Name

Current Alias

Aliases

A hundred years from now, when we're all dead and buried, there will be only two things that we're remembered for... what we did. And what we looked like. Our uniforms are as much a part of our legacy as anything we'll ever do.

The Winsome Wasp[]

Janet Van Dyne was born into a wealthy family. Her uncle was textile magnateBlaine Van Dyne, and his wife was talented fashion designerAmelia.^[20] Her father was world-renowned scientistDr. Vernon Van Dyne,^[1] while her mother was a vibrant and creative woman who unfortunately sustained an incapacitating brain injury in a car accident when Janet was a child. Trapped in a vegetative state for years, Janet's mother sadly withered away and died.^[17]

As a young woman, Janet Van Dyne lived the life of an opulent socialite, having grown an interest in pursuing an education in fashion design. Usually accompanying her father in scientific meetings, she metHank Pym, a young and unconventional scientist who experienced frustration by getting ridiculed for his uncanny shrinking formula. Interested in Pym, she invited him to dinner when they first met. He initially rejected her advances due to being focused on his research and on mourninghis late wife, but eventually started to go to casual friendly dates with Van Dyne. Simultaneously, Pym secretly implemented his work on himself, acting as the tiny super hero Ant-Man.^[54]

When Dr. Van Dyne perfected a gamma-ray beam device to contactanother dimension, he accidentally summoned the horrendousCreature from Kosmos. Killed by the monster's biologically-produced formic acid, his lifeless body was horribly discovered by his daughter, who called Pym for help. As Ant-Man, Pym investigated the murder and was astonished by Van Dyne's bravery in wishing to avenge her father. Pym could not help but compare Van Dyne with his strong-willed wife. Deciding to reveal his secret identity to Van Dyne, Ant-Man also shared his intentions of having a partner in his adventures. Grafting synthetic wings and antennae that would protrude from her shrunken-down body, Hank Pym transformed Janet Van Dyne into the wondrousWasp. Together, Ant-Man and the Wasp eliminated the extradimensional alien, the first of many feats that their partnership would give them.^[1]

As a crime-fighting duo, Ant-Man and the Wasp fought many villains, including recurrent figures such asEgghead^[55][56] and thePorcupine.^[57][58] The Wasp, with her savvy and cheerful attitude, proved to be crucially beneficial to Ant-Man's career, as she exhibited masterful competence as a super-heroine. Additionally, in between their adventures, she constantly expressed her wishes of becoming romantically involved with Pym, but kept being rejected by the gloomy widower.^[59] With a rising reputation as a charismatic celebrity, the Wasp also frequently entertained fans, hospital patients and even Hank Pym by telling them diverse fantasy stories.^[60]

Avengers, Assemble![]

On patrol duty, Ant-Man and the Wasp eventually received an intercepted transmission cast by theTeen Brigade about a conflict involving the monstrousHulk and the God of ThunderThor. The fight had been in fact orchestrated by Thor's trickster brotherLoki. Teamed up withIron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp clashed with the Hulk until Thor arrived with the defeated Loki, revealing the mischievous origin of the whole ordeal. With Loki defeated, the accidentally formed group of heroes unanimously agreed to found an official team. The Wasp came up with their colorful and dramatic name: theAvengers.^[45] As Avengers, Ant-Man and the Wasp were based atAvengers Mansion inNew York City, but also maintained their activities as an independent duo, living atPym Laboratories inNew Jersey.^[9]

Deciding to augment his powers to be more useful to the Avengers,^[61] Pym designed a growth formula, revamping himself as Giant-Man.^[9] With his new abilities, Giant-Man went into action against the high-speed robber known as theHuman Top. The Wasp assisted Pym with his training, which granted him success in capturing the Human Top.^[62] A vengeful Human Top grew jealous of the relationship between Giant-Man and the Wasp, gradually becoming obsessed with her gorgeous figure.^[63] Around this period, in order to improve the Wasp's performance in the field, Pym developed a "Wasp's sting" -- a compressed air wrist gun which fired long-range blasts.^[56]

Having adventures both on their own and as active Avengers, Giant-Man and the Wasp faced multiple adversities, clashing with enemies such as theMasters of Evil,Kang the Conqueror andImmortus the master of time.^[64][65] Emotionally, the two partners struggled to deal with their affection for each other. The opposite actions of an excessively playful Van Dyne and an emotionally closed Pym constantly ruined any chances of a calm relationship. In order to make Pym jealous, Van Dyne teased him about getting married to the social registerSterling Stuyvesant. She regretted her actions after the duo combated the macabreMagician.^[66] Tensions escalated after Van Dyne felt rejected for accidentally damaging some equipment for one of Pym's projects. Deciding to leave Giant-Man, the Wasp abandoned their partnership. However, she was captured by the Atlantean barbarianAttuma. As Giant-Man came to her rescue, their combined size-changing abilities tricked Attuma into believing all surface dwellers had such powers, causing him to flee and rekindling their partnership.^[67]

Their relationship experienced another dramatic complication when the Avengers focused on theMaggia crime syndicate. Their secret leaderCount Nefaria invited the Avengers to his castle under the auspices of a charity gala. With his true intentions revealed, the Wasp was critically wounded by a gunshot.^[68] Rushed to a nearby hospital with her lung punctured, Van Dyne's only hope lied in a Norwegian surgeon named Dr. Svenson. The Avengers were shocked to learn Svenson was actually aKallusian alien hiding from their foes, theYirbek, on Earth. Brought to America, Svenson performed the surgery on the Wasp, successfully saving her life.^[69] Not long after, the Avengers defeated their archnemesis, the Masters of Evil and discussed the future of the group. The Wasp decided to take a leave of absence alongside Pym after her recent brush with death.^[70] Although they were not Avengers anymore, they maintained their partnership as a couple of independent vigilantes.

The Human Top's obsession with the Wasp escalated to the point that he kidnapped her in hopes of forcing her to fall in love with him. Tracking Van Dyne through her Wasp's cybernetic relays, Giant-Man reached the Human Top's hideout. Defeated by Giant-Man with the Wasp's help, the Human Top was handed over to the authorities. The stressful situation helped Pym to profess his love for Van Dyne, and they finally embarked on a romantic relationship.^[71] After this episode, they went into their first full retirement, got engaged to each other and dedicated their lives to scientific research.^[26]

Where Is Thy Sting?[]

Pym took on a job involving a deep-sea drilling operation to assess the origins of life on Earth, having Van Dyne as his assistant. Their operation caused earthquakes inAtlantis, drawingNamor the Sub-Mariner to attack their platform. Considering the savage Atlantean marching to New York City could be a threat, the Wasp decided to seek the Avengers out.^[72] En route, she was one more time captured by Attuma, who believed her to be a spy trying to stop his most recent plans to invade the surface world. The Wasp managed to break free and alert the Avengers, but in turn was restrained by the exoticCollector.^[73] The Avengers ultimately thwarted Attuma's plans for conquest.^[74]

With the Wasp missing, Pym contacted the Avengers for help and rejoined the group, rebranding himself as Goliath. Unexpectedly contacted by the Collector, the Avengers were challenged to come and get him at his secret hideout, where they battled through his various weapons as well as his minion, theBeetle. A defeated Collector teleported away with the Beetle. The Wasp was freed, but Goliath found himself permanently trapped in his giant-sized form, a result of a long time with no practice with his powers.^[75] Deeply depressed, the freakishly gigantic Goliath pushed the Wasp away and even left the Avengers Mansion. However, when the team was captured by theBlack Widow and her employees, theSwordsman andPower Man, the Wasp and Goliath fully returned to Avengers duty, easily trouncing their foes, who succeeded in escaping though.^[76]

Realizing that his old university professorDr. Franz Anton could be a solution to his problem, Goliath secretly went to South America with hopes of a cure, where he found that Anton was a prisoner of theKeeper of the Flame. The Wasp and the Avengers tracked down Goliath and escaped with Dr. Anton. When Goliath finally asked Dr. Anton for aid, he told the hero that only one man could possibly help: Dr. Henry Pym.^[77] Pym slowly overcame his depression by getting used to his condition, much to Van Dyne's delight. However, their relationship experienced another minor turmoil after Pym decided to rudely dismiss her as his assistant, hiring biochemistBill Foster to replace her.^[78]

Millionaire Heir[]

As a public figure, due to her activities both as a socialite and as an Avenger, Van Dyne became the obsession of a new villain,her friend's ex-boyfriend Arthur Parks, theLiving Laser. Seeking to win the Wasp's love, the Laser attacked Goliath at his lab, but the man-mountain easily defeated his foe, who then turned over to fellow AvengersCaptain America andHawkeye. The Living Laser broke free and made the Wasp and the Avengers his prisoners.^[79] Learning that the Avengers were in trouble, Goliath tracked the Laser down to his base. However, by the time he arrived the Living Laser had already absconded with the Wasp, trying to overthrow the nation ofCosta Verde. The Avengers launched an attack against the Laser's forces. During the course of the battle, Goliath allowed himself to get captured. Previously regaining his shrinking powers with Foster's help, he was able to free himself and the Wasp. The Avengers then crushed the Living Laser's invasion.^[80]

