Hank Pym Is the New Doctor Who

So I tried Mighty Avengers for Dan Slott mostly, and lo and behold, he's turned Hank Pym into his own version of Doctor Who. Pym's HQ is a "Pym Pocket" in a broom closet, much bigger on the inside. Amadeus Cho makes reference to the TARDIS immediately:And check it out, it's a "magic door" through space-time as well:
We'll see if it can be used to time travel as well (probably not). But it doesn't stop there. He SOUNDS Doctorish:
There also a bit where he says magic is just science he hasn't explained yet, and his knocking "7th smartest person on Earth" Cho back a slot.

And and he's got his own version of the sonic screwdriver:
What does it say about me that I'm going to check up on this series despite the Dark Reign tie-in crap that's bound to accompany it only for this correspondence?

Comments

Austin Gorton said…
You should be okay, Dak Reign-wise, I think. If it's anything like their other "tie ins" of late (Initiative, WWH,)in all but the main titles, that banner may be there but the plot barely relates to the event at all.
SallyP said…
You mean that Hank Pym is being written...well? My heart may not be able to stand the shock.
Siskoid said…
I don't know that he's well characterized or anything... he's been away with the Skrulls for a time, so Slott can just re-invent him.

There have been two Doctor Whos in the Marvel Universe of late, Slott's Pym and Cornell's Reed Richards from "True Story".
Sleestak said…
He had a Who-phase during West Coast Avengers. Wore a coat, scarf just like Baker and wanted to be called "The Doctor." If Hank was gone for so many years then he's just picking up where he left off.
Siskoid said…
That's right! The jumpsuit years! I forgot he was called Dr. Pym at the time.
Michael May said…
I noticed the TARDIS reference of course, but didn't pick up on the other stuff you did. I think I'm going to like Mighty Avengers.

My only problem with the issue was Cho's being demoted to eighth place. That doesn't make any sense unless the Skrull-Pym wasn't in the Top Six before. If Pym is smarter than Cho, wouldn't he just take the Skrull-Pym's spot in the list?
Siskoid said…
You're right!

Although maybe Skrull-Pym wasn't top 6. Cho is unconvinced until Hank starts trotting out the Time Lord technology.
Michael May said…
I'll buy that! If I had a No-Prize I'd send it to you.
Bill D. said…
That might be the most interesting take on Hank Pym in, well, ever (though I will profess I sort of enjoyed his time as jumpsuited adventure scientist in West Coast Avengers).
Siskoid said…
So did I, but it was just mad love for the WCA.

Those old Silver Age Ant-Man stories were a lot of fun too.
Jack Norris said…
I always wondered if (back in WCA) they made the change from the blatant Fourth Doctor ripoff outfit with the hat, coat & scarf to the multi-pocketed red jumpsuit because they realized how obvious it was and maybe feared a legal response.

As an aside it always bugged me how in recent years writers and editors would babble on about how Pym had never been made to deal with the consequences of the infamous incident, or been properly rehabilitated, when Englehart spent many issues and did a lot of work in WCA to get the character back on track without just dropping the issue. He was even on the edge of suicide over it at one point. Busiek also did a lot of laborious character rehab on Hank, all to have people like Austin and Bendis claim it had just been dropped and avoided too easily.
I hate the way that later writers, after Englehart and Busiek, did just ignore what had come before with regards to Pym.

Especially Austin's take on Hawkeye, who had been backing and helping Pym ever since he took down Egghead's Masters of Evil way back in Avengers 239 (iirc?). Bah.

Pym's breakdown has become the sole character trait for too many writers, and it's good to see Slott actually remembers he is more than that.

I've yet to read the latest Mighty Avengers (gave up when Bendis was writing) but will give this a try now.
Bill Reed said…
Don't forget he periodically regenerates, too. Ant-Man, then Giant-Man, then Goliath, then Yellowjacket, then Dr. Pym... now he's the Wasp!
Siskoid said…
Bill: That's brilliant!