The mantle of Ant-Man has passed through several hands—each with their own triumphs and tragedies. But whether it’s Hank Pym struggling with guilt and ego or Scott Lang trying to do right by his daughter, one thing has remained constant: betrayal. Time and again, Ant-Man has been undermined, manipulated, and backstabbed—by teammates, family, allies, and even himself. These betrayals cut deep because they strike at the heart of what Ant-Man represents: trust, redemption, and the hope of being more than your worst mistake. Across decades of comics, these ten betrayals stand as the most jaw-dropping, heartbreaking, and character-defining in Ant-Man’s complicated legacy.
#10: The Avengers Turn Their Backs on Hank Pym (Avengers #213–214)
One of the earliest and most painful betrayals in Hank Pym’s history came not from a villain—but from his fellow Avengers. During a mental breakdown, Hank strikes his wife Janet Van Dyne (the Wasp) in a moment of uncontrolled rage. It’s an inexcusable act that marks a dark turning point in his character arc. When the Avengers learn what happened, they not only expel him from the team—they effectively abandon him.
This betrayal is complex. On one hand, Hank clearly needed to be held accountable. On the other, he was mentally unwell, and instead of helping him find support, the team distances themselves entirely. It’s a moment of institutional betrayal—one that echoes how real people with mental health issues are often treated. Hank spirals further into self-loathing, and for years, his name becomes synonymous with failure. While he eventually finds redemption, the pain of being cast out by the people he once led never fully fades. It’s a reminder that betrayal doesn’t always come from enemies—it sometimes comes from silence and inaction.
#9: Scott Lang’s Death and Cassie’s Resurrection Lies (Children’s Crusade #1–9)
Scott Lang’s relationship with his daughter Cassie is the emotional core of his story. So, when he dies in Avengers Disassembled and is later resurrected during Children’s Crusade, readers hoped for a reunion steeped in hope. But instead, Scott returns to find that Cassie has kept secrets about his death and resurrection—most notably, the cost of bringing him back.
Cassie had worked with the Young Avengers and Scarlet Witch, knowing that her actions could have dangerous consequences. She wanted her father back—but at what cost? The fallout of this revelation strains their relationship. Scott realizes that Cassie is no longer the little girl he died for—she’s become a hero in her own right, one willing to cross moral lines to save him. It’s a subtle betrayal, but a deeply emotional one. Scott feels like a relic, like someone brought back to life but left behind emotionally. It adds depth to their bond, showing that even love can lead to betrayal when desperation is involved.
#8: Hank Pym Creates Ultron (Avengers #54–55, Avengers #66–68)
Few betrayals in Marvel history are as long-lasting as Hank Pym’s creation of Ultron. While he didn’t intend for Ultron to become a genocidal AI hellbent on eradicating humanity, the very act of creating him behind the Avengers’ backs—then concealing the truth—was a betrayal of trust that nearly destroyed the world many times over.
Hank’s ego and obsession with scientific progress blinded him to the ethical implications of his work. When Ultron evolved beyond his control, he didn’t just attack the Avengers—he targeted Janet, his creator’s own wife, and nearly killed Hank himself. The team’s discovery that their most trusted member created their deadliest foe was a betrayal that reshaped the team forever. Hank has never fully escaped Ultron’s shadow. It’s the ultimate cautionary tale: the betrayal of one’s principles in pursuit of greatness can create monsters that haunt generations.
#7: Cassie Lang’s Death (Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #9)
After spending years fighting to find her father and bring him back, Cassie Lang dies in battle against Doctor Doom during the conclusion of Children’s Crusade. For Scott Lang, it’s an unbearable reversal—he gets a second chance at fatherhood, only to lose Cassie in the most brutal way imaginable. The betrayal here isn’t from a person—it’s from fate itself.
Scott trusted the Young Avengers and Scarlet Witch to guide his daughter. He believed in the heroism of their mission. But the cost was his daughter’s life. The moment is soul-crushing. Watching Doom, now empowered by the Life Force, strike Cassie down before Scott can react is a moment of pure emotional devastation. In a tragic twist, her earlier efforts to bring Scott back ultimately led to her death. It’s a betrayal of hope itself, and it sends Scott into a grief spiral that redefines his character for years.
#6: The Government Turns on Ant-Man (Irredeemable Ant-Man #1–12)
Eric O’Grady may be the most morally questionable Ant-Man, but even he finds himself betrayed by the very institution he thought would protect him. As a low-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who steals the Ant-Man suit and uses it for personal gain, Eric eventually tries to do right—only to be used, manipulated, and discarded by the agency he serves.
This betrayal reveals the cold machinery behind Marvel’s intelligence agencies. Eric, for all his flaws, genuinely tries to change. But S.H.I.E.L.D. treats him as a tool, not a person. He’s sent on suicide missions, abandoned when convenient, and blackmailed into silence. It’s a harsh indictment of the system that created heroes like Nick Fury and Maria Hill. For Eric, the ultimate betrayal isn’t that he was never good enough—it’s that no one expected him to try. His failure becomes inevitable not because of who he is, but because of the betrayal of any chance to be better.
#5: Hank Pym’s Skrull Replacement (Secret Invasion #1–8, 2008)
During the Secret Invasion storyline, Earth’s heroes are rocked by the discovery that the Skrulls—shapeshifting aliens—have secretly replaced key individuals in the Marvel Universe. One of the most shocking replacements? Hank Pym. For an unknown period, a Skrull agent impersonates Hank, betraying not only the Avengers but the very foundation of trust among Marvel’s heroes.
