In 2015's Ant-Man [1], fans got a glimpse of the Wasp when Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym tells his daughter, Hope van Dyne, what really happened to her mom, Janet, aka the original Wasp. In the sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp [2], audiences will finally see Hope (Evangeline Lilly [3]) become the new and improved version of the titular hero. Along with the help of her dad and Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd [4]), Hope goes on a mission to bring her mother back from the Quantum Realm. Before you run to watch Ant-Man and the Wasp [5], which premieres on July 6, get ready to learn all about the Wasp's powers and abilities. Trust us: you're going to appreciate her so much more!
What Are the Wasp's Powers?
In the comics, Janet van Dyne is a socialite who becomes involved with her father's associate, Dr. Hank Pym, after he is killed by an alien monster. Hank uses a substance called the "Pym particles" and implants them into Janet's cells, giving her the ability to change her physical size and defeat the alien. The Wasp can go from centimeters tall to hundreds of feet and is also able to grow wings and fire blasts of energy from her hands, which she calls "wasp's stings."
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Wasp's suit gives her the ability to shrink and grow whenever using special regulators that Hank invented. Thanks to her custom wrist adapters, Lilly's character is able to blast her enemies, too. The suit also features wings that expand when the Wasp shrinks, allowing her to fly. If that wasn't cool enough, she is able to communicate and control insects using her dad's hearing aid technology.
What Abilities Does the Wasp Have?
Besides being able to use her suit for kicking some serious butt, the Wasp is also heavily skilled in combat. In the comics' storyline, she is trained in unarmed combat by Captain America and how to use her powers during combat by Hank. She is also well-regarded as an amazing leader and strategist. It's because of these skills that Janet is appointed the leader of the Avengers in the comics.
In the movies, Hope can also hold her own in fights with highly skilled opponents. She's actually the one who teaches Scott hand-to-hand combat skills in Ant-Man [7].
How Does the Wasp Tie Into the Avengers?
Like we mentioned in the previous slide, the original Wasp (Janet) serves as the leader of the Avengers for many years in the comics. She runs the team through different missions before she passes away during the Secret Invasion, also known as the Skrull War.
Although the Ant-Man and the Wasp [8] movie doesn't tie Hope (or Janet) to the Avengers so explicitly, Scott does bring up his involvement in Captain America's epic fight during Captain America: Civil War [9]. We also get a few clues about how the film connects to everything that happened in Avengers: Infinity War [10] thanks to a postcredit scene. Since it's been confirmed that the Wasp will appear in 2019's untitled Avengers 4, hopefully we'll be able to see how she fits in with the group then!