Ant-man: my two cents

Nice design, too bad it's probably going to be scrapped.

What with Edgar Wright’s departure from the Ant-man movie project, a debate seems to be raging over whether or not the movie should be salvaged or shelved for another character waiting in the wings. This argument is conflicting for me, for while I do wish to see an Ant-man movie, I would also like to see films about Black Panther, Dr. Strange and so on. It’s a win-win as much as a lose-lose, for me at least.

                I fall in the save him camp. Heck, I was saying that he and partner Wasp should have been in the first Avengers. But that was not meant to be.
I became a fan of the Henry Pym version of Ant-man after watching Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes (2010-13). He was an interesting character that was more interested in helping rehabilitate supervillains than brawling with them. He was a guy that could give Tony Stark notes and yet tried to remain humble most of the time. His greatest mistake, Ultron, stemmed from a desire to protect humanity as much as possible. I like him a lot, and hearing some of the bad press his movie is getting leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

So. Much. Science!
Guy in Yellow is Hank Pym's other super
identity, Yellowjacket.

                One argument that really peeves me off is that because Ant-man isn’t a household name like Spider-man, Wolverine, or Batman the film automatically won’t do well. That is idiotic. Did Game of Thrones not do well with people who hadn’t read the books? Did Captain America flounder because the general public didn’t know about the WWII hero? No to both. Fans watch it because they got to see characters and stories they like brought to life. Non-fans were drawn to it do to engaging stories and clever marketing. And from the suggestion of friends that were fans, such as myself. The point of advertising these kind of films is to make enough buzz to make non-fans to want to see the movie.

                And, if you argue that his origin story is silly, scientist finds a particle that makes him grow and shrink, then you are missing the point of the superhero story. When you break it down to most basic ideas, all the ideas of superheroes are silly. Batman is a psychologically disturbed billionaire that beats the crap out of criminals. Ironman is an alcoholic billionaire that built a super suit of armor. Aquaman is a half-human mutant that controls fish. Deadpool is insane, and heals really quickly. And yet all four, and many others, have created loyal fan bases interested in their personal journeys and the villains they face. And who get mad when Hollywood flubs them up. Taking away Deadpool's mouth, what jackhole thought that was what the fans wanted to see happen to the MERC WITH THE MOUTH! Back on task. 

Not okay, but shouldn't be his defining character moment.

                Now I’m going to address the elephant in the room. Yes, Henry Pym struck his wife. Mitigating circumstance, he was suffering from a severe psychological break. A string of bad press and poor decisions on missions had led Hank to believe that his position with the Avenger’s was in jeopardy. So, he did what any half crazed super scientist would do, build a super robot to fight the Avengers so that he could stop it and regain credibility. Janet Pym nee Van Dyne aka Wasp found out and tried to stop him, so he knocked her out. Plan fails, Hank is kicked out of the Avengers and Janet divorces him.

Kinda terrifying at any size.

                Hitting your spouse is wrong, there is no denying that. But, at the same time, if this scenario had been Captain America finding out, or Hawkeye, or Quicksilver, or Black Panther, or Vision, or Dr. Strange, there wouldn’t be an issue. Other than hurting his friends and allies. The fact is he didn’t hit his wife, he hit his teammate. That’s not much better but he shouldn’t be labeled a wife beater for the rest of his life because of it. Furthermore, he spent a good chunk of the last twenty years attempting to make up for it. Going so far as to actually take on Janet’s Wasp codename in homage for her after she was “killed.”

                Also, little talked about fact, Hank has suffered from severe mental health problems over the last few decades. It was during one of his first episodes, where he donned the Yellowjacket costume for the first time, that Janet tried to get him to marry her. These guys aren’t saints.

                In the end it’s up to you to decide if you want to see this movie when it comes to theaters. I hope that if you love superhero movies like I do that you’ll at least give it a chance. A lost director doesn’t break a movie, a bad script does, and this script has yet to be seen. Fingers crossed that things end well for the Ant-man film. We can only wait and see.

As to powers, keep in mind he can do this too.

 http://avengersearthsmightiestheroes.wikia.com/wiki/File:Giant_Man_with_Hydra_unit.png

 http://marvel.com/movies/movie/180/ant-man

 http://www.fempop.com/2013/10/21/marvel-rather-open-movie-tree-woman/

 http://crossover.bureau42.com/zdubyamarvel.html
 http://www.geekexchange.com/edgar-wright-exits-marvels-ant-man-116769.html