15 Ways The MCU Improved Marvel Mythology

Ant-Man has almost always been a problematic character in the comics. The original Ant-Man, Hank Pym, may have been one of the first Avengers, but he was also defined by his domestic violence against his wife Janet and his creation of Ultron. The third Ant-Man, Eric O'Grady, used his shrinking powers to harass women and was described as "irredeemable."

So while it was important that the MCU eventually incorporate Hank Pym in some capacity, he's too important a character to leave out entirely, it was also impossible to imagine a way to make him seem like a hero. Even the comics have failed to present him in a positive light after his actions. Fortunately, the first Ant-Man film found the perfect solution to balance out Hank's problematic elements.

Hank can't be a hero? That's fine, now he's retired and Scott Lang, reformed thief, is taking up the mantel. Don't want to paint him as a wife beater? Okay, Janet is only shown briefly in flashbacks and doesn't make a proper appearance. Don't want to show him as the father of Ultron? That's cool, Age of Ultron has already come and gone and there's no interaction between him and Hank. It was the best way to circumvent what has been a constant, nagging problem in the comics.