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.

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

For many years, van Dyne worked as the superhero named Wasp, alongside Pym as Ant-Man. The duo undertook many S.H.I.E.L.D. operations, with her wearing a female version of the Ant-Man Suit, until her apparent death in 1987 when she shrunk down into the quantum realm to disarm a Soviet  in flight. To protect their daughter from the horrifying truth, Hank told her that Janet had died in a plane crash. 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.

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.

Family

 * Hank Pym/Ant-Man - Husband
 * Hope van Dyne - Daughter

Allies

 * S.H.I.E.L.D. (First Incarnation) - Employer

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 suite 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.