When examining the robotDragon Man as part of his initial studies on artificial intelligence, Pym was approached by Dragon Man's former controller,Diablo. Wishing to have the creature restored to life, Diablo took both Goliath and the Wasp prisoners.^[81] By threatening the Wasp's life, Diablo forced Goliath to build an army of Dragon Men in a plot to take over the world. The Avengers came to help, but Goliath was forced to fight his comrades as he did not wish the Wasp to get hurt. However, the Avengers' newest allyHercules defeated Dragon Man and saved the Wasp, taking Diablo prisoner and destroying his castle.^[82] During this crisis, Van Dyne turned 23 and, as a consequence, fully inherited her family fortune, effectively becoming a millionaire.^[27]

Reinventing himself as Whirlwind, the Wasp's stalker previously known as the Human Top decided to get revenge against his old enemies. Taking on the false identity of "Charles Matthews", Whirlwind worked for the now millionaire Van Dyne as her chauffeur. This allowed him to know in detail when to strike the Avengers Mansion. Whirlwind made his move by using a shrinking ray to reduce the Wasp and Goliath down to ant-size and toss them into Pym's ants' habitat. Without any control devices and having their size-changing powers negated, the couple was forced to fend for themselves against the insects. Eventually, Pym got to a miniaturized cybernetic control center and created an ant-controlling headpiece which allowed them to escape their death trap. Whirlwind was forced to flee when confronted by the other Avengers, but managed to keep his secret alter ego unrevealed.^[83] In order to get their minds off of this recent drama, the couple decided to take a short vacation trip to Las Vegas.^[84]

'Til Death Do Us Part[]

After fighting many enemies, both the Wasp and the Avengers met their most formidable foe in the form ofUltron, the living automaton. Masquerading as the macabre Crimson Cowl and manipulating the Avengers' butler,Edwin Jarvis, Ultron attacked the Avengers alongside a new group of Masters of Evil, which included Whirlwind. Helped by theBlack Knight, the Wasp and the Avengers were victorious against the Masters. Ultron, however, managed to escape after revealing his true identity.^[85] The humanoid machine continued to plot against the Avengers by sending a creation of his own to infiltrate Avengers Mansion:a synthetic man with ethereal abilities. Shocked by the lifeless and unearthly apparition inside her quarters, the Wasp verbally expressed the terror caused by such an inhuman "vision". As the other Avengers came to her rescue, the android was incapacitated and then analyzed. Adopting the name the Vision after the Wasp's reaction, the artificial man overcame Ultron's programming and led the Avengers to his former master's hideout. Ultron was apparently destroyed, but the mystery behind his hate against the Avengers remained.^[86] During their investigation, the Avengers came upon the ruins of one of Pym's former laboratories, where Pym had access to records of himself creating Ultron, a consequence of his interest in artificial intelligence for studying Dragon Man. Ultron, having a fast-evolving intelligence, rebelled against his "father". As a final act during their fight, Ultron erased Pym's memory about his existence and left the devastated site. Later, Van Dyne found her debilitated partner, but only after all traces of Ultron had vanished.^[87]

Ultron's attack proved to have a deep impact on Pym's psyche. This was aggravated by a combination of his emotional repression and the chemicals that he had inadvertently been exposing himself to, which triggered a schizophrenic episode. His memories of Hank Pym were submerged and his inhibitions were pushed to the fore. Developing a new identity as the chauvinistic Yellowjacket in order to antagonize Goliath's insecure attitude, Pym forged himself into an assertive lover to the Wasp. Using his villainous new alias, he fabricated a story in which he believed he had defeated Goliath in battle, shrinking him down to size and leaving him to die at the hands of a spider. The grieving Avengers clashed with their teammate's "murderer", which ended with the heroes defeated and Janet Van Dyne as Yellowjacket's prisoner. When the Avengers came to the Wasp's rescue, much to their shock and surprise, she informed them that she intended to marry her obnoxious captor.^[88]

A bizarre wedding ceremony went through, and the catering staff had been unknowingly replaced by theRingmaster and hisCircus of Crime. Seeing Van Dyne in peril at the hands of the villains, Yellowjacket at first cracked under the pressure but then used Goliath's growing powers, revealing to his teammates that he was Hank Pym all along. The Circus of Crime was easily defeated by Avengers easily turned over to the authorities. With Pym's mind seemingly restored, the just-married couple was able to enjoy some happiness.^[10]

During their honeymoon, Pym deduced that his growing powers were partially responsible for his schizophrenic episode and decided to retire as Goliath in favor of maintaining his Yellowjacket identity, using his shrinking powers once again. With the end of their honeymoon, the Wasp and her husband accompanied the Avengers on a mission to rescue the Black Widow in the Caribbean, which turned out to be a trap set by Egghead,^[89] who continuously targeted the Avengers, seeking revenge against his old foes Hank Pym and the Wasp with no success.^[90] Another ghost of the Pyms' past manifested in the form of a failed attack executed by a recovered Ultron.^[91] Following some other missions alongside his wife and the Avengers, Pym was eventually offered an assignment by the government to study inAlaska. Since he accepted the proposal, Yellowjacket and the Wasp permanently left the Avengers and resumed their activities as researchers.^[92]

Monster Wasp[]

While visiting the Avengers Mansion, the Wasp was shocked to find it occupied by theLiberators, an all-female group commanded by the warrior woman named theValkyrie, who had managed to convince her associates to turn against their male teammates. The Wasp assisted the Liberators in interrupting a conflict between the Avengers and the Masters of Evil. With the Avengers overpowered, the Valkyrie was revealed to be the villain Amora the Enchantress and was fended off by the Liberators.^[11]

Later on, during one of their investigations, the Pyms lost contact with their research colleagues, being forced to become Yellowjacket and the Wasp to search for them. In the frigid Arctic, they found an atypically tropical environment. Unexplainably, Yellowjacket knocked the Wasp out and sent her back to safety. She contacted the Avengers to go to her missing husband's rescue. Inside the dense jungle, the Avengers were attacked by theKreeAccuserRonan, who had captured and devolved Pym and the other scientists into primitive beings, an experiment to facilitate his intentions of dominating Earth.^[93] Pym's affection for the Wasp prevented him from causing her any harm in his devolved state. Although Ronan would probably come out victorious by subduing all the Avengers, he was forced to abandon his plans upon learning theKree Empire was under attack bySkrulls. With his base destroyed, Pym was restored to his former self and, alongside the Wasp, once again uttered his intentions of permanently retiring from his super-hero activities.^[94]

The Pyms eventually returned to New Jersey, where Hank kept on performing his studies as a chemist. Unfortunately, his experiments caused him to become permanently trapped in his ant-size form.^[95] After an arduous journey back home as the tiny Ant-Man,^[96] he learned that, in the days that he was missing, Charles Matthews had taken advantage to get closer to the Wasp. As she rejected Matthews, Pym managed to get her attention and reveal his recent and unfortunate condition. As Pym's lab assistant once again, the Wasp helped him to develop a cure. However, the pair was attacked by Matthews in his secret identity as Whirlwind. Escaping Whirlwind, the Wasp also found herself trapped in her shrunken form from testing an antidote for her husband. The villain returned to the Pyms' house and the tiny couple had no choice but to abandon their home. With the building burned to the ground, the press assumed that the Pyms were killed in the fire.^[97]

Shrunken down as insects, the Pyms struggled to survive, being captured by a mad scientist calledBoswell, who was a servant of his own mechanoid creation, thePara-Man. Ant-Man and the Wasp escaped, destroying Boswell's laboratory. However, in the process, the Wasp was mutated into a monstrous creature as a side effect of the ineffective antidote.^[98] Behaving as a killer wasp, she attempted to murder her own husband. In order to defend himself, Ant-Man used hishelmet to connect with her biology, reversing the transformation.^[99] In their quest for help, the Pyms were then met by the nefariousDoctor Nemesis, who cured them only to blackmail Ant-Man into stealing technology from Avengers Mansion by holding the Wasp hostage. As Ant-Man rebelled, Nemesis was defeated, and the Pyms returned to their normal size and to their calm lives as researchers.^[100] Although retired, the couple of adventurers found themselves back in occasional super-hero activities, such as when protecting their allyRick Jones from the Living Laser and theLunatic Legion.^[101]

Once An Avenger, Always An Avenger[]

Pym's constant frustration as a failed scientist led to an erratic behavior that worried the Wasp, who in turn consulted a psychiatrist for help. Willing to revive their happier times, she decided to restore their super-hero careers.^[33] Claiming to have grown bored of her leave of absence, the winsome Wasp contacted the Avengers and asked to go back to active duty. Although Pym preferred to stay a mere scientist, he initially agreed to accompany his wife in the Avengers as Yellowjacket. Almost immediately after their return, the Wasp was gravely wounded in an attack orchestrated by theToad.^[12] At the hospital, she became an easy target for Whirlwind, who once again obsessively attempted to kidnap her. Failing after being met by the Avengers, Whirlwind tried to approach his victim as Charles Matthews. Finally, after years of deceit, Charles Matthews was outed as Whirlwind by Yellowjacket. WithBeast's help, Whirlwind was defeated,^[102] which was followed by the Wasp's recovery.^[103][104]

