Hope van Dyne

"Wasp (Marvel Cinematic Universe)" redirects here. For the original Wasp in the MCU, see Janet van Dyne (Marvel Cinematic Universe).

Hope van Dyne
File:Evangeline Lilly as Wasp.jpeg Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne / Wasp in Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
First appearance	Ant-Man (2015)
Portrayed by	Evangeline Lilly Madeleine McGraw (young)
Information
Aliases	Wasp
Affiliation	Pym Technologies S.H.I.E.L.D. (What If...?)
Family	Hank Pym (father) Janet van Dyne (mother)
Nationality	American

Hope van Dyne (née Pym) is a fictional character portrayed by Evangeline Lilly in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film franchise, loosely based on the Marvel Comics character Hope Pym. Portrayed as the daughter of Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne, she was a senior board member of her father's company, Pym Technologies, and later inherits the superhero identity of Wasp from her mother, using a suit containing shrinking technology to shrink to the size of an insect and also fly with insect-themed wings. She first appeared in the 2015 film Ant-Man and later appeared in Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). She has been noted for being the first superheroine to be a titular character in an MCU film, preceding Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel and Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow.

She will reprise her role as a titular superhero alongside Scott Lang in the upcoming superhero film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Lilly also appears in the Disney+ animated series What If...? (2021) as an alternate version of the character.

Concept and creation

File:Evangeline Lilly 2014 Comic Con 01 (cropped).jpg

Lilly at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con

Joss Whedon, the writer and director of The Avengers, originally intended to have the Wasp appear in the film due to potential scheduling conflicts preventing Scarlett Johansson from appearing in the film as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow. Whedon wanted Zooey Deschanel to play the role of Wasp.

Evangeline Lilly was originally cast as the character in 2014, when Edgar Wright was slated to direct Ant-Man. When Wright left the film later in the year and was replaced by Peyton Reed, Lilly was reluctant to take the role until she read the revised script and got a chance to meet with Reed. Reed also offered contributions to the revised script, as did Lilly, who worked with Scott Lang-actor and co-screenwriter Paul Rudd, and contributed ideas to help flesh out her character, which received a fuller arc and more action sequences as a result. One of the important things for Reed when joining the film was emphasizing both Hope and Janet van Dyne more, given the Wasp being "a crucial part" of the Ant-Man comics.

In October 2015, after the release of Ant-Man, Marvel Studios announced a sequel, titled Ant-Man and the Wasp, with a scheduled release date of July 6, 2018. with Lilly confirmed to reprise the role. On including the Wasp in the film's title (the first MCU film to have a female character in the title), Reed called it "organic" for both characters, and noted the Wasp's final line in Ant-Man—'It's about damn time'—as "very much about her specific character and arc in that movie, but it is absolutely about a larger thing. It's about damn time: We’re going to have a fully realized, very very complicated hero in the next movie who happens to be a woman." Reed would also push to ensure the Wasp received equal publicity and merchandise for the film. Danielle Costa was responsible for visual effects stunts of the character.

In 2016, Lilly confirmed that Hope van Dyne would appear in the Avengers: Endgame and said that her character did not appear in the previous film Avengers: Infinity War in order to preserve her reveal as the Wasp in Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Lilly also reprised her role in the inspired media attraction of the MCU, Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle! in Hong Kong Disneyland.

Lily will reprise her role as titular superhero once again being featured alongside Scott Lang in the upcoming superhero film, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania which is being planned for a 2023 release date. Even before she was officially known to be returning, Lily stated that "Hope is mid-journey. I don't see her journey as being over by any stretch."

Characterization

Van Dyne is introduced in Ant-Man as the daughter of Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne and a senior board member of Pym Technologies who helps Darren Cross take over the company. Throughout the film, character progression brings Hope closer to becoming a hero. Lilly described her character as "capable, strong, and kick-ass", but said that being raised by two superheroes resulted in Hope being "a pretty screwed up human being... and the clear message sent by my name is that I'm not a big fan of my father and so I took my mother's name." She added that Van Dyne's "arc in the movie is trying to find a relationship" with Pym. Originally cast by Wright, Lilly was reluctant to take the role after he left the project until she read the revised script and got a chance to meet with Reed. Feige said that Van Dyne was the more obvious choice to take up the mantle of Ant-Man, being "infinitely more capable of actually being a superhero" than Lang, and that the reason she does not is because of Pym's experience with losing her mother, rather than sexism, which Feige felt would not be a problem for Pym in modern times. Lilly signed a multi-film contract with Marvel.

