Blog

He’s the star of Marvel’s recent film in their ever expanding cinematic universe. He’s a divorced dad ex-con. He’s Scott Lang, the second Ant-Man. So you may have seen the movie and wonder what he’s like in the comics, well I’m here to help. Let’s get to it!

Scott Edward Harris Lang was a down on his luck electrical engineer just trying to make ends meet to support his wife and daughter. Unfortunately this lead Scott to stealing and then getting caught. Sent to prison, Scott would further his knowledge of electrical engineering but he’d also end up divorced. Once he was let out on good behavior he’d find work at Stark International but when he learns that his daughter Cassie has a rare heart condition, Scott goes back to his stealing ways to try and save her life. This time he breaks into Hank Pym’s home to grab his old Ant-Man gear so he can use these powers to save the doctor that can save Cassie.

Turns out, Hank Pym had surveyed what Scott was doing and was so impressed with him and his abilities he let him keep the suit and name as long as he uses it for good. Scott teamed up with many heroes early on such as Iron Man, the Avengers, Hank Pym, and Spider-Man. Taskmaster was someone Scott would go up against with both Hawkeye and Spider-Man on separate occasions leaving a lasting impression on Scott. His team up with the Fantastic Four lead him to the micro-world which exists when you go subatomic enough.

When Stark International was bought out by Obadiah Stane, Scott quit out of solidarity with Tony. He’d go one to make his own electronics company until the Fantastic Four needed him to be their replacement Reed Richards and eventually just work for them when Reed returned. He would live with the Fantastic Four and had Cassie along with him. Though he tried to keep her safe from the dangers of superhero life, she’d often go in search of more adventures and loved her father’s life almost as much as she loved him.

Much like with his daughter, if a hero is in need medically, Scott will do what he can to help out. He helped cure the Hulk with the Fantastic Four by shrinking himself down to be able to effect Hulk’s genes. He’d also work with the Wasp fighting of heavy hitters, Absorbing Man and Titania to protect Hercules, who was in a coma at the time.

When many of Earth’s heroes were believed dead after the attack of the creature Onslaught (basically a mind baby combining Xavier and Magneto) Scott joined the Heroes for Hire as their electronics expert. This would end once the Avengers returned and then Scott would get a major blow by losing custody of Cassie due to his dangerous lifestyle. He decided to join the Avengers full time to help him cope with this. He’d help them fight off Kang the Conqueror and he’d date Jessica Jones for a time before she and Luke Cage had a baby.

Scott and team member Jack-of-Hearts would butt heads frequently but become hot headed allies. When Cassie is kidnapped, it is Jack who joins Scott in rescuing her and stopping Scott from killing her kidnapper. Sadly, Jack dies in the process leaving Scott riddled with guilt over the whole situation. When it appeared as if Jack had returned, Scott ran straight for him and died in the ensuing blast that was meant to trick him and start a major shake up for the Avengers, disbanding the team for a period.

In the time that Scott was dead, Cassie had developed her own size-changing powers and become a hero as well. She would end up time traveling and saves Scott’s life before he can meet his explosive fate. Now alive, Scott is proud to see how well his daughter has turned out in his absence. Sadly, their time together is cut short as Doctor Doom gains godlike powers and kills Cassie as she attempts to stop Doom believing he’d killed her father when he’d really just been knocked out.

Devastated, Scott promises he will get back at Doom for this. In the meantime he joins with the Defenders to take on the Death Celestials. Soon afterward he’d be asked by the Fantastic Four to head the Future Foundation and the Fantastic Four team of She-Hulk, Medusa, and Ms. Thing while the family went into another dimension to explore. Leading the Foundation meant Scott was now in charge of several kids and he struggled with being around kids when his own was gone.

While with his new team, he would get his revenge on Doom by defeating him and making him believe Valeria Richards, Doom had been raising the youngest child of the Richards family for a time, had died when she was actually alive. This showed Doom what he had done to Cassie and Scott so when Doom was turned to a more heroic mentality and able to grasp at godlike power once more, he resurrected Cassie.

Now alive again, Cassie’s mom would move her to Miami, Florida hoping to get her away from superheroes. Not wanting to be away from his daughter now she was really back, he followed them, giving up a job at Stark Industries to start up his own security firm. He’d hire the former villain Grizzly, who had believed Scott was the Ant-Man responsible for sending him to jail but learned Scott was dead at the time. He’d be targeted by Taskmaster and learn that while he always thought Taskmaster saw Scott as his archenemy, Taskmaster never really rated Scott all that high in his priorities.

He and Cassie would spend time together in Scott’s dollhouse of a home that they’d shrink down to hang out in. Darren Cross, the man who made it so Scott had to steal the Ant-Man suit to begin with, is nearly resurrected by his son. Cassie is kidnapped for a heart transplant, her heart can grow and shrink when necessary, to complete the revival. Scott must work with Doctor Sondheim to rescue Cassie’s life and it is after this that Scott realizes that it was life is what continuously puts Cassie in danger and decides to stay away from her hoping to keep her safe.

When Hank Pym is missing and presumed dead, Scott is given one of Pym’s old labs and possession of the Giant Man suit. Scott remembers when he and Hank dealt with the villain Egghead and were aided by A.I. expert, Raz Molhatra and decides this man should carry on the Giant Man name. Scott mails the suit to Raz with a good luck note, not any sort of training or anything.

So there you have it! Scott Lang is a single dad just trying to do right by his daughter after making many mistakes in his past. When Scott doesn’t have Cassie in his life, he tends to make some questionable decisions so hopefully this separation isn’t too long and Cassie joins the superhero side of things to unite with her father again.

Suggested Reading
Avengers #181
Marvel Premiere #47
The Avengers
Children’s Crusade
FF
Ant-Man Vol. 2

Dr. Bustos

drbustos@comicattack.net