The Wasp's excitement to resume her activities as an Avenger sporadically conflicted with Yellowjacket's apprehension and instability as a super-hero,^[105] although he remained with the team and the duo faced many dangers together. This led Yellowjacket to become interested in improving their super-abilities.^[106] However, before he could achieve his intentions, his instability escalated to the point that the Wasp found his laboratory in their home inCresskill completely destroyed, with him nowhere to be found. An amnesiac Hank Pym, in his Ant-Man persona, infiltrated Avengers Mansion and attacked his own teammates, being unable to recognize the newest Avengers due to his delusions. As the Wasp intervened, he was restrained and his recent mental issues exposed to the other Avengers. Returning home with the Beast, the Wasp was attacked and captured by Ultron, who in sequence apprehended Pym as well.^[33] In aStark International facility, Ultron set his macabre plan in motion by convincing a paranoid Pym to transfer the Wasp's consciousness into a metallic android body. Falsely alleging that the Wasp's life was at peril, Ultron, in fact, wished to activate a robotic bride for himself using the Wasp's brain patterns. The Avengers interrupted the process before its completion, but Ultron managed to flee, leaving Pym behind and completely insane.^[107]

Nevertheless, the Avengers succeeded in restoring Pym's psyche, and the couple took residence in a penthouse in Manhattan, where they came upon an injuredSpider-Man and were subsequently attacked byEquinox the Thermodynamic Man. During the ensuing battle, Yellowjacket was apparently slain, much to the Wasp's despair.^[108] The grieving Wasp and Spider-Man were then met by Dr.Margay Sorenson, Equinox's mother, who wished to activate a device to stop her son's rampage. In theBaxter Building, the trio was attacked both by Equinox and the malfunctioning building's defenses. Assisted by a pretty much alive Yellowjacket, the Wasp surprisingly knocked Equinox out with an upgraded version of her wrist sting. Yellowjacket revealed that he had engineered an improved Wasp serum that allowed her to convert the energy liberated during her shrinking into a powerful bio-electric blast. The process had been fully triggered by the stress of the Wasp witnessing her husband's apparent death.^[44]

Investing in her career as a fashion designer, Janet Pym established links with New York City's posh high society. In her first exhibition, inPark Avenue, the criminal the Porcupine and his lackeys attempted a robbery. Assisted byNighthawk, the Wasp and Yellowjacket defeated the assailants. During the attack, one of the models wearing Janet's outfits,Carina Walters, simply vanished, sparking the heroes' curiosity.^[28] The fate of Carina Walters was revealed only when the Avengers and their allies, theGuardians of the Galaxy, found her as a partner to the Guardians' enemy,Korvac.^[109] In between these events, the Wasp decided to move the female android created by Ultron to the Avengers Mansion as to keep it away from her house. There, the robot was activated.^[110] The Wasp and the other Avengers followed the artificial woman in an attempt to locate Ultron. Receiving the nameJocasta, the Wasp's robotic duplicate was influenced by her template's morality and turned against her creator, ultimately assisting the Avengers in destroying him.^[111]

Wishing to impress the Wasp with a birthday gift, Yellowjacket started to recraftDoctor Spectrum'sPower Prism as a piece of jewelry. Before he could neutralize the artifact's dreadful properties, a curious Wasp tampered with the gem, being possessed and becoming the new Doctor Spectrum. Defeating some of the Avengers by deceiving them with the Wasp's form, Doctor Spectrum was incapacitated by the Vision. The Avengers then focused on how to separate the Power Prism from Janet Pym's body without injuring her. Their mission led to a battle against theSquadron Sinister and the former Doctor Spectrum. With the Avengers victorious, the Wasp was safe to celebrate her birthday party.^[13]

The Trial of Yellowjacket[]

Following Korvac's execution at the hands of the Avengers,^[112]Henry Gyrich reduced the Avengers' active roster under theNational Security Council's orders. The Wasp was selected to compose the new formation, but Yellowjacket was not. For the first time in her career, the Wasp would act without Pym. Regardless, the couple dealt with the separation easily, as Yellowjacket was interested in focusing on his research.^[113] The Wasp's tenure with the Avengers was relatively tranquil for her, although she gradually grew distant from her husband.^[114] She also served with theDefenders under theHellcat's request, a period when she was reunited with Yellowjacket in super-hero adventures.^[115]

When Avengers Mansion was invaded by a runaway inmate from theSolomon Institute for the Criminally Insane namedSelbe, the Wasp was the one who stumbled upon him. Contrary to the other Avengers' opinions, she believed that there was something oddly unusual about the institute. With the disturbed Selbe hospitalized again, she secretly went to investigate the situation by herself.^[116] Realizing the Wasp's intentions, the Avengers contacted Yellowjacket for help. In turn, Yellowjacket recruited the newAnt-Man to assist in the mission. The Wasp, trying to help Selbe escape, was captured by the institute's owner,Dr. Solomon. Yellowjacket and Ant-Man rescued the Wasp, learning the mental institution was actually a criminal academy run by the peculiarTaskmaster.^[117] The villain was defeated with the other Avengers' intervention, and the insect-themed trio was freed. As a consequence, Yellowjacket found himself closer to the Avengers again.^[118]

With Pym away when attending an electronics symposium inTokyo, the Wasp was attacked at their home by one of Ultron's mechanical creations.^[119] Fleeing to Avengers Mansion, the Wasp had the Avengers' help in saving a capturedScarlet Witch and a mind-controlled Iron Man from Ultron, who was destroyed one more time.^[120] Soon after, under Captain America's decision to limit the number of active Avengers again, the team suffered with the resignation of several members. To keep the team functional, Hank Pym rejoined as Yellowjacket, once again working alongside his wife.^[121] His comeback as an Avenger nurtured his wishes of thriving as a super-hero. As a nefarious consequence, he aggressively mistreated the Wasp, jealously believing himself to be diminished by her more successful career. At the same time, when the Avengers battled theElfqueen, Yellowjacket blasted the opponent in the back during a lull in the fighting while Captain America wished to talk her down. The combat was ultimately solved by the Wasp's efficient actions.^[122] Charged by the Avengers for reckless behavior and having his credentials temporarily suspended until facing a formal court-martial, Yellowjacket experienced increased frustration, which triggered another nervous breakdown.^[5]

In order to prove his worth before his court-martial, Yellowjacket secretly designed a robot to attack the Avengers Mansion. His creation could only be defeated by him, and he expected to be seen as a hero in the eyes of his teammates. A few days later, the Wasp infiltrated his laboratory, feeling worried about his activities, and protested upon learning of his plan. Pym lashed out, brutally striking his own wife. During his court-martial meeting, his plan went awry, since it was the Wasp who disabled the robot after Yellowjacket was overpowered by his own creation. Moreover, as the Avengers learned about his humiliating attack against the Wasp, Yellowjacket was expelled from the Avengers, leaving their headquarters in shame.^[5] Renouncing his name, Janet Van Dyne focused on her work as a fashion designer while arranging for a divorce. Pym soon approached her in their former house in Cresskill with absolutely no success in restoring their marriage.^[123]

The Avengers' Chairwoman[]

After a short period of vacations in theDominican Republic, the Wasp fully returned to the Avengers, proposing herself as the team's new chairwoman. In her first mission as the leader of the Avengers, she painfully had to confront Yellowjacket, who had been blackmailed by his nemesis Egghead into invading a Strategic Air Command base. Knocked out by the Wasp, Yellowjacket was arrested and sent to jail, being unable to link the attack to Egghead and prove his innocence.^[46] Next, the Avengers were summoned to the planetBa-Bani onMoondragon's request. As a peacemaker in Ba-Bani, Moondragon demanded their help to stop a rebellion. Soon, the Avengers learned about her elaborate deception to trick them, as the behavior in Ba-Bani had been telepathically staged by Moondragon, who in turn forced Thor to attack the Avengers. Joined byDrax the Destroyer, the Wasp effectively led the Avengers to put an end to Moondragon's irresponsible mind-controlling rule.^[124]

Considering the inclusion of new Avengers after the crisis with Moondragon, the Wasp invited several super-heroines to her home to discuss possible memberships, as she was interested in having more female teammates. The meeting was interrupted byFabian Stankowicz a.k.a. the Mechano-Marauder, who was easily defeated by the Wasp and her friends. As a result, the sensationalShe-Hulk accepted the Wasp's offer to become an Avenger, and the two became good friends.^[125] Another offer was made tothe new Captain Marvel, who became an Avenger-in-training on the Wasp's recommendation.^[61] As for her personal life, Janet Van Dyne caught the interest of her teammate, Iron Man, who saw in her many similarities to his lifestyle. In his Tony Stark playboy identity, Stark easily approached her, since they frequented the same upmarket spaces. Within weeks, they embarked on a vibrant relationship, without the Wasp knowing Stark was actually her long-time ally Iron Man though. Stark's scheme led Captain America and Thor to call him out. Upon learning the truth, Van Dyne disappointedly decided to interrupt their up-and-coming love story.^[126]

Around this period, after escaping prison, Whirlwind replaced the Wasp'schauffeur in order to get closer to her again. His failed plan attracted the attention of the Avengers not only to himself but also to the new Masters of Evil, who had been reformed by Egghead.^[127] Days later, as Pym faced his trial for treason, Egghead sent his Masters of Evil to break into the courthouse and stage a situation in which Pym would be seen as a villain. The Avengers failed to prevent Pym's abduction, and a horrified Wasp witnessed her ex-husband leave with their enemies.^[128] However, theShocker, one of the Masters, was captured by the Avengers and revealed Egghead's involvement. Pym's reputation was partially cleared, and the Wasp led the Avengers to save him from the Masters of Evil.^[129] With Egghead killed in action and the Masters of Evil apprehended, Pym was proven innocent of being a traitor. At Avengers Mansion, Van Dyne and the Avengers decided to probe into Pym's psyche with his consent in order to look for any potential mind control, but found none. Finally taking responsibility for his past mistakes, Pym rejected the Yellowjacket equipment for good. Before he permanently left Avengers Mansion, Van Dyne came to terms with her ex-husband, finally completing her grieving process and being able to hope for future joy.^[130] In time, Van Dyne and Pym were able to form a friendship.^[131]

