Warning: This article contains depictions and descriptions of suicide.
The darkest moment in the history of the Avengers did not happen in the middle of a superpowered battle or while they were trying to save the planet; instead, it involved one of the most tragic members of the roster, Hank Pym, the day that he almost took his life. This story is one of the reasons why the original Ant-Man is very different from his version portrayed in the MCU.
As Ant-Man, Hank Pym was one of the founding members of the Avengers. Originally depicted as a daring scientist and adventurer, once he started being surrounded every day by gods, living legends, and people at least as smart as him, Hank started experiencing depression and a lack of confidence. Creating the deadly artificial intelligence known as Ultron, who would become one of the most terrible foes of the Avengers, surely made things worse as Hank could add the sense of guilt for Ultron’s dreadful actions to his already long list of burdens. Hank also started experiencing schizophrenia when he developed the Yellowjacket personality, which let loose all his repressed feelings. Pym’s relationship with Janet van Dyne, aka Wasp, also quickly soured. The two married, but Hank started verbally abusing Janet until one day he struck her, which led to their divorce and Pym’s expulsion from the Avengers.
After taking time to heal and giving up his life as a superhero, Hank made amends with the Avengers and decided he still wanted to help them but without having to wear a costume again. He offered to become the manager of the Avengers Compound, the headquarters of the new West Coast Avengers, a role similar to that of Edwin Jarvis at the Avengers Mansion in New York City, but with the added duties of scientific advisor. However, this job only worsened Hank’s depression, as he believed he didn’t fit anymore in the world of superheroes. A meeting with the villain Whirlwind and breaking up with Tigra made Pym doubt himself even further, and he came to the decision of taking his own life.
West Coast Avengers #17, “Outta Time” – by Steve Englehart, Al Milgrom, Joe Sinnot, and Ken Feduniewicz – is a hidden gem in the history of comic books. While the team goes to Albuquerque to recruit a new member, Firebird, Hank stays in the compound, reflecting on his past mistakes. The focus alternates between the Avengers fighting a group of ridiculous Mexican-themed villains and Hank’s thoughts while he goes through his last day on Earth. He makes sure to leave the compound in perfect order for when his friends return, and then writes a number of farewell letters. ”Each of us has a different power,” he writes to Tony Stark, ”and combined we were almost unbeatable – but only almost.” Hank’s last farewell, however, has to be to Jan. He video calls her, and takes all the blame for what went wrong between them. Jan answers that she wishes they could have made it work, and that’s all Hank wants to hear at that moment. In one last, chilling sequence, he sits down and puts a gun to his head.
The timely arrival of Firebird stops Hank from killing himself, and he sets upon a journey of recovery, finally realizing he suffers from bipolar disorder. Still, this story was incredibly heavy for that kind of comic book. The stark contrast between the Avengers fighting another pointless costumed battle and Hank reflecting on his life before ending it creates an eery atmosphere but it also serves to highlight how Pym’s personal issues got lost in the flamboyant world of gods and super soldiers he tried so hard to belong to. Such an open depiction of depression and suicide makes “Outta Time” one of the darkest Avengers stories of all time, but also one of the most realistic. Hank Pym’s many flaws make him a fascinating character, even if Marvel seems unable to make the original Ant-Man move past them.
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