Janet van Dyne

"Your mother convinced me to let her join me on my missions. They called her the Wasp. She was born to it. And there's not a day that goes by that I don’t regret having said yes."

- Hank Pym to Hope van Dyne

Janet van Dyne was the wife of Hank Pym and the mother of Hope van Dyne. She operated as the superhero Wasp in S.H.I.E.L.D. until she sacrificed herself to save the lives of millions, becoming lost to the Quantum Realm.

Having a Family
Janet van Dyne married Hank Pym, a scientist who developed a way to shrink a human to the size of an ant and maintain their strength. He also discovered a way to communicate with ants. Together they had a daughter named Hope.

Ant-Man and the Wasp
Janet van Dyne convinced her husband Hank Pym to let her join his missions for S.H.I.E.L.D.. With her own shrinking suit, she became known as the Wasp alongside Hank as the Ant-Man.

Lost to the Quantum Realm


"I knew I had to shrink between the molecules to disarm the missile, but my regulator had sustained too much damage. Your mother, she didn't hesitate."

- Hank Pym

The duo undertook many S.H.I.E.L.D. operations, until a mission in 1987 to disarm a Soviet  en-route to the United States. In order to stop the missile, Janet disabled her regulator to shrink small enough to enter the missile and though the mission was successful, Janet was lost to the Quantum Realm. To protect their daughter, Hope, from the horrifying truth, Hank told her that Janet had died in a plane crash, and he himself from Hope to study the Quantum Realm in hopes of retrieving Janet. He finally told her the truth in 2015. Seeing that Scott Lang survived and returned from the Quantum Realm after a showdown with Darren Cross, Pym wondered if his wife was still alive as well.

Escape from the Quantum Realm
"I was in the Quantum Realm, and I think I saw Janet."

- Scott Lang To be added

Personality
From Hank Pym's account about her, Janet was a selfless person who would not hesitate to give her life to save millions, shown when she used her regulator to shrink between the molecules to disable a Soviet missile becoming trapped in the Quantum Realm as a result. Hank was very much in love with her and was extremely distraught at her apparent death to the point of becoming distant towards Hope and studying the Quantum Realm relentlessly for years.

Powers
Wasp Suit
 * Size Manipulation: Similar to Ant-Man, van Dyne was able to reduce herself to the size of an insect by using Pym Particles. Her strength and durability were also increased, allowing her superhuman strength and durability.
 * Flight: By utilizing four artificial insect-like wings, van Dyne could fly at impressive speeds and maneuver with great agility with ease.
 * Superhuman Strength: When decreased in size, van Dyne possessed superhuman strength.

Equipment

 * Wasp Suit: An advanced Pym Particle-based suit, similar to the Ant-Man Suit. The first suit was created by her and Hank Pym for any super heroics.

Family

 * Hank Pym - Husband
 * Hope van Dyne/Wasp - Daughter

Allies

 * S.H.I.E.L.D. (First Incarnation) - Employers
 * Bill Foster
 * Scott Lang/Ant-Man
 * Ava Starr/Ghost

Enemies

 * Thanos - Killer

Trivia

 * In the comics, Janet van Dyne was the original incarnation of Wasp and a founding member of the Avengers, actually giving this name to the team.
 * During the scene where Scott Lang is shrinking into the Quantum Realm, a silhouette of what looks like Janet van Dyne’s Wasp suit can be seen. In an interview with Collider, director Peyton Reed stated that it was possible to see something or someone during that scene.

Behind the Scenes

 * Joss Whedon intended to use Wasp in The Avengers as one of the female leads when Scarlett Johansson's involvement was still unconfirmed. However, plans to use both Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne were ultimately scrapped.
 * Before Michelle Pfeiffer was casted as Janet van Dyne, was considered for the role.
 * Renae Moneymaker was a stunt double for Michelle Pfeiffer in the role of Janet van Dyne.
 * Melinda Russell was a stand-in for Michelle Pfeiffer in the role of Janet van Dyne.