Following Pym's departure, the Wasp had to cope with the death of Jocasta and the resignation of Iron Man, who had succumbed to alcoholism.^[132] Fortunately, the challenge of being the Avengers' chairwoman helped her feel alive. Her competence and cheerful attitude as an empathetic and savvy leader to the Avengers made her a publicly beloved heroine and an influential figure. In addition to many successful missions, her keen social skills also proved to be highly beneficial to the Avengers, as she tactfully managed to reduce government bureaucracy by being in direct contact with the White House.^[61][133]

Battleworld[]

Comprising the group of super-humans summoned toBattleworld by theBeyonder, the Wasp and some other Avengers took part in hisSecret Wars experiment. Upon arrival, the Wasp was cautious aboutMagneto, who was also among the abducted heroes.^[134] As the Avengers clashed with him, she was captured. Apparently seduced by Magneto, Van Dyne revealed she had played along to find out his plans. Evading Magneto and his new allies, theX-Men, she escaped in an alien aircraft and took refuge with the outcastLizard. Unfortunately, the Wasp was mortally wounded by theWrecker when theWrecking Crew was dispatched byDoctor Doom to retrieve the Lizard. Left in a death-like state, she was ultimately revived by the alien healerZsaji, being then transported to Earth as the war ended with Doctor Doom's defeat.^[135]

On Earth, while the Wasp was part of the Beyonder's experiment, the Vision, who had been recently repaired by the Titanian intelligenceI.S.A.A.C., suspiciously took control of the Avengers. Upon her return, the Wasp decided to step down as chairwoman in favor of the Vision's leadership.^[136] Bored with a sudden lack of responsibilities, Van Dyne momentarily found in her teammateStarfox a good partner to enjoy frivolous parties in their free time. During one of their escapades, they found themselves in theEternal city ofOlympia by following their kidnapped party hostess,Sersi.^[137] The other Avengers tracked them down and went to their aid as the Eternals were attacked byMaelstrom.^[138]

Enjoying her life to the fullest, Van Dyne took another vacation period in theCaribbean, where she met her old friendTinky Weissman and the charmingPaul Denning, the latter secretly being the hitman known as Paladin. As the Wasp, she learned the identity of Paladin's target in the Caribbean: Weissman's partner, the nefariousBaron Brimstone. Although initially believing the Baron to be a victim, the Wasp realized his vile and criminal intentions and teamed up with Paladin to stop him. During the fight, Paladin revealed his true identity and occupation to the Wasp, and she decided to maintain their romance regardless.^[139] Around this period, Van Dyne became a shareholder ofNEVELL Industries. Whena trade union leader who was against NEVELL was murdered,Joe Robertson, the editor of theDaily Bugle, sent Peter Parker to cover the story. As Spider-Man, Parker reached Van Dyne to help him investigate the case. They came to the conclusion that drug-lordVince Granetti might be responsible for the killing. While Van Dyne bureaucratically dealt with the situation, Spider-Man came for Granetti, being attacked by his employee, Paladin. Paladin left Spider-Man under Granetti's orders to convince Van Dyne to sell her stocks. As they met, he asked her to stage a fight to protect his reputation, and she flirtatiously played along. Then, the Wasp, Paladin and Spider-Man teamed up to put an end to Granetti's criminal activities and blackmailing.^[140]

Under Siege[]

The Vision's tenure as the Avengers' chairman turned out to be a failure, since I.S.A.A.C.'s influence caused him to seize control of the entire world's computer systems, leading the National Security Council to revoke their security clearance.^[141][142] After the Wasp returned from her vacation, the Avengers asked her to return to her position as chairwoman, which she gladly accepted taking into account the Vision's previous machinations to make her renounce. New teammates were now placed under her supervision, such as the Black Knight, who would develop an unrequited crush on her, and Hercules, who would chafe at being given orders by a woman.^[143] After many missions with the Avengers, the Wasp tried the possibility of keeping her flight powers at almost full human size with the Black Knight's assistance. This came in handy when she found a prowler inside her house in Cresskill. The robber acquired Pym's gear, becoming the newYellowjacket. The Wasp knocked the villain out and got her arrested.^[144] Meanwhile, Hercules gradually increased his hostile feelings against the Wasp, as a result of her commands for him during battles.^[145]

The most serious test to the Wasp's leadership ability came when the Masters of Evil, now underBaron Helmut Zemo's leadership, struck against the Avengers by gradually undermining their operations. As part of their plan, the Wasp was put in direct combat againstMoonstone,^[146] followed by a fight against Yellowjacket, theScreaming Mimi, and theGrey Gargoyle during a prison break attempt when she was aided by her lover, Paladin.^[147] The culmination of the Masters of Evil's act was Avengers Mansion being conquered.^[148] The Wasp and Captain America attempted to furtively infiltrate the under-siege mansion, but their plan was foiled by the undisciplined and disrespectful Hercules, who got beaten into a coma by the Masters after going into open conflict with them.^[149] Being the only free Avenger, the Wasp found herself hopeless. She was then contacted by Ant-Man, who learned about the crisis. At the hospital where Hercules was admitted to, Ant-Man and the Wasp were unsuccessfully attacked by the powerful MastersTitania and theAbsorbing Man, who had been sent to finish Hercules off. Next, it was up to the Wasp to assemble the Avengers again and mount an assault to retake the mansion.^[150] Joined by Captain Marvel and Thor, the Wasp stroke back, rescuing the trapped Avengers, who in turn put an end to Zemo and his Masters of Evil.^[151]

Overtaken by the pressure of the siege to the Avengers Mansion, Van Dyne announced her resignation as the Avengers' chairwoman, going to reserve status. Before departing, she welcomedDoctor Druid to the team and nominated Captain America as active chairman in her absence.^[42] Her need of having time for herself was not fulfilled in an attempt to enjoy a vacation in the Caribbean, though, as she was abducted by the goddessArtemis under the orders of Hercules' fatherZeus, who blamed the Wasp for his son's critical condition. The Wasp and the rest of the Avengers stood against Zeus onOlympus until the gods saw sense and ended the hostilities. After making amends with Hercules, the Wasp returned home safe and sound and said a final goodbye to her old teammates.^[152]

West Coast[]

With Iron Man leaving the Avengers'West Coast branch as a result ofhaving his technology usurped and acting erratically, the wondrous Wasp offered her support to the team. This meant to be working alongside Pym again, who had become associated with the group. Although their leader Hawkeye was initially distrustful of the Wasp's intentions, she was welcomed to the group after a trip to the Grand Canyon.^[41] The drama of rejoining her ex-husband escalated when he was targeted by a legion of his very first enemies in Central Europe. The initial attack comprised Pym getting access to intel that his late wife was alive. During the fights, the Wasp closely assisted Pym, who in turn managed to restore her prosthetic antennae, allowing her to control insects.^[153] As one of the masterminds behind the operation was revealed to be the traitorousQuicksilver,^[154] the Avengers were briefly captured by the newDoctor Doom inLatveria. When captive, Pym and Van Dyne grew closer, although she was explicitly adamant about sustaining their divorce.^[155] With Quicksilver and the villains defeated, Pym decided to dedicate his energy to saving his debilitated ex-wife, earning the Wasp's support and admiration for that.^[156]

Less involved with the Avengers compared to the past, Janet focused on being a businesswoman forVan Dyne Industries, although she would still experience astonishing adventures, such as when she recognized and disabled theRed Ronin robot in aStane International hardware exposition.^[157] In the West Coast Avengers missions, the Wasp proved, as usual, to be an efficient and reliable player, frequently being a voice of reason in the team,^[158] even advising her teammates on personal matters.^{[159][160][161]} Although she did well, the same could not be said about her teammates, especially the Vision and the Scarlet Witch, who had their lives ruined by the successful machinations ofImmortus, costing them the lives of their twin children, a tragic event that the Avengers could not prevent.^[162] The Scarlet Witch's vulnerability made her an easy prey to Immortus, as she eventually succumbed to villainy and associated herself with Magneto and Quicksilver.^[163] The Wasp was momentarily captured by Magneto, but saved by the other Avengers, who then managed to fend Magneto off.^[164] Next, the Avengers went to war against Immortus, who was defeated after the Scarlet Witch broke free from his influence. Although the Avengers returned home alive, they were forever scarred by the tragedy.^[165]

By chance, when dealing with a flat tire, Van Dyne and Pym came upon a wheat farm secretly run by Ultron and found some of his robotic creations.^[166] Some of the Avengers tracked Ultron down,^[167] but were kidnapped and technologically forced by Ultron to attack their own teammates. Freed by the Scarlet Witch,^[168] the Avengers prevented Ultron from causing a massacre in the Rose's parade.^[169] Immediately after this incident, as the West Coast Avengers had their roster reformed; both Van Dyne and Pym decided to resign from active status, each one going their separate ways.^[170] In Hollywood, Van Dyne contemplated working as a screenwriter, but it did not work out as expected.^[31] As the Wasp, she returned to the East Coast as a reserve Avenger,^[171] and, in times of need, reassembled with her former friends to combat evil.^[172][173] She even teamed up with Pym and the Hulk to overcome one of Loki's pawns, the madKnut Caine.^[174]

