Ultimates #19: The Life and Times of Janet Van Dyne

Time has run out. The two years of “peace” have passed. The Maker has returned, and the Ultimates and their allies THOUGHT they were prepared, but we all know the saying about best laid plans. With battles raging all over the planet, the Endgame is finally here. 

With the Triskelion shot down, Maker’s forces rallying, and Iron Lad cut off from the rest of the team, the Ultimates find themselves completely on the back foot. As they attempt to regroup and try and push back against their enemies Janet Van Dyne reflects on just how she got into this position in her life, as well as where her loyalties TRULY lie. 

What would you sacrifice for what you believe?

This a loaded question Janet has for herself, but it’s also one that has been in the back of the minds of everyone Tony sent the Origin Boxes to. Some answered the call and others abandoned it, but Janet had been asked that question long before she even knew who Tony Stark was. This issue gives us our first real look at The Wasp as the entire world burns around her, and it’s all the more poignant for it.

Janet’s entire life had been planned out opposite of her father’s wishes, until she met Hank Pym. Love knocks you down, and in Janet’s case it crashed through the Earth and out of the other side. We know that thanks to the Maker that this version of Hank never became the man (or monster depending on who you ask) that he is in the regular 616 Earth, but that became a blessing in disguise for Janet as here she was allowed to step up in a way she hadn’t in years on the regular Earth. Here there is no Hank without Janet. “Ant-Man and Wasp” is absolutely carried by her. Perhaps them meeting at such a young age in this universe was the key difference in their dynamic. 

Despite Marvel’s sliding timescale, Hank was very much a more mature adult when he first met Janet on the 616-Earth. As such her more wide-eyed and flirtatious nature bumped up against Hank’s more cynical worldview (mostly bolstered by the fact that his designs before becoming Ant-Man were laughed at by the science community and he already lost his first wife due to Russian government violence). Here, where the pair are much closer in age, they are allowed the time to grow together and those more rougher edges of Hank are sanded down through his relationship with Janet (in fact SHE’S the more cynical one here). Janet believes in Hank, and she would sacrifice anything for him. 

Though Janet is the main focus of this issue, there is a brief spotlight given to Lejori (She-Hulk) as well. She contrasts Janet’s story where instead of trying to salvage the things she has possibly destroyed, Lejori is ready to abandon what she’s found to save what she still has. She has found her rage, and the Maker’s forces certainly aren’t ready for it. 

Deniz Camp excels in character writing above all else even in this late stage of the game and it results in another standout issue. Janet’s motivations are completely genuine and the realization that everything that is happening is a result of her choices hits like a ton of bricks, because thanks to the dialogue you still feel for her. There is also the twist at the end of the issue that highlights there are still many things about this Universe that we are discovering even in it’s Endgame. 

Juan Frigeri’s art as always matches Camp’s script beat for a beat and aside from a couple of awkward off-model moments, still keeps the pace exactly where it needs to be. Edgar Delgado and Federico Blee’s colors also helped the art standout perfectly.