WASP

Real Name:

Janet van Dyne

Universe/Timeline:

Marvel Universe

Status:

Active

Additional Status Info:

G.I.R.L., Agents of Wakanda

Category:

Science-Based Mutate

Alias:

Janet Pym, Pixie, Giant Woman, possessed by Doctor Spectrum.

Nationality:

American

First Appearance:

Tales to Astonish #44

Powers & Abilities:

Pym Particle enriched physiology allows her to proportionately reduce her size and mass, inversely increasing in strength, stamina, reflexes, and resilience as she shrinks, disproportionately growing wings for flight and antenna (if she chooses) to communicate with insects, can channel bio-electric stings from her hands that grow stronger as she shrinks

Affiliation:

Avengers, Avengers West Coast, Avengers - Unity Division, Avengers (Initiative), Lady Liberators, Queen's Vengeance, G.I.R.L., Agents of Wakanda

Avengers Membership:

Founder. Avengers (1st series) #1.

Notes:

Wasp first internalized her shrinking powers around Avengers (1st series) #28, no longer needing outside sources of Pym Particles. She lost her antenna at the time, but years later learned to summon them at will in West Coast Avengers (2nd series) #33. Her original powers were augmented by an upgraded Wasp serum in Marvel Team-Up (1st series) #59-60. For a time, she lost her shrinking powers in Avengers (1st series) #382. She was heavily mutated into an insect-like state in #394. Passing through the Heroes Reborn universe and back restored her natural appearance and shrinking powers by Avengers (3rd series) #1. Janet has occasionally employed enlarging Pym Particles to assume giant-size, but her physiology has not permanently adopted this ability like it has her shrinking.

Hank Pym and the Wasp were married in Avengers (1st series) #60. They were divorced following the events of #213-214.

Wasp as believed dead after the Skrull Yellowjacket secretly exposed her to Pym Anti-Particles, with apparently fatal consequences in Secret Invasion #7-8. Hank Pym supposedly found Jan's body in Macrospace and attempted to revive her comatose brain, only to discover this was actually Carina Korvac in Avengers Academy #11-12. The real Wasp returned in Avengers (4th series) #31-34, having fallen into the Microverse instead.

Wasp's former lover Havok was still inverted after World War Hate and kidnapped her at the end of Avengers & X-Men: Axis #9. This was left unresolved following Secret Wars, and Jan reappeared with no explanation later.

Last Updated:

28th June 2020 by Dean Clayton