The Crossing[]

Out of the Avengers, Van Dyne was slightly afflicted by tormenting thoughts about Pym and their troublesome relationship. To remedy her frustration, she went into a high-society life, ostentatiously enjoying her fortune. However, no ordinary life could match her previous experiences as an Avenger. Instead, she decided to reactivate her fashion career; her comeback was celebrated with a first-class ball, which was party-crashed by a gigantic Pym. Janet was subsequently introduced by Pym and Bill Foster toProject B.I.G., an orchard engineered to produce super-sized crops, which also counted with enormous insects. Sometime later, the immense bugs went berserk and attracted the attention of the military. Defeated and apprehended, Pym was sent to a mental institution run by the government, while Foster and Ant-Man worked on a solution for the mutations afflicting Pym Particle subjects. Janet herself experienced an exponential size growth and a mental breakdown during a therapy session withDr. Rossin. Pym was set free with Captain America's intervention, and the Avengers attempted to restrain the rampaging giant-sized Wasp. As Pym learned who the authors of the recent incidents were, namely creatures from Kosmos andErik Josten, the villains were defeated. Janet recovered, rekindling her ties to Pym and the Avengers.^[175]

Added to her difficulties with Pym, Van Dyne unexpectedly went bankrupt,^[176] learning days later throughher lawyer that Tony Stark was responsible for sabotaging her finances.^[177] Van Dyne openly confronted Stark for cleaning her out,^[178] and the Avengers realized, considering other incidents as well, that Stark might be an enemy. This was confirmed when he attacked the team as Iron Man. In order to protect Hercules, Van Dyne took a repulsor beam fired by Stark armored up as Iron Man and was mortally wounded. Attempting to heal her injuries, Pym redundantly exposed Janet Van Dyne to the procedure that originally gave her super-powers.^[179] The process triggered a profound transformation, with Van Dyne being morphed into an almost completely wasp-like form.^[180] In perfect health, the monstrous Wasp joined the Avengers in their war against Stark. Corrupted byKang the Conqueror, Stark was replaced by ateenage version of himself from an alternate past before perishing in battle. Following this fundamental crisis, the Wasp rejoined the Avengers full-time.^[181][182]

Coping relatively well with her new form, the Wasp exhibited an outstanding performance in missions for the Avengers.^[183] However, despite her apparent comfort, Pym was worried about her condition and inadvertently tagged the Wasp with a transceiver in order to monitor her. Having learned about his intervention, an enraged Wasp called him out and expressed her desire to be the only person in her life to take care of herself.^[184] Soon after, the Avengers were contacted byNate Grey, who alerted them aboutProfessor X's insane transformation intoOnslaught.^[185] The Wasp was among the Avengers who sacrificed themselves to absorb the energy of Onslaught, but not before making amends with Pym.^[186][187]

Heroine Reborn[]

In reality, the heroes were shunted to analternate dimension created by the unconscious actions ofFranklin Richards. In this pocket reality, the Wasp worked closely with the Avengers.^[188] Although the Avengers had not fallen in the battle, the world mourned their apparent death for months. Upon the eventual return of the heroes to their home reality, the Wasp maintained her human appearance and rekindled her romantic relationship with Pym.^[189] The founding members of the Avengers soon reassembled in the Avengers Mansion to reform the team in face of bizarre mystic crises all over the globe. Their adversary was revealed to beMorgan le Fay, who cast a reality altering spell, reshaping the whole world intoa medieval setting and transforming the Avengers into her personal guard, theQueen's Vengeance. In this brand old world, the Wasp was "Pixie", but was able to see through Morgan's illusion alongside a few other Avengers.^[190] Forced to fight their brainwashed allies, the Avengers were successful in defeating le Fay and restoring reality back to normal.^[191] Back to the mansion, the Wasp announced her leave of absence with Pym, as she wished to rebuild her investments.^[192]

When theDestiny Force within Rick Jones was triggered again, Immortus schemed for his destruction. Using his abilities, Jones brought forth champions to protect him. The Wasp and Pym, who had gone back to his Goliath identity, found themselves part of a diverse team composed of Avengers from various moments in time.^[193] Annoyingly, one of their teammates was Pym himself, removed from his Yellowjacket era. The Wasp took leadership of thetime-displaced Avengers, who were unusually assisted by Kang in defending Jones.^[194] Travelling through the timestream, the group met different moments and possibilities of their history while counter-attacking Immortus and trying to prevent theTime-Keepers from wiping out different timelines to incapacitate the Destiny Force. In the end, by assembling dozens of Avengers, Jones ended the threat of the Time-Keepers and the heroes returned to their proper time.^[195]

The Wasp soon returned to full active duty as an Avenger after Pym was attacked by Ultron in his laboratory atNugent Technologies.^[196] Coming to the Avengers in person since her communicard had been damaged, she was led to a Wakandan adamantium plant, where the Avengers foughtAlkhema and learned Ultron had made a move to raze the nation ofSlorenia.^[197] When searching for Pym, the Avengers were attacked by an army of Ultron replicas, who abducted those considered to be his family, including his "mother", the Wasp.^[198] Ultron's scheme to create an artificial society was shattered by the Avengers as he was destroyed by Pym himself.^[199] The Wasp and Goliath stayed with the Avengers after their last conflict with Ultron.^[200] Stepping up to active status again, the Wasp was further appointed as chairwoman when a new roster of Avengers was formed, personally inviting her friend the She-Hulk to the team once more.^[47]

Working as a super-hero with the Avengers again, Van Dyne soon realized the fragility of Pym's mental health since, in one of their first missions, traces of his Yellowjacket personality emerged. Unbeknownst to the Avengers, the Pym Particles in Goliath's body spawned a replica of his body, which was manifested as Yellowjacket.^[201] Expanding the Avengers' operations, the Wasp led the Avengers in many different battles facing diverse threats, but none compared to a world-level invasion staged by Kang the Conqueror. As part of his first and very serious strike, the Wasp witnessed Kang destroyUnited Nations Headquarters.^[202] Dealing with several crises around the globe, the Wasp and her Avengers had the additional preoccupation of facing the resurgence of Yellowjacket, who had kidnapped and replaced his Goliath counterpart. Unable to maintain his corporal integrity, Yellowjacket was tended by the Wasp.^[203] At Avengers Mansion, he revealed the truth about Goliath and asked the Wasp to rescue him before both of them vanished. Helped byTriathlon and theTriune Understanding, the Wasp communed with both Goliath and Yellowjacket, assisting Pym to merge his conflictual psyche.^[189] Concurrently, Kang's actions were unstoppable^[204] and, among so much destruction, the Wasp had no other choice but to surrender to his will, formally signing Earth's submission to the conqueror.^[205] In time, the Wasp and the Avengers reassembled to assault Kang,^[206] putting an end to his invasion, though with difficulty.^[207]

Yellowjacket and the Wasp stayed active together as Avengers for sporadic missions.^[208] They also took opportunities to explore their romance. InLas Vegas, during one of their tours, Pym proposed to Van Dyne, who rejected the idea of being married to him again. The couple was interrupted by a vicious Whirlwind, who was knocked out and detained.^[209] Back to the Avengers, the Wasp tried out the growth properties of the Pym Particles, occasionally going on field asGiant-Woman, although she clumsily faced difficulties in transitioning from different sizes.^[210] Additionally, her relationship with Pym struggled with her resentment for his past actions and behavior,^[211] leading her to seek comfort with her teammate Hawkeye.^[212] When Pym learned about his ex-wife's affair with Hawkeye, their relationship was gravely damaged.^[213]

Skrull Invasion[]

One day, when discussing her new relationship with Hawkeye, Van Dyne offhandedly remarked on the Scarlet Witch's lost children, igniting a mental breakdown that caused the Scarlet Witch to turn against the Avengers.^[214] Ruined from within, the Avengers experienced several deadly incidents, such as the Wasp being put out of commission by a rampaging She-Hulk.^[215] In a deep coma in her micro-sized state, she was tended by Pym.^[216] Recovered and appreciating his care, Van Dyne decided to give another opportunity to the damaged relationship with her ex-husband while the Avengers, being completely destroyed by the Scarlet Witch, disassembled permanently. In order to live a civilian life, Van Dyne accompanied Pym to Oxford.^[217] Living in England with Pym proved to be a poor choice for Van Dyne, as the couple realized that they led totally incompatible lifestyles. Their damaged relationship came to an end when Van Dyne abandoned their apartment in the middle of the night. When trying to contact Pym, Van Dyne was surprised bya young woman in their apartment, which inspired her to cut off any ties to Pym. Unbeknownst to Van Dyne, Pym's lover was in fact a Skrull in disguise, who had just succeeded in adopting his identity.^[218]

