Has Marvel Trade Up for Hawkeye and Black Widow to Replace Ant-man and the Wasp?

Comics To Film News
Has Marvel Trade Up for Hawkeye and Black Widow to Replace Ant-man and the Wasp?
By Hervé St-Louis
October 11, 2011 - 22:46

Source Marvel and Entertainment Weekly

Way Way back when marvel Entertainment announced that they would do an Avengers' movie (one day) after securing enough financing to produce several films related to its Avengers-based franchise, it had announced an Ant-man movie that would tie-in with the other projects being worked on.

It was supposed to be a comedy and Ant-man, the diminutive Avenger's resident scientist would be part of the Avengers' film. One suppose that his wife the Wasp, an important supporting character would also be part of his movie and hence a starring member of the Avengers' film.

Based on the Ultimates' reboot in 2004, Marvel was no ashamed of Ant-man or the Wasp. They featured prominently in that series and were even seen in the subsequent direct to DVD animated adaptation called the Avengers.

In the most recent Avengers' cartoon series by Marvel Entertainment, both Ant-man and the Wasp are featured prominently even if their powers are not, in theory as impressive as the other Avengers. Wasp shrinks down and zaps people with bio stings. Ant-man shrinks down, grows big and has a big brain.

However, it seems that the characters are somewhat redundant for Marvel and so it has decided to add long time second tier Avengers Hawkeye - an expert archer and super spy femme fatale the Black Widow. Woah, Marvel has traded Ant-man and the Wasp for Green Arrow and Black Canary! They'll be easier to sell than shrinking heroes.

Seriously the best part of Ant-man and the Wasp has never been their powers, but their dysfunctional interactions. But I guess with Tony Stark as the resident genius and Bruce Banner as the temperamental loony smart Alec, Hank Pym, the Ant-man was just useless. As for the Wasp, she has never been portrayed as a super hot chick, so the lone thing many think a woman can bring to the table is gone.

For one thing the Ultimates proved that Janet Van Dyne, the Wasp can be a superb character when given the room she needs to - pardon my pun, grow. She's a rich dilettante with way more class than the Black Widow. He powers, while not impressive are more adequate than the Black Widow's non power.

It would have been fun to see a real Avengers' franchise started with the real characters that founded the team, but I guess the best one can hope for the duo, and we all know this will happen, is a cameo or a passing note on the lunatic professor who can shrink stuff and his rich beautiful wife with a collection of costume no super heroine can match.

An Ant-man movie is slated for a 2014 release with few ties to the other Avengers franchise.