First Appearance Of
Tales to Astonish #27 (1962). The Man in the Ant Hill on the cover. Hank Pym debuts inside as a scientist who shrinks himself.

1st Pre-Costume Appearance (Hank Pym)

First Appearance of Ant-Man

Tales to Astonish #27

January 1962 · Marvel · Silver Age

The size-changing scientist whose Tales to Astonish run launched a Silver Age Avenger. Two Ant-Men: Hank Pym (founding Avenger) and Scott Lang (the MCU Paul Rudd version).

Key Issue

Created by Stan Lee · Larry Lieber · Jack Kirby

By Atomm Updated

Share

Ant-Man has multiple first-appearance keys. Hank Pym's pre-costume debut is Tales to Astonish #27 (January 1962), created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby, where he appears as an unnamed scientist in a one-off Twilight Zone-style story. He returns as the costumed Ant-Man in Tales to Astonish #35 (September 1962). Scott Lang takes over the Ant-Man mantle in Marvel Premiere #47 (April 1979), created by David Michelinie and John Byrne. Scott Lang is the version Paul Rudd plays in the MCU.

Quick Facts

Debut
Tales to Astonish #27 (January 1962) pre-costume Hank Pym. Tales to Astonish #35 (September 1962) costumed Ant-Man. Marvel Premiere #47 (April 1979) Scott Lang Ant-Man.
Real name
Henry Pym (original); Scott Lang (second)
Creators
Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby (Hank Pym). David Michelinie and John Byrne (Scott Lang).
Publisher
Marvel Comics
First enemy
Various Tales to Astonish-era antagonists for Hank Pym
First ally
Janet van Dyne / The Wasp (Hank's romantic partner and crime-fighting partner)
Team affiliations
Avengers (Hank Pym founding member, Scott Lang long-serving)

Firsts Timeline

  1. Tales to Astonish #27 cover
    First Pre-Costume Appearance (Hank Pym) January 1962

    Tales to Astonish #27

    By Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby

    Hank Pym debuts as a one-shot science-fiction protagonist in 'The Man in the Ant Hill.' Stan Lee plots; Larry Lieber scripts; Jack Kirby pencils. Pym shrinks himself, escapes a swarm of ants, and abandons his research. Eight months later he returns as a costumed superhero.

    Read the full breakdown
  2. First Appearance as Ant-Man (Hank Pym) September 1962

    Tales to Astonish #35

    By Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby

    Hank Pym returns to his shrinking research, this time as Ant-Man with a costume and ant-communication helmet. The defining first appearance for collectors who track the costumed Ant-Man rather than the unnamed pre-costume scientist.

    Read the full breakdown
  3. First Appearance as Scott Lang Ant-Man April 1979

    Marvel Premiere #47

    By David Michelinie, John Byrne

    Scott Lang takes the Ant-Man mantle. David Michelinie writes; John Byrne pencils. Lang is the Ant-Man Paul Rudd plays in the MCU. Scott had a brief pre-mantle cameo in Avengers #181 (March 1979).

    Read the full breakdown

Creation Story

Ant-Man’s first-appearance history has three layers: the pre-costume Hank Pym, the costumed Hank Pym Ant-Man, and the Scott Lang Ant-Man.

Tales to Astonish #27 (January 1962) introduces Hank Pym as an unnamed scientist in “The Man in the Ant Hill,” a one-off Twilight Zone-style science-fiction story. Stan Lee plotted; Larry Lieber scripted; Jack Kirby pencilled. Pym invents a shrinking serum, accidentally shrinks himself, escapes a swarm of ants, and at the end of the story abandons his research. The character is not yet Ant-Man and the issue does not present him as a superhero.

Eight months later, Tales to Astonish #35 (September 1962) brings Pym back. He returns to his shrinking research, this time with a costume, an ant-communication helmet, and the codename Ant-Man. Lee, Lieber, and Kirby return as the creative team. The costumed Ant-Man framework that runs across decades of subsequent Marvel comics begins here.

The Avengers #1 (September 1963) makes Hank Pym a founding Avenger alongside Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, and Wasp. Tales to Astonish #44 (June 1963) introduces Janet van Dyne as the Wasp, Hank’s romantic and superhero partner.

Scott Lang

Marvel Premiere #47 (April 1979) introduces Scott Lang as the second Ant-Man. David Michelinie writes; John Byrne pencils. Scott is a thief who steals Hank Pym’s Ant-Man costume to save his terminally ill daughter and ends up keeping the mantle with Hank’s blessing. Scott Lang is the Ant-Man Paul Rudd plays in the MCU; the character’s blue-collar, redemption-arc framing translated more cleanly to film than Hank Pym’s complicated comics history.