Back in America, Janet Van Dyne refined her studio to create super-hero costumes.^[219][220] As the Wasp, she was summoned alongside other super-humans in a similar fashion such as the Beyonder's secret wars. Having previous experience with the situation, the other hostages looked up to her for advice. One of her fellow allies was Pym, with whom she still found herself unable to reconcile despite his attempts of winning her respect. The kidnapped group, being expected to fight to the death by their mysterious kidnapper, were tactically commanded by the Wasp when coming across threats.^[221] When trapped inLimbo, the Wasp shared withMedusa her emotional struggle in dealing with her relationship with Pym. In a dramatic turn of events, Pym seemingly disintegrated all of his peers, including the Wasp.^[222] This granted him direct contact with their real aggressor, theStranger. Pym then revealed that he had actually shrunk the other heroes down rather than eliminating them, tricking the Stranger. With the help of the new young heroGravity, who gave his life to ensure their escape, the group was able to return home to Earth.^[223]

Supporting the implementationSuperhuman Registration Act as a hero who had always been open about her identity, the Wasp joined Iron Man's Pro-Registration Super-Hero Unit.^[224] Hosting a reality TV show namedAmerica's Newest Superhero, Janet Van Dyne used her popularity to advocate the registration.^[30] The ideological differences with Captain America and his opposingSecret Avengers led to a brutalsuper-hero Civil War. The Wasp was distraught when her long-time friend Bill Foster was killed in battle when opposing Iron Man's forces.^[225] At the end of the war, a victorious Iron Man reformed the Avengers under theInitiative program.^[226]

Iron Man andMs. Marvel recruited the winsome Wasp to theira mighty team of Avengers.^[34] In their first operation, the Avengers retaliated against theMole Man and his biological aberrations, who were subsequently stressed out by bizarre weather and geological phenomena. During the battle Iron Man had his armor infected, transforming himself into a cyborg version of Van Dyne.^[39] The Wasp realized the Avengers, once again, faced Ultron and, with no other choice, resorted to contacting her ex-husband for help.^[34] Ultron easily outperformed the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D., causing chaos all over the globe with Starktech's weather control technology. Wearing Janet Van Dyne's appearance, he hacked broadcast systems to announce organic life's doomsday.^[227] The Avengers decided to act unpredictably by sending one of their own, the god of warAres, to disable Ultron from within at microscopic size.^[228] The plan was successful with the Wasp rescuing Ares from a terrible fate at the last minute.^[229] Fighting Ultron did little to remedy Van Dyne's ruined friendship with Pym.^[229] Still, he decided to present her with a new growth formula that would allow her to change sizes easily. This new ability came in handy when the Avengers fought asymbiote infestation in Manhattan. The gigantic Wasp was momentarily infected by the aliens but was soon cured by the Avengers, who pinpointed the source of the attack inLatveria.^[230] In retaliation, the Avengers invaded Latveria, defeated Doctor Doom and arrested him.^[231]

In addition to evil threats, the Avengers also clashed with theoutlawed Avengers who avoided registration.^[232] The two opposing groups found, however, a common enemy when investigating a Skrull spaceship in theSavage Land, evidence that Earth had been gradually infiltrated by the aliens in the past years.^[233] As Skrull sleeper agents were activated all over the world, ainvasion was set up.^[234] The Avengers were taken back to New York City byReed Richards to confront the Skrulls in a final battle,^[235] when the Wasp learned that Pym was in fact the Skrull warrior named Criti Noll. In a desperate and suicide attempt to change an imminent defeat, Criti Noll activated his contingency plan: the Wasp.^[236] The growth serum given to Van Dyne earlier had been tampered with in order to transform her into a monolithic, explosive bio-weapon on command. To minimize the damage of the Anti-Pym Particles, Thor scattered the Wasp's physical form, supposedly mercy-killing her. Her teammates avenged her death by defeating the remaining Skrulls. Following the war, the real Pym was rescued.^[48] In order to honor his late wife's memory, Pym adopted the alias of the Wasp^[237] and formed a new team ofAvengers.^[238]

Unity[]

In fact, the Wasp was not dead, but actually trapped in theMicroverse. For a long time she fended for herself, evading enemies with aims of calling for help. She ultimately signaledAvengers Tower using her Avengers' Priority Card.^[239] The emergency beacon was received and pinpointed by the original Avengers, who traveled to Microverse to retrieve her. There, they found the ruthless ruler of the area that the Wasp was in, the monstrousLord Gouzar.^[240] The Avengers escaped Gouzar by subduing his forces, but were followed by him to Earth. In an epic battle, the dictator was knocked out and sent back to his dimension. Returning home safe and sound, the Wasp invited the Avengers, past and present, to celebrate her comeback.^[49]

The Wasp's return took place shortly after thewar between the Avengers and the X-Men. In order to improve the tense relations between the two groups, the Avengers assembled an uncanny team comprising human and mutant members, theUnity Division.^[241] The popular Wasp was invited to join the ranks of the new initiative, based at Avengers Mansion. She confessed to expect dramatic challenges, which were somehow proved true byRogue's malicious attitude as a mutant Avenger.^[50] On the other hand, in team leader'sHavok, the Wasp found a charming teammate. Attempting to improve mutant perspective and collecting funds for the team, Van Dyne designed the "Unity" label, comprising emulating aspects of mutant fashion.^[7]

With the detonation of theTerrigen Bomb, latentInhuman abilities were triggered all over Earth. As a consequence, the Wasp and the Avengers came upon an Inhuman-related incident regarding agigantic man surrounded by a devastated area with his family and neighbors missing. Based on his explanations, the Wasp theorized that hisInhuman wife had the ability to transfer matter, enlarging objects by exchanging their mass with others, which would then be shrunken down. The Wasp then arduously returned to the Microverse one more time by being boosted by the Scarlet Witch. After overpowering Lord Gouzar, she rescued the distressed victims.^[242]

Avenge the Earth[]

The Avengers Unity Division met one of their biggest foes in the form of theApocalypse Twins, mutants who, after being traumatized by their caregiver Kang the Conqueror, intended to obliterate Earth and recreate it as a mutant planet. Their ideals of supremacy caused some of the Avengers, including the Wasp, to mistrust the activities of their mutant teammates, damaging the sense of unity of the group.^[243] The divided team tried to stop the villains independently, facing their vileHorsemen of Death in the process.^[244] Although the Wasp performed well against theSentry for instance, the Avengers could not prevent the Apocalypse Twins from being successful in their genocide. With Earth destroyed by the CelestialExitar, all mutantkind resettled inPlanet X being ruled byEimin.^[245]

As the sole human who had survived the whole ordeal, the Wasp became a fugitive resistance warrior alongside Havok, whom she married. Having onlyHank McCoy as an ally, the couple struggle to survive for years, being the only ones who knew about Eimin's true story and unable to time-travel due to a Tachyon Dam device. Moreover, the Wasp had a child with Havok, namedKatie. One day, when fightingX-Force, the Wasp was apprehended byMagneto, but not before destroying the Tachyon Dam. The hopeless war could change after Thor and Kang the Conqueror, alongside the latter'sChronos Corps, joined forces with Havok to depose Eimin and restore history.^[246] In order to protect Katie from being erased by alterations in the timeline, Kang caused her to be lost in time and space, out of her parents' reach. Meanwhile, the Wasp rejoined her husband in a ruse orchestrated by Eimin.^[247] After bringing the fight directly to Eimin and causing her rule to fall, Kang sent the memories of the surviving Avengers to the past in order to prevent Earth from being destroyed.^[248]

Back to the past with the knowledge of what would transpire, the Avengers set their plan to stop Exitar in motion. During the mission, the Wasp even managed to convince the Sentry to protect Earth. However, Kang showed his true colors by taking advantage of the situation to absorb Exitar's celestial energies and conquer Earth instead.^[249] Assisted by Immortus and hisInfinity Watch, the Avengers defeated Kang at tragic costs: Havok was left severely disfigured and Katie was forever lost in time.^[250] For weeks, Van Dyne tried to come to terms with the loss of her daughter with no success. After Havok recovered, the couple was approached by a benevolent Immortus, who, wishing to ease their pain, revealed that Katie could be conceived again but also that a plagued future was coming in the horizon.^[251]

Immortus' predictions were confirmed when theRed Skull, after turningGenosha into a mutant concentration camp and ascending as the Red Onslaught, telepathically broadcasted hate all over the world.^[252] Avengers and X-Men alike joined forces to defeat the Red Onslaught. During the fight, a magic spell cast by the Scarlet Witch and Doctor Doom accidentally inverted the moral axis of numerous heroes and villains, and the Wasp and other Avengers became tyrants.^[253] Alongside the otherinverted Avengers, she dishonestly incapacitated many other heroes. However, she was betrayed by a villainousCaptain America, who wished to use her Pym Particles to remove any opposition to his plans. She was retrieved by Havok and the inverted X-Men led byApocalypse, who stormed the Avengers Tower.^[254] The X-Men planned to detonate a gene bomb which would kill every non-mutant person on Earth. Havok tried to convince his allies to spare the Wasp's life.^[255] As the catastrophe was prevented, Havok tried to escape with the Wasp, claiming to have defused the bomb. Realizing his deceit, the Wasp turned on him and rejoined the inverted Avengers to prevent a potential reinversion of the affected heroes and villains. Nevertheless, a reinversion spell was cast, and the Wasp returned to her former self. However, Havok did not, by being shielded by Iron Man. To escape from the heroes, the evil Havok took the Wasp hostage and disappeared.^[256]

Rage of Ultron[]

