In this feature, I examine comic book fights that were particularly notable in the wrong side winning (or at least that the fight wasn't won the "right" way). This really isn't a big deal, of course, as it doesn't really matter if the "wrong" person won a fight. But it's fun to talk about!
If you want to suggest a fight for future inclusion in this feature, drop me a line at bcronin@comicbookresources.com. Don't suggest a fight in the comments!
This week, in honor of the Ant-Man film, I'm doing two Wrong Side editions this weekend. One today and one tomorrow. Today, we look at the example of Hank Pym defeating Wasp in West Coast Avengers Annual #2...
As always, on the first page we establish power levels and on the second page we look at the fight.
And also as always, how did they do against Spider-Man?
The Wasp and Ant-Man really haven't fought Spider-Man all that often. One time they each did so, though, in a way, was in Avengers #11 (by Stan Lee, Don Heck and Chic Stone), where they both fought a robot designed to look like Spider-Man and presumably had the same powers as Spidey, so it is sort of comparable to them fighting the real Spidey. Fake Spidey kicks their butt...
Interestingly enough, the key story for the purpose of this edition of the Wrong Side is ANOTHER Spider-Man story, one where he tems up with the Wasp. Marvel Team-Up #60 (by Chris Claremont, John Byrne and Dave Hunt) introduced new powers for the Wasp. She could fly faster, her bio-electric stings were stronger and, most importantly, she now had a sort of super-strength while in shrunken form...
Okay, that's enough set-up - on to the fight!
Again, just like the other two fights from this issue that I've featured so far, a West Coast Avenger has to fight an East Coast Avenger. For whatever reason, writer Steve Englehart (along with artist Al Milgrim) chose to pair Hank Pym against the Wasp, which is all kinds of uncomfortable considering they had divorced a few years earlier, with one key aspect of their decision to split being him smacking her in the face and giving her a black eye. So then to have them fight is a bit iffy, but then to have her LOSE is even iffier. But whatever, let's forget the surrounding aspects of the fight and just look at the fight itself...
(you have to love a "he is referring to his attempted suicide!" editorial note)
Englehart references the fact that her stings are stronger now, but not that she now some sort of super-strength in her shrunken form, therefore Hank could not just grab her like that! The whole fight turns on whether he can just grab her like that and take her out. I think the Marvel Team-Up issue establishes that he could NOT (this is one top of the sketchiness of force blasts that don't affect you).
I have no problem with Hank winning, since heck, with his powers he could bring out, like, a Qunjet, climb in and shoot her with it. But this way did not work.
Plus, of course, the aforementioned "outside the fight" stuff, like every fight between a male Avenger and a female Avenger in that comic ended with the male Avenger winning.