-creator, writer)

Real name

Hank Pym
Scott Lang
Eric O'Grady
Chris McCarthy
Zayn Asghar

Alliances

Avengers

Lore & Background

The story begins with Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym, a biophysicist whose life changed after the death of his first wife, Maria Trovaya, a political dissident in Hungary who was murdered by corrupt secret police agents. Distraught, Pym decided to battle injustice, initially using shrinking gas before evolving to size-changing pills and finally his own creation: Pym Particles. He armed himself with a helmet capable of controlling ants, becoming the mystery-solving Ant-Man.

He later shared his discovery with Janet van Dyne, whom he helped avenge after her father Vernon was killed; she became his partner Wasp. Together they co-founded the Avengers and fought enemies like Egghead, Whirlwind, and Pym's own creation, Ultron. While Pym eventually gained the power to grow as well as shrink, adopting aliases such as Giant-Man and Yellowjacket, others took up the Ant-Man role. Scott Lang, a thief who stole the suit to save his daughter Cassie from a heart condition, reformed under Pym's encouragement to become a full-time hero and Avengers member.

Eric O'Grady, a low-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with few morals, later stole the armor for selfish gain before eventually perishing heroically defending a child.

Reader's Guide

Fans can trace the legacy through specific publication milestones and character arcs. The original, Hank Pym, first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27 (January 1962) but did not assume the Ant-Man identity until Tales to Astonish #35 (September 1962). Scott Lang, the second Ant-Man, debuted after stealing the suit for his daughter's health; he was killed in Avengers Disassembled and returned in The Children's Crusade (2011). The third holder, Chris McCarthy, appeared only in Civil War: Choosing Sides #1 (October 2006) before dying quickly.

Eric O'Grady took the title next, known for his lack of morals until his heroic death defending a child against Father. In the year 2549 on Earth-14831, Dr. Zayn Asghar appears in Ant-Man Vol. 3 #1 (July 2022), utilizing Time Master's aging ray to remove All-Father Ultron's artificial aging. Media adaptations also vary: Hank Pym appeared in Saturday Night Live (1979) and various animated series, while Scott Lang has been voiced by actors like Wally Wingert, Crispin Freeman, Grant George, and Josh Keaton across shows like The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and Ant-Man (2017). In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Michael Douglas portrays Pym and Paul Rudd portrays Lang.

Did You Know?

Dr. Zayn Asghar from Earth-14831 used Doctor Doom's Time Platform to travel back and study previous Ant-Men.
Chris McCarthy served as the third Ant-Man for only a brief period before being killed by Hydra superhumans.