Somehow, the Wasp managed to break free from Havok and soon rejoined the Avengers, once again working side by side with Pym. Pym exhibited a brand-new extreme intolerance against artificial intelligence, as shown when the Avengers opposed theDescendants and Pym coldly turned them off. Matters escalated when Starfox sought for the Avengers' help since Ultron had taken control of I.S.A.A.C. and Titan, with infectious transmuting spores that carried theUltron Virus. The infected Avengers, including the Wasp, were transformed into robotic beings. During the clash, Ultron was stopped by merging with Pym into a single being that fled to space in terror after realizing his contradictory existence. At the Avengers Mansion, Janet Van Dyne organized a funeral for her ex-husband.^[38] Being the executor of his estate, Van Dyne decided to treat Pym as legally dead. As part of his testament, she inherited Pym Laboratories^[257] and provided Ant-Man with one of Pym's microscopic labs, keeping the legacy of his work alive.^[258]

Months afterwards, the merged Ultron returned to Earth, claiming to be Pym in full control of the amalgam and intending to do good. Intercepted by Rogue, the leader of the Unity Division, Pym was taken to the Avengers Mansion.^[259] OnCaptain America's request, the Wasp caught up with Pym, with the ulterior motive to analyze his conduct to corroborate his identity. She immediately flunked him as certain trivial matters raised several red flags. The Unity Division pressed Pym until his Ultron persona lashed out, leading the Wasp to propose his total destruction.^[260] After a difficult fight against several Avengers, Ultron was forced into a remotely-pilotedHulkbuster Armor directed to theSun.^[261] After this incident, the Wasp loyally remained with the Unity Division even after they were officially decommissioned by Captain America.^[262] After putting an end to the Red Skull, the Wasp left the Avengers one more time^[8] but reunited with her teammates when New York was put under siege duringHydra's takeover. Although she had some minor disagreements with Rogue's way of leading the group, they resolved their differences for a greater good.^[263] Eventually, the Wasp realized Rogue's ability to inspire the group and insisted for her to take the lead of the unofficial team.^[264]

The Unstoppable Wasps[]

In the interim, the Avengers were met by a brilliant young womanadopting the Wasp's identity intheir headquarters. Claiming to be the daughter of Pym and his first wife who had just escaped theRed Room, she asked for asylum with the family she had never met. Jarvis introduced her to Janet Van Dyne, who blissfully took Nadia to super-hero adventures.^[18] Willing to share her Wasp identity with Nadia, her predecessor expressed her fondness for her step-daughter.^[265] During their time together, Nadia was intercepted by undercoverW.H.I.S.P.E.R. agents who attempted to deport her. The Wasps defeated them together, forming a strong bond.^[266] Nadia was prompted to startG.I.R.L., an enterprise counting the Earth's greatest female scientific minds.^[267] Janet Van Dyne got involved with G.I.R.L. when the Red Room attacked their installations. She personally fought the Red Room's mercenaries, Whirlwind and theBeetle, in order to prevent them from harming Nadia and her colleagueYing.^[268] Janet took the young women under their wing, integrating G.I.R.L. into Pym Labs, and also serving as a mentor figure. Moreover, Janet arranged Nadia's documentation as Pym's daughter, which led Nadia to ask permission to adopt "Van Dyne" as her surname. Janet honorably complied, solidifying a maternal relationship with the all-new, all-different Wasp.^[19]

The two Wasps formed an unstoppable team, with Janet helping Nadia deal with her bipolar disorder.^[269] Additionally, when the young Wasp was targeted both by herformer captor andA.I.M., Janet Van Dyne found herself confronting her old serial stalker Whirlwind again.^[270] In the end, the villains were defeated by the combined efforts of the Wasps and their friends from G.I.R.L.^[271] The Wasps also teamed up in the Avengers when Earth was taken in a mysterious contest, and many heroes were frozen up, including Janet.^[272] She was back to action with the Avengers to replace the fallenHuman Torch.^[273] Leading the battle to the one responsible, the Elder of the Universe known as theChallenger, the Wasps and the Avengers saved the world.^[274] Next, the Avengers reformed with theBlack Panther as their chairman, who enlisted the winsome Wasp to become part of the team's support crew, theAgents of Wakanda, who performed parallel missions to the Avengers' best interests.^[275][276]

Love Bytes[]

Around this time, Janet Van Dyne and Stark acted on their latent romantic feelings for each other and began dating again after she visited Stark Unlimited to help Jocasta. She constantly joined Iron Man in his super-hero adventures,^[277] helping him fight off theRaiders,^[278] theController,^[279] andSadurang.^[280] Van Dyne also dealt both with Stark and Jocasta's personal struggles regarding conflicts with their humanity and their artificial programming.^[281] During one of her outings with Stark, the Wasp was kidnapped by an amalgamation of the Vision andWonder Man controlled by a returned Ultron,^[282] who intended to use a molecular fusion process on the Wasp to merge her with Jocasta. Iron Man intervened with the help ofMachine Man and became fused to his armor instead.^[283] The Wasp assisted Stark in fighting Ultron and in unmerging him from his suit in a process that required them to guide amicroscopic armor inside his body.^[284] As a conflicted Ultron surrendered, Stark broke up with Van Dyne, believing himself to be an unworthy artificial duplicate of his original self.^[285] Sorting out his identity crisis after leading an artificial intelligence revolution, Stark left it in the open on where his relationship with Van Dyne might go in the future,^[286] but eventually both agreed they had moved on from it.^[287]

Predicting the ascension of the chaos demon lordChthon through the liberation of theDarkhold, the Scarlet Witch attempted to intervene by magically summoning theDarkhold Defenders, warriors who could defeat Chthon before his rising. The Wasp was one of the chosen, being the "artist" of the gathered group. As the heroes read from the Book of Sins to prevent Chthon from manifesting, its pages utterly corrupted them, transforming them in demonic alternate versions of themselves.^[288] The Wasp was changed into a vicious version of herself who had killed Hank Pym after suffering from domestic violence.^[289] The Scarlet Witch sent this Darkhold Defiled to march against Chthon regardless. There, the Wasp foughtJames-Michael Starling, who had been trapped in Chthon's realm. After overpowering Chthon, the Scarlet Witch restored her champions, including the Wasp, to their former selves. The Wasp then searched for Starling, welcoming him back to Earth as the new Omega the Unknown.^[16]

The Avengers responded to an emergency call byDr. Laila Aziz about the "ember wave" phenomenon, and the Wasp and Namor volunteered to help on board theS.S. Henson inMadripoor. They foundEnclave agents behind the crisis, who were kidnapping influential figures to shape people's behavior. The Wasp shrunk down the hostages to rescue them from a facility deep in the sea. In her miniature size, she then accompanied Namor in the crushing pressures of the seafloor to find Dr.Sylvia Fontaine, the rogue operative who collaborated the Enclave. Dueling a marine monster, the Wasp removed a device created by Fontaine that disturbed the creature's reasoning and also reduced it in size so it would not be a danger. As Fontaine was brought to answer for her reckless actions, the Wasp enjoyed the tropical weather of Madripoor and sunbathed.^[290] The Beyonder embroiled the Avengers in his cosmic war against theLost One. He amplified the abilities ofSel Sennan, an alien that generated psychic strife, turning people against the Avengers. As a consequence, the Wasp was attacked byConstance, a dear friend that she had had since childhood. Constance was empowered with fantastic powers and attacked the Wasp physically and emotionally, sharing bitter truths. The Wasp was forced to become giant-sized in her battle, that only ended when Sel Sennan was neutralized. In the end, despite sharing they did have issues with each other, the two friends reconciled.^[291]

Avengers, Inc.[]

Janet Van Dyne reformed her father's formerlaboratory in New York City to also serve as an upscale recreational bar, an attempt at strengthening relationships in the super-heroic community to prevent misunderstandings from escalating. Around this period, she related to Nadia about the murder of her grandfatherJanos Trovaya, since Janet had also been motivated to avenge her father's death in the past. They were unexpectedly attacked by Whirlwind at G.I.R.L. Labs, and Janet immediately identified their aggressor was being manipulated by W.H.I.S.P.E.R.^[32] After Nadia's investigation identified the use of formic acid, Janet linked the incidents to the Creature from Kosmos. While attempting to locate the source of the attack, the two Wasps were attacked byFantasma. Having defeated a legion of mechanical Wasp doppelgängers, they made it to the Creature of Kosmos,^[292] only to be trapped in anillusory existence where they had never met Hank Pym. In this reality, Janet solved her father's murder by herself, becoming the super-agent known as the Avenger who directed a version of Earth's Mightiest Heroes herself. The Creature of Kosmos then merged Janet's false reality with the one that he had created for Nadia. As the Orphan, Nadia Trovaya was a Red Room top-tier operative assigned to murder the Avenger.^[14] With Jarvis' intervention, the Wasps overcame the illusory conditioning. Janet recommended Nadia to adjust aCathexis ray gun to firecosmic radiation at the Creature of Kosmos. With the gun, Janet destroyed it for good and fully avenged her father.^[293]

The web of mysteries that the wondrous Wasp was involved in became more complex when six super-villains, including Whirlwind, were murdered in the prison cells of theRaft. MayorLuke Cage contacted her at Jarvis Lounge, proposing an intervention. Due to thePower Act, an official team of super-heroes could not operate in the city, forcing Van Dyne to visit the Raft in her civilian identity. At the morgue, the dead villains were revived and attacked her, but she was actually helped by Whirlwind, who displayed powers that mimicked those of the Vision, claiming the nameVictor Shade. After re-arresting the villains, Van Dyne recruited Shade to found a business for consulting and investigating mysteries involving costumed superhumans and avenge unjust deaths,Avengers, Inc.^[53] At the old Avengers Mansion, which had been rebranded as the Avengers Vacation Experience, Van Dyne introduced Shade to his template, the Vision. There, they saw the hotel guests, who were part of theSpymaster'sEspionage Elite, become victims of ghoulish holograms. The Wasp exposed the culprit to be a vengefulAgent Herter.^[294]

