Marvel just revealed that two major Ant-Man characters have turned villains!
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The mystery reveal comes in Avengers Inc. #1, the new Avengers spinoff book from writer Al Ewing (Immortal Hulk), artist Leonard Kirk (Sabertooth and The Exiles) and colorist Alex Sinclair (Ultimate Invasion). The story begins with Janet Van Dyne/Wasp taking on the mystery of several low-level Marvel villains (Whirlwind, The Griffin, Icemaster, Anaconda, Piledriver, and Quicksand) all being brutally executed in prison, by a single gunshot to the forehead. Whirlwind was particularly connected to Wasp, having battled her in Ewing’s recent Wasp (2023) series.
The story takes a strange (and still baffling) twist when Janet examines the corpses of the victims and begins to notice that it wasn’t a standard gun that killed them – in fact, it turns out that none of them are truly even dead! Wasp and the prison guards find themselves battling the “dead” villains, who wake up bewildered with no memory of what happened. Things only get weirder when “Whirlwind” wakes up with a whole new personality driving his body: Victor Shade, the same persona that The Vision created while pretending to be human. Wasp ultimately recruits Vic Shade and Mayor Luke Cage to form Avengers Inc., a non-costume agency meant to investigate superhuman crimes.
Ant-Men Gone Bad
(SPOILERS) The epilogue of Avengers Inc. #1 reveals that two former Ant-Man mantle holders are the ones who actually mastermind the prison assassinations, and Vic Shade being implanted into Whirlwind’s (David Cannon) body: Hank Pym (the first Ant-Man) and Eric O’Grady (the third Ant-Man), both of whom are supposed to be dead!
Hank Pym was last seen alive in the 2019 “Ultron Agenda” story arc, where he was merged with Ultron into an amalgamated cyborg entity. It was eventually surmised that Ultron was simply mimicking his Pym half and that Hank died during the merging process; however, the climax of that story had Ultron ultimately defeated by the Time Master’s ray set for a de-aging effect, meant to reverse Ultron’s evolution into “All-Father Ultron.” It was speculated that the ray returned both Ultron and Hank Pym to earlier, non-fused states, which Avnegers Inc. has finally confirmed to be true.
Eric O’Grady died battling the artificial lifeforms the Descendants but was replaced by a Life Model Decoy who has continued on as “Black Ant” in O’Grady’s stead. Avengers Inc. doesn’t make it clear if Pym has co-oped the Grady LMD, or somehow brought back the original Ant-Man III. Given the time travel elements of Pym’s last appearance in the Ultron Agenda, plus the ticking clock he claims is hanging over his mission, (and his clear advanced age), both scenarios are possible.
Avengers Inc. is on sale at Marvel Comics.
