The countdown until Ant-Man and The Wasp [1] is officially on! The sequel to 2015's Ant-Man is premiering on July 6 [2], and based on the new and returning cast [3], we already know it's going to be epic. The film, which takes place after the events of Captain America: Civil War [4] but before Avengers: Infinity War [5], will find Scott Lang (played by Paul Rudd [6]) trying to balance his life while taking on a new mission with Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly [7]). The trio set out to pull off a dangerous rescue of none other than Michelle Pfeiffer [8], aka Janet van Dyne, aka the original Wasp (and Hope's mom). Before we see all the drama go down [9], you should get to know the character and how she plays into the Avengers.
What Abilities Does The Wasp Have?
Aside from her powers, the Wasp is heavily skilled in combat. She is trained in unarmed combat by Captain America, as well as combat using her powers by Hank. She is also considered an amazing leader and strategist. Again, Janet becomes the leader of the Avengers at one point, so her skills pretty much speak for themselves.
What Is the Relationship Between Ant-Man and the Wasp?
Professionally, Ant-Man and the Wasp are partners. But personally? The two have a very complicated relationship. Although they both have feelings for each other, Hank refuses to let it go further in the comics.
In one comics storyline, a new crime-fighter called Yellowjacket breaks into the Avengers headquarters claiming to have gotten rid of Hank and kidnapped Janet. To the dismay of her teammates, Janet marries Yellowjacket, but it isn't until their wedding day that it's discovered the crime-fighter was actually Hank all along. Turns out, he had an incident with some chemicals that left him with a severe case of schizophrenia. Janet knows this and takes advantage so she and Hank can finally get married. (Damn, Janet!)
Sadly, Hank's mental breakdown continues — he actually stages an attack on the Avengers which only he can stop, in order to make himself look good. Naturally it completely backfires. Hank is expelled from the group and Janet divorces him. Years later, Pym's mental state gets better, so he and Janet become friends before eventually getting back together.
Where Is the Original Wasp in the Ant-Man movies?
In 2015's Ant-Man (which differs from the comics in a number of ways), it's mentioned that Janet van Dyne has been stuck in the subatomic universe known as the Quantum Realm for 30 years. Pym isn't willing to give Hope a suit so the Wasp doesn't make a real appearance in that movie. The exception is when Pym is telling Hope the truth about what really happened to her mom.
It's also worth noting that Yellowjacket is the main villain in the film. Corey Stoll plays Darren Cross, Hank's former protégé and CEO of Pym Technologies, a man obsessed with recreating a shrinking suit of his own. Luckily, Scott is able to defeat him by going subatomic and destroying the suit from the inside. After shrinking in between the molecules, Scott successfully comes back, becoming the first to ever do so. This moment opens up a very real possibility of being able to bring Janet back from the quantum realm, something that's explored in Ant-Man and the Wasp.