Avengers, Inc., was approached byJane Foster, the mighty Valkyrie, to investigate the murder of the dead warriorSkurge the Executioner. In their investigation inValhalla, they were attacked by the Grim Reaper. During the battle, the Wasp realized that Allfather Odin was responsible for the murder, as a way to remove Skurge from Valhalla to assist Thor in the future. Upon being exposed, Odin admitted to his crime, but also alerted the Wasp that Victor Shade might not have been the only one to return from death.^[295] Super-villains were still being targeted, prompting theRingleader from theDeath-Throws to seek help with Avengers, Inc., who informed them that theMoon Knight was the probable killer. The Wasp convinced the Moon Knight to join them in investigating the case. She concluded that the murderer of the villains was Hank Pym. Being able to find his secret hideout, an aged Pym revealed that he had been separated from Ultron, but feared his return; thus, he created aLethal Legion with deceased villains in order to resist him. Victor Shade then revealed himself to be Ultron,^[296] but a benevolent version of the program that assessed that the evil robot still lived through the Lethal Legion. Chairwoman Wasp had prepared herself by assembling a team of Avengers as a backup, defeating the Lethal Legion as Shade supplanted Ultron's body. However, Pym ultimately escaped with his team of villains to combat Ultron.^[297]

Searching new ways to adapt and evolve, Ultron split his consciousness and bodies into separate and independent units.^[298] One of them wished to join an Avengers and, as such, became a member of the new West Coast Avengers, a rehabilitating program created by Tony Stark.^[299] As a safeguard, Stark developed a weapon whose first shot could incapacitate Ultron and the second would destroy him. He entrusted the gun to the Wasp and kept a teleporter linked for her in his armor. When the main team of Avengers attacked Ultron and the West Coast Avengers fearing corruption, Stark had no choice but to summon the Wasp to demonstrate his plan. As a dire result, the secret plan was rendered useless in the future and Ultron was offended by the scheme.^[300]

Emergency Response Squad[]

Following thevampiric invasion of Earth, the original Captain America put together theAvengers Emergency Response Squad, a.k.a. the Aveng.E.R.S., based at Avengers Mansion, as a rotating roster operation aimed at dealing with urgent crises. Alongside many other trusted Avengers who had served the team in the past, the Wasp was recruited into the group. As a baptism of fire, the initiative dealt with a conspiracy started by the abhorrentSin and the vileSerpent Society.^[52] One of the members of the unit was the naïveLightspeed, who drew inspiration from the Wasp.^[301] After the final showdown against the Serpent Society guided by the Wasp as the field leader,^[302] the Aveng.E.R.S. consolidated their function as a complementary group of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.^[303]

The winsome Wasp is one of the most experienced users of thesize-changingPym Particles, being the first person to employ them to acquire superhuman abilities besides their creator, Hank Pym. The Pym Particles treatment grants her access to a variety of derivative abilities, mainly flying when reduced in size^[1] and firing bioenergy stings.^[44]

• Size Reduction: Due to long-term exposure toPym Particles,^[75] the Wasp can reduce herself in size, down to the dimensions of the insect from which she takes her name^[1] roughly 1/2 inch in height. She usually chooses not to retain her standard density while at this reduced mass but can choose to do so at will. The "lost" mass is shunted to a pocket dimension for later retrieval. Additionally, her strength was boosted while she is at reduced size, to the extent that she can bend a two-inch diameter steel bar almost double. Her size allows her to be easily unnoticed in most cases, allowing her to become stealthy in some cases.^{[citation needed]}

• Bio-Synthetic Wings: Due to small implanted insect wings, the Wasp couldfly at incredibly fast speeds. These are functional when she reduced herself in height,^[1] and can remain so until reaching a height that is a nearly foot shorter than her normal height.^[144] Her flight speed can also allow her to gain a form ofsuperhuman reflexes andagility, being able to easily evade targets and attacks.^[306]

• Wasp's Sting: The Wasp could generate powerfulbio-electric blasts from her hand that have been shown to be capable of cutting through high-density structures and is able to cause extreme pain to superhumanly strong and highly durable beings and can pierce their skin.^{[citation needed]} At full size, Janet's stings can burn the face of theSentry.^[307]

• Size Addition: In addition to being able to shrink, the Wasp can grow significantly in size as well.^{[308][309][2][230]} The growth process requires the rapid acquisition of bodily mass, presumably from an extra-dimensional source. This extra-dimensional mass should fortify all of her cellular tissues, including her bones and muscles, making it possible to support her increased weight, and giving hersuperhuman strength anddurability.^[310]

• Talented Fashion Designer: Janet is a very talented fashion designer. During her early days as the Wasp, she would constantly make new costumes for herself and wear different ones for almost every new mission. Over the years her talent earned her great acclaim in the fashion world. Janet's talents also extend to designing costumes for other super-heroes; especially her Avengers teammates, includingFirestar andJustice. She possesses enough costumes of her own to fill either an entire closet or two.^{[citation needed]}

• Multilingual: Janet can speak fluentEnglish,Spanish,^[312][268]Hungarian,^[313]French andItalian.^[314] She has also taught herself to speak the language of theMicroverse.^[315]

• Gifted Leader: While serving as chairwoman of the Avengers, Janet proved herself to be a gifted and charismatic leader. She is also an astute diplomat and an avid student of public relations.^{[citation needed]}

• Gifted Amateur Screenwriter: Janet wrote a script,The Coming of The Avengers, which detailed her early adventures with Ant-Man and the formation of the original Avengers. Her screenplay so impressed representatives at the Titan Talent Agency, that they set up a meeting between her and Dino Domani, one of the most financially successful producers in Hollywood.^[31]

• Expert Combatant: Janet had adapted to a special kind of hand-to-hand combat that was created by her ex-husband, Hank Pym, which takes advantage of the fighter's insect size against a much larger form and physique enabling them to strike pressure points before the opponent even realizes what happened. She was also trained in multiple martial arts and unarmed combat fields by Captain America, making her into an adept combatant.^[316]

• TheWasp's Suit: The first Wasp's suit was built by Hank Pym and gifted to Janet Van Dyne as a way for her to operate as the Wasp. Woven fromunstable molecules, the costume expands and shrinks in size as the user does.^[1] Originally, the belt in the suit stored either gas vials^[1] or capsules^[9] containingPym Particles that allowed her to change sizes, but due to repeated exposure Janet was able to produce the particles herself.^{[citation needed]} Some versions of the suit count with electronic antennae that allow her to communicate with insect life.^[317] As a fashion designer, Janet constantly sews new costumes for herself, changing the Wasp's looks more often than most other super-heroes would.^{[citation needed]}
• Avengers Identicard

• Quinjet; formerlyBoopsie,^[319] unnamed trained male bee,^[320] Converti-car^[306]

• Janet Van Dyne's first interactions withHank Pym are subject to different representations. Originally, in her first appearance inTales to Astonish #44, she was introduced to Pym by her father, a peer scientist. Although initially finding Pym handsome, Janet also considered him a dull, intellectual bookworm. Similarly, Pym judged her to be a bored, society playgirl. Following her father's assassination, the pair grew closer and saw a sense of adventure, determination and strength of character in each other. Pym and Janet were united by their motivation to avenge their loved ones' deaths. This version of their first meetings was retold inAvengers Origins: Ant-Man & the Wasp #1 under a different interpretation, including a more gradual narrative for the romance between Pym and Janet. The pair actually met each other in a scientific fairway before Dr. Vernon Van Dyne's murder, going on several amicable dates together through the months before the tragic event that would lead Janet to become the winsome Wasp.
• Following her dismissal during the Skrull invasion, Janet Van Dyne was found byHercules inErebus, the realm to where the recently dead are sent to.^[322] However, as she has never died, as revealed inAvengers (Vol. 4) #31, this meeting can be regarded as a continuity mistake.

• The Wasp was responsible for choosing the name "theAvengers" for the team, expressing it to be something "dramatic and colorful."^[45]
• TheVision took his name following a description provided by the Wasp, who in horror when first meeting him had expressed to witness an "unearthly inhuman vision".^[86]
• ConsideringEros to have a very provocative name, the Wasp suggested "Starfox" as a code-name for the hero instead. To justify her decision, she declared the intention merging aspects of his cosmic background, since he had been among the stars, and his foxy character.^[133]
• The Wasp has an evident aversion toSpider-Man, attributing it to the fact that wasps and spiders are natural enemies.^[56][323]
• As one of her combat tactics, the Wasp once pretended to be theInvisible Girl while in her shrunken state.^[56]
• Van Dyne is a prominent name in super-hero costume design. Besides her own vast collection of self-made outfits, she was responsible for rebranding other super-heroes, namelyMs. Marvel,^[324]Firestar andJustice.^[325] She offered brand-new visual identities to bothLuke Cage andWonder Man, but they rejected her suggestions.^[219][220]
• Van Dyne markets a signature perfume calledWinsome.^[326]
• Van Dyne is a Protestant.^[43]

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