Wasp

Super Name: Wasp
Real Name: Janet Van Dyne
Publisher: Marvel
Creators: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
Gender: Female
Height (normal): 5' 4"
Weight (normal): 110 lbs (50 kg)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Auburn
Unusual features: Translucent wasp-like wings sprout from Janet's back when she shrinks to under 4 feet tall.
Citizenship: American
Place of Birth: Cresskill, New Jersey
Marital Status: Divorced
Occupations: Avenger, adventurer, television show host, fashion designer, independently wealthy socialite
Character Type: Human
First Appearance: Tales to Astonish #44 - The Creature From Kosmos!!
Appears in: 2598 issues
Birthday: n/a
Died: Onslaught: Marvel Universe #1 - With Great Power...
Secret Invasion #8 - [untitled]
The Avengers #177 - The Hope and the Slaughter
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #11 - ...And Dust to Dust!
The Avengers Annual #16 - The Day Death Died
The Infinity Gauntlet #1 - God
Avengers/Invaders #12 - The Last Full Measure

Origin:

Janet Van Dyne was the wife of world-renowned scientist Vernon Van Dyne. In her early years she was a beautiful but flighty and self-centered dilettante, living resplendently off of her father's fortune. She had an on-and-off romantic relationship with the world-renowned soldier-of-fortune named Paladin. Tragedy struck when a deadly alien called a Kosmosian was brought to Earth as a result of one of her father's experiments, and the elder Van Dyne was murdered by the alien. A grieving Janet then contacted her father's colleague, Dr. Henry Pym. She told Pym of her resolve to bring her father's killer to justice. Pym, who was attracted to Janet and anxious to help, revealed his secret identity as Ant-Man and offered to give her similar powers. Janet underwent an advanced biochemical process involving his Pym Particles that allowed her to shrink to insect-sized proportions and to grow translucent insect wings. Furthermore, Pym outfitted her with personalized wrist devices which allowed her to discharge bio-electric energy blasts which she called her "wasp stings." Designing a colorful costume for herself (the first of many), Janet Van Dyne became the superheroine known as the Wasp.

Character Evolution:

She was created by her husbands discovery of the PYM particle which enables a human to shrink into an different size.The Wasp held true to a pattern common among Silver Age female characters. This was demonstrated in one of two ways. She was generally demonstrated as dependent on her male partner (Hank Pym) for all of her super-abilities, and was mostly incapable of her own scientific understanding and ability. This extended as well to her playing the damsel-in-distress role from time-to-time, also a common trait among female characters in the silver age. As was also common for the period, her early appearances featured a somewhat standoffish attitude to those around her because of her wealthy upbringing. Later, as the Wasp was incorporated into the mainstream monthly activities of her superhero team, her mostly stereotypical behaviour disappeared, to be replaced by that of a strong ally and loyal teammate. As comics aimed to become less light and to appeal to an older audience in the 1980's and 1990's, her character underwent further change to make her more realistic, as well as deal with modern social issues (in Janet's case, with domestic abuse).

Major Stories:

Founding the Avengers
A Rocky Marriage
Jocasta
Divorce
Continued Avengers Service and Chairmanship
Avengers Disassembled
Civil War
Secret Invasion and Death
Post-Secret Invasion
Afterlife Appearances
Return from the Microverse


Powers:

Agility
Animal Control
Attractive Female
Blast Power
Escape Artist
Flight
Insanely Rich
Intellect
Leadership
Size Manipulation
Stealth
Super Strength
Unarmed Combat