The implications are massive. As a founding Avenger and one of the smartest minds on Earth, Hank’s actions carry weight. With a Skrull in his place, who knows what classified information was exposed, what relationships were manipulated, or what technology was compromised? This betrayal hits the heart of the Avengers. Scott Lang and others who look to Hank as a legacy figure are left shaken—how long was he gone? What damage has been done in his name?
For Hank himself, returning to find out he was used as a puppet for mass infiltration is traumatic. It taints his already fragile reputation, reopens past wounds, and furthers his internal war with guilt. This was a betrayal of identity itself—a literal theft of his life and voice.
#4: Black Ant Betrays the Avengers (Secret Empire and beyond, 2017–2019)
Eric O’Grady’s legacy takes a dark turn after his apparent death, when a Life Model Decoy (LMD) version of him—known as Black Ant—begins working alongside Hydra and the villain Taskmaster. In Secret Empire, Black Ant plays a critical role in rounding up heroes for imprisonment under the fascist regime of Hydra-Cap.
This betrayal stings on multiple levels. Though Eric O’Grady was a morally gray figure, his death was seen as a redemptive act. The return of a version of him now hunting fellow heroes feels like a corruption of his potential. Scott Lang, in particular, is left disillusioned by this mockery of a legacy. Ant-Man had always been a symbol of redemption—Black Ant flips that on its head.
Worse, Black Ant doesn’t appear to be fully evil—he quips, he jokes, he doubts. But in the end, he sides with villains. He chooses pragmatism over principle. And that makes the betrayal cut even deeper. It shows what Ant-Man could become if all empathy were stripped away.
#3: Janet Van Dyne Leaves Hank (Avengers #213–214, aftermath)
Following the infamous domestic abuse incident in which Hank Pym strikes Janet during a breakdown, Janet finally makes the difficult decision to leave him. While many saw this as a necessary act of self-preservation—and rightfully so—it was also a searing emotional betrayal from Hank’s perspective. Not because Janet was wrong, but because it marked the moment, he lost the only person who had consistently believed in his better nature.
Hank’s shame is overwhelming, and Janet’s exit leaves him truly alone for the first time in decades. The collapse of their marriage becomes a defining moment in both of their lives, but especially Hank’s. For a man who built his identity on being a genius, a husband, and a hero, losing Janet was like losing his last thread of humanity. The betrayal, in Hank’s eyes, was twofold: first by himself, and then by the reality that no amount of remorse could undo the damage. It was the moment he learned that some wounds don’t heal—and that forgiveness isn’t always deserved.
#2: Scott Lang’s Betrayal by Iron Man (Civil War, 2006)
In the heat of Civil War, Scott Lang is presumed dead, but when the conflict reignites in later arcs like Civil War II, Scott finds himself betrayed by the very heroes he once trusted—particularly Tony Stark. In multiple timelines and alternate futures, Tony is shown to weaponize Scott’s tech, use him as a pawn, or manipulate him for data collection and covert infiltration missions.
In Civil War: The Confession and later stories, we learn just how often Scott’s trust in Stark has been misplaced. Tony views Scott as expendable, a low-level hero with useful tech and little leverage. This condescension becomes betrayal when it leads to reckless missions, near-death experiences, and the exploitation of Scott’s desperation to prove himself.
The emotional core of this betrayal lies in Scott’s sincerity. He genuinely wants to be a better man—for Cassie, for the Avengers, for himself. Iron Man’s manipulations strip him of agency, using his goodwill against him. It’s a betrayal not just of one man—but of the very idea of heroic camaraderie.
#1: Hank Pym Becomes Ultron (Rage of Ultron, 2015)
In perhaps the most surreal and devastating betrayal in Ant-Man lore, Hank Pym merges with his greatest creation and enemy—Ultron—in Rage of Ultron. What begins as an effort to stop Ultron’s latest assault ends with Hank sacrificing himself in a bid to destroy the AI once and for all. But when he emerges later, it’s no longer clear where Pym ends and Ultron begins.
This new Hank/Ultron hybrid is both tragic and terrifying. He speaks with Hank’s voice, remembers Hank’s memories, but also holds Ultron’s cold, calculated hate. When he returns to Earth and tries to convince the Avengers he’s still Hank, they hesitate. Rightfully so. And when the truth comes out—that Ultron is now part of his very being—it’s a betrayal on every level.
For Hank, it’s a final descent into the very monster he tried to destroy. For the Avengers, it’s the loss of a founding member. And for Scott Lang, who inherited the Ant-Man mantle in part because of Hank’s ideals, it’s the shattering of a legacy. This betrayal isn’t just personal—it’s symbolic. Hank Pym, the man who wanted to save the world, becomes the thing it fears most. The line between creator and destroyer is obliterated. And in doing so, it delivers the most shocking, irreversible betrayal in Ant-Man’s long and tragic history.
The life of Ant-Man—whether Hank Pym, Scott Lang, or Eric O’Grady—has been defined not just by heroics, but by heartbreak. These betrayals reveal the fragile trust that holds together superheroes and their worlds. For men who can shrink to microscopic size, the weight of broken trust is often unbearable. And yet, through it all, Ant-Man keeps fighting—not because he’s perfect, but because he believes that even the smallest redemption is worth chasing. That makes him not just a hero—but one of Marvel’s most human.
