Here's Why ANT-MAN AND THE WASP Doesn't Tackle Hank Pym's History Of Domestic Violence

Here's Why ANT-MAN AND THE WASP Doesn't Tackle Hank Pym's History Of Domestic Violence

In the comic books, Hank Pym has a dark history with Janet Van Dyne as he's been portrayed as physically abusing her on a number of occasions so why hasn't the plot point been touched on in the MCU?

By JoshWilding - Jul 24, 2018 11:07 AM EST
Source: Yahoo Movies
One of the most shocking moments in Avengers history came when Hank Pym struck his wife Janet during an argument, and that's something which has haunted the character ever since. In The Ultimates, an alternate universe version Hank took things even further when he attacked Janet Van Dyne with bug spray, something which led to him receiving a brutal beatdown from Captain America.

During a recent interview, Ant-Man and The Wasp director was asked why that isn't touched on in the sequel as it would go at least some way in further explaining Hank and Hope's fractured relationship in the first movie. Ultimately, it sounds like it was simply too dark a subject for the MCU to tackle. 


"There’s never been an onus on us in the MCU movies to have any real fidelity to specific stuff in the canon," the filmmaker explains. "Fans may want certain things but it really never occurred to us from the very beginning to be a part of it, even as far back as Edgar [Wright] and Joe [Cornish]’s original drafts for the first Ant-Man." He went on to add, "that wasn’t the Hank Pym that we wanted to tell."
 
The Wasp actress Evangeline Lilly elaborated on that, by explaining the subject of Hank's past was at least touched on before they started shooting the first movie. "The issue of the domestic violence that existed in the original comic books was something that was talked about at length before they started the first Ant-Man film," she confirmed before adding the following: "Hope was estranged from her father, she hated her father and there was a very big question. I posed the question: Is part of that hatred to do with the fact that he was a drunk and he was violent towards her mother?"
 
Michael Douglas reiterated that point by noting that the franchise simply doesn't fit that darker interpretation of Hank Pym. "We seem to be going in a more humorous, comedic, familial sense. There is more than enough darkness to go around in the Ant-Man world so it may, but I don’t imagine it will happen that way." What do you guys think? Let us know your thoughts down below.

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HeavyMetal4Life
HeavyMetal4Life - 7/24/2018, 11:15 AM
I think how they have handled it so far, by essentially not including it but indicating that Hank was kind of an asshole and difficult to work with back in the day, is the best solution they could have done.
bkmeijer2
bkmeijer2 - 7/24/2018, 11:20 AM
@HeavyMetal4Life - It even makes the most sense in the story if you ask me
KWilly
KWilly - 7/24/2018, 11:23 AM
@HeavyMetal4Life - Yeah, it was definitely more evident in the sequel than the first Ant Man. I'm just like, "Jesus, this guy is so hateable."
bropous
bropous - 7/24/2018, 11:54 AM
@HeavyMetal4Life - @JoshWilding, wasn't the whole thing of spousal abuse only in the Ultimates comics? If I'm wrong, cool.
L0RDbuckethead
L0RDbuckethead - 7/24/2018, 12:37 PM
@bropous - I believe the initial "abuse/wife beating" that everyone talks about first happened in Avengers #213 (1981).



It's actually quite misconstrued and Hank unnecessarily gets a bad wrap for it, when numerous characters have hit their spouses/significant others all throughout comics.

See http://comicvine.gamespot.com/articles/off-my-mind-is-hank-pym-a-wife-beater-or-did-he-ge/1100-143296/
Spock0Clock
Spock0Clock - 7/24/2018, 12:58 PM
@L0RDbuckethead - Yep. The culture around comics definitely shifted over time, and this particular infamous panel got caught in the middle. Stuff like it happened all the time in the 60's and 70's, and if someone were to take that same "serious lens" on Hank and Janet's history, there are a lot of red flags (such as Janet taking advantage of Hank having a psychotic episode to marry him). These were generally lighthearted stories for kids and young adults, where violence and hyper-dramatic posturing were constant features.

Things slowly changed. While Hank and Janet were intended as a relatively minor mishap, Peter hitting MJ during the Clone Saga a decade later was intended to be traumatic and intentional.



But, for better or worse, Hank was the character who served the role as "you're a terrible person for hitting your wife", and as comics shifted from goofy fare to melodrama to finally modern drama, Hank was the character that was used to explore that dynamic.

Subsequent emphasis on that moment obscures how generally [frick]ed up Hank and Janet's relationship was when removed from that original goofy context, and we're left with a story that could be interesting, but never really works in a lot of the comics I've read.

Comic storylines never end, because some new writer can always dredge up the past and churn it over again. Hank can never be redeemed or forgiven in comics. As someone who always liked Hank, it's frustrating to me, but I recognize that it's the nature of the beast. Begin in the middle, end in the middle.

But the movies hit exactly the right notes for him, I think. And being vague about exactly what made him an asshole works.
L0RDbuckethead
L0RDbuckethead - 7/24/2018, 1:11 PM
@Spock0Clock - Totally agree with you here, the tonal shifts in comics throughout the years has definitely been used by writers/artists to dredge up the past and see what dramatic things can be brought back from the 60s, 70s, etc.

I agree about Hank too, he is one of my favorite OG Avengers, and I can't help but wonder what Wright's film would've looked like (probably not much better than we got, because reportedly Wright wanted to make Scott a man who's powers were actually physically turning into an ant, for example), but at the same time, I'm happy with what Reed has done with the first two films (for the most part) and I especially like the decision to have an older Hank because it fits the story best. Also, Michael Douglas kicks ass, even at 73 years young. Him being the asshole that he is in the films, and how Douglas has chosen to portray him has been good, IMO much better than what we would've gotten had Wright finished the first Ant-Man.
Liverpool4life
Liverpool4life - 7/24/2018, 2:30 PM
@L0RDbuckethead - according to the writer of this story, Jim Shooter, it was not his intention, but artist Brett Breeding drew it that way. Shooter wanted a little shove because Pym didn’t want Janet to stop his oddball scheme.
L0RDbuckethead
L0RDbuckethead - 7/24/2018, 2:34 PM
@Liverpool4life - Yeah, I had heard that before. Initially Shooter wanted it to be like an accidental hit, right?

Hank was about to go on trial for something and was locked away down in his lab (creating Ultron, I think). Because of this, Janet shrunk herself and snuck in, and something happened so Hank hit her. It's been awhile since I've read it but I think that's the gist of it.

Also, off-topic: I got to go to Anfield back in January and watch them beat my team (Man City) at home for the first time in years. It was an amazing match and a hell of a comeback by Liverpool after Sterling scored some quick goals to put them down early.

Anfield is beautiful - it was my first game there.
blitzburgh
blitzburgh - 7/24/2018, 3:58 PM
@HeavyMetal4Life - yea no one wants to see a woman beater in a comic book movie lol
shadowspider9
shadowspider9 - 7/25/2018, 12:30 PM
@Liverpool4life - That's the sadist part of the whole thing.
Hank now has the constant label of being a wife beater due to an art mistake.
While characters who have actually hit there wife in blind anger, like Spiderman, or characters who have hit there wife multiple times, like Reed Richards, get off scoot free
BreakTheCode
BreakTheCode - 7/24/2018, 11:18 AM
Honestly Hank’s issue with domestic violence was one of the dumbest decisions in all of Marvel history.
PC04
PC04 - 7/24/2018, 11:19 AM
Because a Hank Pym action figure with "back hand slapping" action is not a good toy for kids.
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