A Failure To Communicate Is A Big Problem For Ant-Man

Looking back over the two Ant-Man movies, it seems like there are a lot of problems that emerge because Hank Pym is bad at emotions. Not saying it's his fault, that he did it deliberately. Most of it seems to have happened after he believed he'd lost Janet, in which case Hank had a lot of grief and regret and closed himself off. Still, it's notable that he seems to have left a trail of angry, hurt people in his wake, and it keeps causing problems.

In Ant-Man, Hope is reluctant to turn to her dad for help stopping Cross because there are a lot of unresolved issues between them. She felt abandoned by him after her mother's seeming death, because Hank was struggling to process his own grief and survivor's guilt, and couldn't help her. His tendency to keep things to himself, and their lack of communication, means when Hope sees him bringing Scott Lang in for the heist. She sees it as a sign he doesn't trust her, or won't acknowledge her skills in using the suit and directing the ants. Really, it's that he can't stand the thought of losing her too, but since he won't just, you know, say that, she doesn't realize it until Scott points out that Hank sees him as expendable.

Which is kind of shitty, since Cassie would certainly miss her dad if he got killed trying to break into a super-science facility in a suit he can barely control*, but I can't fault Hank for prioritizing his own daughter's safety over someone else's daughter's happiness. Actually, should we count Hank baiting Scott into breaking into his house as a test, so he can show up later to "rescue" him from the cops, and then basically extort Scott into doing this job for him? I doubt Scott would have agreed if Hank simply contacted him and asked, but maybe try that first.

Cross has been trying to unlock the Pym Particle formula for years in some measure because he resents Hank for what he sees as a lack of trust. Hank's always denying the existence of Ant-Man, never letting Cross in on the secrets. As it turns out, Cross is going to sell the stuff to friggin' HYDRA, so Hank was right to keep it hidden. But maybe there was a way to help Cross feel appreciated and trusted without unlocking that particular door.

Eh, probably not, he was a pretty entitled guy. But I get the impression Hank didn't really try, and that's how you end up with a guy trying to sell an incredibly dangerous weapon to a bunch of would-be world conquerors at least in part to thumb his nose at Hank. All that gloating. "Oh you didn't think I could be trusted Hank, well look at me now!" Yes, you're selling your suit to HYDRA, I don't know how I could have misjudged you.

At this point, I'm moving on to Ant-Man and the Wasp, so there are probably SPOILERS.

The example that got me thinking about this was the hostility between Hank and Bill Foster, who apparently worked together for SHIELD back in the day, Bill acting as Goliath. Neither of them has any use or patience for the other. Hank is insulted Bill would even suggest they were partners, and contends Bill never had an original idea in his life and was just riding his coattails.

You can imagine if Hank hadn't been quite that big ass that Bill might have contacted him to consult on Ghost's condition. If Hank's willing to help, maybe he and Bill can keep her out of SHIELD's grasp, and she doesn't spend her formative years being turned into a thief, spy, and assassin. Then she's not trying to steal Hank's lab constantly at the worst possible time for him.

As for Ava's father, I don't know. She believes he was a scientist that Pym got booted, but Han contends her dad was a traitor. He has the same name as Pym's old comic arch-foe Egghead, so I'm guessing we're supposed to believe Hank about this one. In which case, I'm not going to fault Hank for not managing to make an inspirational speech that makes Starr's heart grow three sizes that day.

I don't know what lesson to take from this. Don't wall yourself off emotionally from others? Don't be an arrogant dick who treats coworkers and proteges poorly? Scott seems much more willing to ask for help, or admit his shortcomings. He hasn't always been there for Cassie, because of his own choices, but is trying hard to make up for it. For as much as he's treated as an idiot by Hank and Hope, he seems more mature emotionally than either of them, at least in some ways. I feel like the people close to Scott know how he feels about them.

* And if Scott did get killed during the heist, it would probably happen while he's tiny, so his body might never be found. Cassie and her mom might never know what happened to him. Just figure he decided to vanish somewhere.