In Ant-Man and the Wasp, Van Dyne is handed down a similar suit and the Wasp mantle from her mother. The writers were excited to properly introduce the character as the Wasp, showing her "power set, how she fights, and what are the injustices that matter to her". Lilly felt the character has "incredible satisfaction" in becoming the Wasp, "something that she has been waiting for her whole life, which is essentially an affirmation from her father". Her relationship with Lang is more complicated than in the first film, and includes anger towards his actions during Captain America: Civil War. Lilly felt it was important that Hope "be an extremely empathetic and compassionate person" and "to always push for feminine qualities to be apparent when she is dealing with situations". In her fight sequences, Lilly wanted to move away from the more masculine Muay Thai and mixed martial arts style of fighting she learned for the first film, noting that Hope moves differently than a man, so her fights should have "elegance, grace and femininity" with "a signature style" young girls could enjoy and emulate. Lilly worked with the writers to help ensure Hope was able to "represent a modern woman" without becoming the stereotype of a motherly figure. Madeleine McGraw portrays a young Hope van Dyne.

Comics derivations

Precursors

The superhero character, Wasp, who Hope was teased to take over the mantle of in the original Ant-Man, and then later starred as in Ant-Man and the Wasp, first debuted in American Comic Books in the anthology series, Tales to Astonish #44 (plotted by Stan Lee, scripted by H.E. Huntley, and drawn by Jack Kirby, June 1963) as Janet van Dyne, Henry "Hank" Pym's partner, becoming the Wasp to avenge the death of her father, scientist Vernon van Dyne. She co-starred in Tales to Astonish from issue #44 to issue #69 (1963–65), and was a founding member of the Avengers, appearing in the first issue and giving the team its name. Janet's role (alongside Hank Pym), is depicted as more of a supporting character within the MCU films who have used the superhero alias in the past, additionally she was depicted as the mother of Hope and the original Wasp within the MCU films. Instead Hope van Dyne is more loosely connected on the concept of Hope Pym, a similar (but more obscure) character who is also the daughter of Hank Pym and Janet van Dyne. She was portrayed as a supervillain who called herself the Red Queen from the MC2 lineup as published by Marvel Comics. Despite the same original name and same parents, they are very different from each other. Hope Pym was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, and first appeared in A-Next #7 (April 1999).

Mainstream comic derived version

Main article: Nadia van Dyne

Another inspired character that originally appeared in the mainstream Marvel Universe canon (Earth-616) and later in other continuities and Marvel media during the start of the All-New, All-Different Marvel launch starting in 2015 in the comic book issue of Free Comic Book Day 2016 Civil War II (July 2016) is a character called Nadia van Dyne (who was created after van Dyne). She is the daughter of Hank Pym but with a different mother than of van Dyne. She also becomes the Wasp within the comics. Her name "Nadia" is a Russian language translated name of "Hope".

Fictional character biography

As a child, Hope van Dyne is estranged from her father Hank Pym after he hides the circumstances of the disappearance of her mother Janet van Dyne and his subsequent cold and distant behavior towards her. She adopts her mother's maiden name and, as a board member of her father's company Pym Technologies, she was the deciding vote in casting out Pym as CEO.

Meeting Scott Lang

Further information: Ant-Man (film)

In 2015, however, she seeks his help to stop new CEO Darren Cross from replicating Pym's Ant-Man shrinking technology with the Yellowjacket suit, which he plans to mass produce as military hardware. Pym recruits convicted thief Scott Lang to become the new Ant-Man to steal the Yellowjacket from Cross. Hope is against using Lang, believing herself to be the superior choice. However, she reluctantly helps train Lang to fully harness the Ant-Man suit's abilities. Hope reconciles with her father after he reveals that her mother shrank herself and became trapped in the subatomic Quantum Realm during a mission with S.H.I.E.L.D. as the Wasp. After successfully aiding Lang in thwarting Cross' plans, Pym reveals to Hope a new Wasp prototype suit and offers it to her.