The Avengers #213 incident

The Avengers #213 (November 1981) by Jim Shooter and Bob Hall depicts Hank Pym striking his wife Janet van Dyne. The scene was controversial at publication and has been a defining negative moment in Hank Pym’s character history ever since. Subsequent writers have alternately confronted and tried to diminish the event; the comics have generally treated it as canonical character history. The Marvel Studios MCU films chose Scott Lang as the cinematic Ant-Man rather than Hank Pym, in part to avoid the historical baggage.

Collector context

Tales to Astonish #27 (Hank Pym pre-costume) and Tales to Astonish #35 (first costumed Ant-Man) are both Silver Age Marvel keys. High-grade CGC 9.0+ copies of #27 have crossed $50,000 at auction; #35 trades comparably.

Secondary keys: Tales to Astonish #44 (first Wasp). Marvel Premiere #47 (1979 first Scott Lang Ant-Man). The Astonishing Ant-Man #1 (2015 modern Scott Lang ongoing).

Key subsequent appearances

After the debut, these are the issues collectors and historians reach for next.

  1. 1962

    Tales to Astonish #27

    First Hank Pym appearance (pre-costume).

  2. 1962

    Tales to Astonish #35

    First costumed Ant-Man appearance.

  3. 1963

    The Avengers #1

    Avengers Founding

    Hank Pym (as Ant-Man) is a founding member of the Avengers alongside Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, and Wasp.

  4. 1963

    Tales to Astonish #44

    First Wasp

    Janet van Dyne debuts as the Wasp. Hank Pym's romantic and superhero partner.

  5. 1979

    Marvel Premiere #47

    First Scott Lang Ant-Man.

  6. 2015

    The Astonishing Ant-Man #1

    Nick Spencer and Ramon Rosanas. Modern Scott Lang ongoing aligned with the 2015 Paul Rudd film.

In adaptations

Film, TV, animation, and game appearances.

  1. 2015

    Ant-Man

    Film

    Starring:Paul Rudd

    Peyton Reed directs. Rudd plays Scott Lang. Edgar Wright was attached for years before departing pre-production. Grossed $519M worldwide.

  2. 2018

    Ant-Man and the Wasp

    Film

    Starring:Paul Rudd

    Reed returns. Adds Hope van Dyne as Wasp. Grossed $623M worldwide.

  3. 2023

    Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

    Film

    Starring:Paul Rudd

    Reed directs. Introduces Kang the Conqueror. Mixed reception.

Frequently asked questions

The questions readers and collectors ask most.

What is Ant-Man's first appearance?

Hank Pym's first appearance is Tales to Astonish #27 (January 1962), created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby. He appears as an unnamed scientist in a one-off science-fiction story. He returns as the costumed Ant-Man in Tales to Astonish #35 (September 1962). Scott Lang's first Ant-Man appearance is Marvel Premiere #47 (April 1979).

Is Tales to Astonish #27 valuable?

Yes. Tales to Astonish #27 is a Silver Age Marvel key. High-grade copies (CGC 9.0 and above) have crossed $50,000 at auction. The book is the technical first Hank Pym appearance even though Pym is unnamed and not yet Ant-Man. Tales to Astonish #35 (first costumed Ant-Man) is a parallel key and trades at substantial value, often comparable to #27 depending on condition and which collector is buying.

Which Ant-Man is the MCU Ant-Man?

Scott Lang. Paul Rudd plays Scott Lang across three MCU Ant-Man films and multiple Avengers crossovers. Hank Pym appears in the films played by Michael Douglas as a retired version of the original Ant-Man. The MCU positions Hank as the Cold War-era original and Scott as the modern-day successor.

Did Hank Pym hit Wasp?

Yes, in canon. The Avengers #213 (November 1981) by Jim Shooter and Bob Hall depicts Hank Pym striking his wife Janet van Dyne (the Wasp). The scene was controversial at the time and remains one of the most-discussed mainstream Marvel character moments. Subsequent writers have alternately addressed and tried to diminish the event; modern Hank Pym appearances generally treat the moment as canonical and use it as character history rather than as a recent action.

Why is Scott Lang the MCU Ant-Man?

Editorial decision. Marvel Studios chose Scott Lang for the films because his framing as a thief-turned-hero with a daughter provides clearer story stakes than Hank Pym's brilliant-scientist framework. The decision is also influenced by Hank Pym's complicated comics history (the Avengers #213 incident specifically) which Marvel Studios appears to have wanted to avoid mainstream cinematic attention. Scott Lang has been the MCU's Ant-Man since 2015.

Share

Related characters