Monday, September 29, 2014

Stick To The Small Things, Hank

One thing I've enjoyed recently is this scattered, low-key rehab for Hank Pym.

During Avengers Arena, he was the one working hardest to try and track down the abducted kids. In Avengers Undercover, he was the one pushing Maria Hill to go into Bargalia and pull them out, and he was the one Hazmat called for help, who immediately agreed to help. He's been doing what he can to help Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson, from trying to slow the spread of Foggy's cancer, to aiding in the faking of Foggy's death. And he's showed up to help She-Hulk as soon as she called about the Shrinko issue (and at the time of her call was helping to construct/fix some wind turbines).

None of this is earth-shattering, world-saving stuff, but that's a good move for Hank. His problem always seems to be his feelings of insecurity compared to other heroes. He thinks being Ant-Man doesn't measure up to Thor or Iron Man, so he becomes Giant Man. That doesn't work so he becomes Goliath. Then he snaps and becomes Yellowjacket, an arrogant hotshot to try and make an impression. Oh, and somewhere in there he creates a genocidal artificial intelligence, presumably to show Reed Richards and Tony Stark aren't the only smart guys around.

Point being, when Pym starts trying to prove himself, things go badly. So this is a good move for him. He's just trying to do his best to help where he can, how he can. It isn't trying to make himself look good, just him trying to be good. It won't last, I know. Pym will eventually overreach and be back where he started, trying to pick up the pieces after his next screw-up. But for now, this is a good direction for him.

2 comments:

SallyP said...

It really is a better direction for him. I know that he's an original Avenger and has been around for years and years, but I'm not really sure that poor ol' Hank is a top tier hero.

I like the b-heroes better anyway.

CalvinPitt said...

Yeah, there's nothing wrong with being b-level. B-level can still save the world, and they can find themselves in a lot of situations the a-listers miss.