The many masks of Dr Henry Pym: Alter ego, identity, disability and personality of a founding Avenger

Abstract

The unique history of Dr Henry ‘Hank’ Pym, better known as the Marvel Comics superhero Ant-Man, and his many varied costumes and alter egos, set him apart from other characters in comic books. Pym’s costumes reflect an uncertain and unstable mental state in ways other costumes do not. Through textual analysis, Pym’s costumes can be understood to represent his personality and a slipping identity that goes beyond the usual coding of superhero costuming. Pym’s consistent remaking of his appearance and identity point to a personality struggling to understand who he is in the context of his own life, a deeper message than was originally intended upon the character’s creation but one that has been explored in his later appearances.