Unlike some of the Avengers we saw in the latest film, Ant-Man’s story will continue with a third film in the future. Still, it might be a while till we see him again after his heroics in Avengers: Endgame, and we’ll need some Ant-Man stories to keep us company till then.
For this reason, you should check out the comics to learn more about the hero. What you also should know before going in is that a majority of Ant-Man stories feature Hank Pym, so you’ll be learning a lot him. Ant-Man’s appearances have largely been with the Avengers, and they feature greatly in his stories. With all that in mind, here are 10 Ant-Man stories you should check out.
10 10. Ant-Man's Origins
This should be the first stop for you if you want to familiarize yourself with the superhero. The original Ant-Man in the comics is Hank Pym, and his origin story is the way to go since a bulk of the comics see Hank as Ant-Man conducting his world-saving operations.
In this story, we see how Hank created the suit, dealt with the challenges of the people coming after him for his technology, and the beginning of his tenure as a superhero. You’ll get to dive in deep into Hank’s mind, and see the Marvel universe from a whole different perspective.
9 9. The Black Ant
If you want to know what a bigger loser, and a darker version of Scott Lang would look like, then your man is Eric O’ Grady. He was even known as the “Irredeemable Ant” for having zero scruples and no level of morality. This Ant-Man was mainly a villain, who would revert to being a hero purely because he wanted to impress women and for people to like him; he’d then go back to being a villain just as quickly.
The most intriguing story about him, though, is when a clone of O’ Grady turns into the Black Ant and enters the Avengers under the guise of being a good guy. This is when he becomes a serious villain and an interesting character to follow.
8 8. Hank Pym's Long-Lost Daughter
Did you know that Hank’s first daughter was actually someone else? In this story, we get a blast from the past for Ant-Man, as his daughter arrives – a daughter he has no clue exists.
What’s interesting about this story is that Ant-Man himself doesn’t show up, but you find out so much about his characterization. For one, he was off in deep space at the time of these events due to merging with Ultron. Evidently, Hank’s first wife was abducted and killed, and the daughter born was raised in the Red Room; the place where Black Widow was trained. Nadia Van Dyne would escape using Pym particles and hope to reunite with her father. Oh, and she also became the Wasp.
7 7. Hank Pym Feeling Utterly Useless
This is a good story to read if you’re feeling hopeless and think you’re not worth anything. Because Hank felt that way, too, and it turned out he got hope from God himself. The comic is great for readers to realize that they do matter, and that the universe always has a plan.
As far as the plot goes, Hank was about to end his sufferings by taking his own life, only to be stopped by the superhero known as Firebird, and whisked away to rescue the Avengers in the past. Ant-Man would turn out to be the hero of this tale, and realize his self-worth; eventually moving on and truly being the superhero he is.
6 6. The Astonishing Ant-Man
No doubt, most of the people reading Ant-Man stories after Avengers: Endgame want to know the origin story of Scott Lang from the comics, and this storyline is the perfect one for you. Titled as the Astonishing Ant-Man, this comic collection plays out like the films, only with more room for you to settle in the plot.
The key differences from the Ant-Man films are Scott acquiring the suit to save his daughter, rather than simply wanting money. We also see him fighting villains like Darren Cross, whose characterization is different from the MCU version. Scott also has to wrestle between wanting to go to being a criminal or donning the suit for good. The comic is a wonderful way to gain a fresher perspective on the Ant-Man story.
5 5. Hank Becoming A Principal
We saw Hank Pym play the role of the mentor in Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp, but he was deeply flawed and you could argue a self-proclaimed mentor instead. In the comics, Hank got to really sink his teeth into being a mentor, as he became the caretaker of the Avengers Academy.
The plotline was known as “Fear Itself”; Hank proved himself worthy of being the leader of this young group of future Avengers, as he fought with superpowered enemies with Asgardian physiologies. The story also made use of Pym particles, which were deployed on the entire mansion the Avengers students resided in. It’s a whirlwind story that should be read to see Ant-Man as a leader for a change.
4 4. The True Origin Of Ultron
Avengers: Age of Ultron would have you believe the A.I. was built by Tony Stark, but that is far from the truth where the comics are concerned. The Earth-616 version of the story saw Ant-Man create Ultron instead, before the A.I. went into a murderous rampage.
You should check this story out to see the brains behind Ant-Man, and the lack of care he gave when he decided to create a robot without considering it could go sentient. Along with using his suit’s abilities, the story also sees Hank join forces with the Avengers to bring Ultron down. You can find the early version of this story in Avengers #54-55, and the expanded story in #59-60.
3 3. Hawkeye And Ant-Man Team-Up
We’ve come to associate Ant-Man with fun and breezy storylines thanks to the MCU, so if you’re looking to continue down that round, you should pick up the Avengers #223, where Ant-Man and Hawkeye team up.
This story was released over fifty years ago, but the iconic image of Hawkeye shooting his arrow with Ant-Man on top came alive in live-action in Captain America: Civil War as a nod to the source material. The plot is light, with Hawkeye and Ant-Man looking to apprehend the Taskmaster – the setting is even at a carnival to make it all the more a simpler tale.
2 2. Going Into The Vision
Ever wondered what makes the Vision tick? Well, here’s your chance to find that out in detail as this story saw Ant-Man make use of his shrinking technology to enter the android and save his life. It’s a fun story that shows us a sort of another world inside Vision, and it’s no smooth sailing, let’s make that clear right from the start.
It’s a classic from back when the comics were hammier than today, and the inside of the android is something you won’t be prepared to see. Ant-Man being the one to shrink is the star of this story, although he shares it with the rest of the Avengers.
1 1. The Goliath And The Wasp
Captain America: Civil War had Ant-Man turn into giant form as a last resort, and he wasn’t sure either if it was going to work. While he was able to revert to normal size in the film, the Hank Pym Ant-Man wasn’t so lucky in the comics.
This story had the Wasp being abducted, and in order to rescue her, Hank became a giant. Although he gets the job done with the Avengers, Hank is unfortunately stuck in the enormous form. It lasts for quite a few issues, and he’s dubbed as “Goliath”, something that causes him self-esteem problems. It’s like a more extreme version of Honey, I Blew up the Kid.