Rescuing Janet and the Battle of Earth

Further information: Ant-Man and the Wasp and Avengers: Endgame

In 2018, Van Dyne and Pym are now in hiding due to Lang's actions against the Sokovia Accords in 2016, and has cut ties with him. However, they seek his help after they discover a way to bring back Janet from the Quantum Realm, with Lang having seen dreams of van Dyne's childhood experiences with her mother Janet. Van Dyne and Lang team up as Ant-Man and the Wasp, and rekindle their relationship as they fight to keep their quantum technology away from other rival parties, such as black market dealer Sonny Burch, as well as Ava Starr / Ghost and Bill Foster, who want to use it to cure Starr of her fatal molecular instability.

After Pym successfully brings Janet back from the Quantum realm, they, along with Hope and Lang plan to harvest quantum energy to cure Starr's condition. However, van Dyne and her parents disintegrate after the initiation of the Blip, leaving Lang trapped in the Quantum Realm for five years. In 2023, van Dyne is restored to life and is brought to join the final battle against an alternate Thanos. After Thanos's defeat, she, alongside her restored parents and Lang, attends Tony Stark's funeral and spends time with Lang and his daughter back home.

Alternate versions

See also: What If...? (TV series)

Several alternate versions of Van Dyne appear in the animated series What If...?, with Lilly reprising her role.

Death of the Avengers

Further information: What If... the World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?

In an alternate universe, Van Dyne was recruited as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent by Nick Fury, but was killed during a mission in Odessa, Ukraine. Her death drives her father to get revenge on Fury by disrupting his recruitment mission for the Avengers Initiative.

Zombie outbreak

Further information: What If... Zombies?!

In an alternate 2018, Van Dyne is one of the sole survivors of Earth following a quantum zombie virus outbreak caused by her mother's return from the Quantum Realm. After leaving their base in New York City and en-route to Camp Lehigh, Van Dyne also becomes infected and sacrifices herself to allow the others to escape.

Other appearances

Since her inception within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she has appeared in various other Marvel Comics based media as the Wasp. She has appeared in animated series that derived from Marvel Animation including Ant-Man, voiced by Melissa Rauch, Avengers Assemble, voiced by Kari Wahlgren, and Marvel Super Hero Adventures, voiced by Marlie Collins.

She also appears in a few crossover Marvel video games titles using the Wasp alias created by Marvel Games: Marvel Puzzle Quest, Lego Marvel Avengers, Lego Marvel Superheroes 2, Marvel Contest of Champions, Marvel: Future Fight, Marvel Avengers Academy and Marvel Strike Force.

Reception

Reviews and analysis

Kristy Puchko of Syfy Wire felt that her portrayal was an improvement in character development in Ant-Man and the Wasp compared to the predecessor where she portrayed a side character. The author felt she was the least interesting part of the original Ant-Man but then described her part as going "from black hole to shining star." The writer notes that the actress "carries a cool confidence that makes her Wasp dynamic even without the one-liners and flashier costumes" that she compared to from Ant-Man or Iron Man.

Amelia Rayne Kim of Screen Rant acknowledged her as the first titular superheroine of film within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With that change being described as a "milestone” of superhero films explaining "Hope van Dyne becoming the Wasp not only made sense for the narrative but it prevented her from being simply a supporting character or a love interest." The author further opined that her titular introduction "broke down another barrier to the women of this universe achieving equal footing with its men."

In an analysis about Peter Parker's romantic interest, MJ, Hope van Dyne was referenced as one of many examples of strong female representation as portrayed by the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Karen Han in a report from Vanity Fair.

Nominations

Year	Association	Category	Film
2015	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Summer Movie Star: Female	Ant-Man
2019	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Action Movie Actress	Ant-Man and the Wasp

See also

• Characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

External links

• Hope van Dyne on the Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki
• Hope van Dyne on Marvel Database, a Marvel Comics wiki