Who Is The Wasp? Janet van Dyne's Origin Is Full of So Many Twists and Turns

In the comics, Janet van Dyne is the socialite daughter of wealthy scientist Vernon van Dyne. When her father is killed by an alien monster, Janet turns to his associate Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym for help in avenging his death. Dr. Pym had created a substance called the "Pym particles," which allows the user to grow and shrink in size, something Janet wants to use to defeat the alien. He gives Janet some of the Pym particles and has her undergo a procedure that gives her the ability to shrink, grow wings, and fire blasts of energy, which she calls "wasp's stings." The two join forces and become Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, they defeat the alien that killed her father and continue to go on more adventures. Soon after that, the Avengers, which Janet names herself, are formed with Ant-Man and the Wasp among its founding members. Years later, she is actually elected leader of the team.

Because Hank implants subatomic Pym particles in Janet, the Wasp can change her physical size. She can shrink from mere centimeters or grow to several hundred feet. On the flip side, the abilities to shrink and grow do put a strain on her body. When the Wasp is miniature, she grows a pair of transparent insect wings that allow her to fly. She is also able to harness and strengthen her bioelectric energy, and release it from her hands in the form of electrical force bursts (aka the aforementioned "wasp's stings"). The Wasp is also able to communicate and control insects thanks to small antennae she can grow from her temples.

Aside from her powers, the Wasp is heavily skilled in combat. She is trained in unarmed combat by Captain America, as well how to use her powers during combat by Hank. She is also considered an amazing leader and strategist. Again, Janet becomes the leader of the Avengers at one point, so her skills pretty much speak for themselves.

Professionally, Ant-Man and the Wasp are partners. But personally? The two have a very complicated relationship. Although they both have feelings for each other, Hank refuses to let it go further in the comics.

In one comics storyline, a new crime-fighter called Yellowjacket breaks into the Avengers headquarters claiming to have gotten rid of Hank and kidnapped Janet. To the dismay of her teammates, Janet marries Yellowjacket, but it isn't until their wedding day that it's discovered the crime-fighter was actually Hank all along. Turns out, he had an incident with some chemicals that left him with a severe case of schizophrenia. Janet knows this and takes advantage so she and Hank can finally get married. (Damn, Janet!)

Sadly, Hank's mental breakdown continues — he actually stages an attack on the Avengers which only he can stop, in order to make himself look good. Naturally it completely backfires. Hank is expelled from the group and Janet divorces him. Years later, Pym's mental state gets better, so he and Janet become friends before eventually getting back together.

In 2015's Ant-Man (which differs from the comics in a number of ways), it's mentioned that Janet van Dyne has been stuck in the subatomic universe known as the Quantum Realm for 30 years. Pym isn't willing to give Hope a suit, so the Wasp doesn't make a real appearance in that movie. The exception is when Pym is telling Hope the truth about what really happened to her mom.

It's also worth noting that Yellowjacket is the main villain in the film. Corey Stoll plays Darren Cross, Hank's former protégé and CEO of Pym Technologies, a man obsessed with recreating a shrinking suit of his own. Luckily, Scott is able to defeat him by going subatomic and destroying the suit from the inside. After shrinking in between the molecules, Scott successfully comes back, becoming the first to ever do so. This moment opens up a very real possibility of being able to bring Janet back from the quantum realm, something that's explored in Ant-Man and the Wasp.

In Ant-Man and the Wasp, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) officially takes over her missing mother's mantle as the new Wasp, which she uses to fight alongside Scott (Paul Rudd). The two, along with Michael Douglas's Dr. Pym, are on a mission to find Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer), the original Wasp, and bring her back.