Scott Lang’s Ant-Man is an intriguing and hilarious MCU superhero who has undoubtedly seen significant changes from the comics. The superhero was first introduced in the Universe in a standalone film, Ant-Man, released on July 17, 2015, as the last MCU Phase Two movie. However, in his next appearance, Ant-Man is on the opposing side with Steve Rogers/Captain America and Sam Wilson/Falcon against Tony Stark/Iron Man faction in Captain America: Civil War (2016).
Like its other characters, Ant-Man is based on the Marvel Comics superhero. However, the MCU made significant changes to the comic superhero on the big screen. Although the MCU character has his fan base, true Marvel Comics fans know a lot of changes were made to the superhero – origin story, relationships, and backstory. Here are 5 ways the MCU failed the superhero and inadvertently made the Marvel Comics’ Ant-Man better than the MCU version.
Scott Lang’s Motivation To Became Ant-Man Is Different
Scott Lang is introduced as a reformed thief in both the comics and the MCU. However, although he steals the Ant-Man suit because of his daughter, Cassie Lang, his reason is different in the comics. In the MCU, after being unable to secure a job after his release from prison, he joins the heist to steal something to sell off to give him money for child support and buy a house. As emotionally touching as this may seem, Scott Lang steals the Ant-Man suit in the comics for a more realistic reason.
Cassie was seriously ill and dying of a congenital heart condition. When Lang discovers Dr. Erica Sondheim is the only person who can help save Cassie, he tries to contact her. However, Dr. Sondheim was kidnapped by Darren Cross and taken to his Comp, Cross Technological Enterprises. Scott Lang breaks into Hank Pym’s home to steal the Ant-Man suit to rescue Dr. Sondheim to help save his daughter. After successfully rescuing the doctor, who helped save Cassie, he returned the suit to Pym, hoping to be arrested. Realizing the selfless reason Lang stole the suit, Pym offered him an opportunity to use the suit for good. This is by far a more logical reason to have a reformed thief return to crime than for the MCU’s reason to pay child support.
Hank Pym Never Worked for S.H.I.E.L.D.
While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with working for S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel Comics fans know that the story arc only undermines Hank Pym’s importance to the Avengers (more on that later). The 2015 movie begins in 1989, with Hank Pym resigning from S.H.I.E.L.D. In Marvel Comics, Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man and a biochemist, discovered the Pym particles independently and never worked for S.H.I.E.L.D.
Ant-Man Was A Founding Member of Avengers
The MCU’s first Avenger movie, The Avengers, was released on May 4, 2012, as the last film in Phase One. By the time The Avengers was released in 2012, Ant-Man had not been introduced in the MCU. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t appear as a founding member of the Avengers. The superhero character still didn’t make an appearance in the second Avengers movie, Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). With Scott Lang being introduced in a standalone film two months later, the origin and importance of Ant-Man to the Avengers had been grossly misrepresented. Although the MCU focused mostly on the timeline of Scott Lang’s Ant-Man, the beginning scene of Ant-Man did a great injustice to Hank Pym’s Ant-Man.
Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne are founding members of the Avengers in Marvel Comics. Janet Van Dyne, who becomes Wasp, wasn’t only a founding member of the Avengers but also the one who gave them their name and was a longtime leader of the team. Although the MCU’s films introduce Janet Van Dyne’s character more in the sequels, Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), little is ever implied of her original importance to the Universe. True Marvel Comics fans know the Wasp is considered one of Marvel’s most notable and powerful female heroes.
Ant-Man Is Yellowjacket
This wouldn’t make much sense for MCU audiences since Yellowjacket is the villain in Ant-Man (2015). The man wearing Yellowjacket is Darren Cross, a former protégé of Hank Pym. In Marvel Comics, Yellowjacket is an alias of Hank Pym’s Ant-Man. Yellowjacket made his debut in the comics in The Avengers #59 issue, published in December 1968. Hank Pym was the first character in the comics to wear a suit. Rita DeMara will later wear the suit in The Avengers #264 issue, published in February 1986. However, after Darren Cross became Yellowjacket in the MCU film, the comic character (Darren Cross) also became Yellowjacket. In the comics, Darren Cross became Yellowjacket in the Marvel Comics The Astonishing Ant-Man #12 issue, released in September 2016.
Ant-Man Joined Iron Man in Civil War Comics
For Marvel Comics fans, this is the biggest disservice the MCU did to Ant-Man. In the MCU Captain America: Civil War (2016), Scott Lang’s Ant-Man joins Rogers, Wilson, Maximoff, and Clint Barton against Iron Man and the others. However, Ant-Man joins Iron Man in the Civil War comics, a limited seven-issue series. However, the MCU is probably able to make this significant deviation because the comics’ Ant-Man is Hank Pym and not Scott Lang, as depicted in Captain America: Civil War (2016). Although part of Iron Man’s team, Pym’s Ant-Man is disguised as a Skrull. Joining Ant-Man in Iron Man’s team in the Marvel Comics is Reed Richards, She-Hulk, and Spider-Man. For more on the science behind Ant-Man’s size-changing abilities, learn why Ant-Man’s size-changing explanation just never worked.
