‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’: Why Is Hank Pym Mad at Scott?

If there’s one thing that everyone noticed during the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp, it was that Hank Pym was angry at Scott during the movie’s first half. This was clear when Hank blamed him for everything bad happening to him and Hope after the events of Captain America: Civil War and for the fact that they had to go into hiding. Of course, Scott was aware of that and was trying to apologize. So, why was Hank mad at Scott during the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp?

Hank was mad at Scott because of what happened in Civil War. Scott took the Ant-Man suit and participated in the battle against Iron Man. This caused Hank and Hope to become fugitives due to possessing the Pym technology, which violated the Sokovia Accords. 

The relationship between Scott and the Pym/Van Dyne family is that he tends to be different from them in the sense that he doesn’t fit the bill of who Ant-Man should be in the eyes of Hank. Still, Scott proved that he was worthy of the suit as he helped Hank in what was a successful mission during the events of the second Ant-Man movie.

Why was Hank angry at Scott?

If there’s anything that has always been obvious in the Ant-Man franchise in the MCU, it’s that Scott Lang and Hank Pym never truly got along with one another, even though they were always fighting on the same side. This is because they are entirely different people, as Hank can be a grumpy old man who cares a lot about keeping his technology a secret, whereas Scott is an ex-con who isn’t as subtle and methodical as Hank in terms of the way he thinks. And the only reason why Scott was given the Ant-Man suit was that he helped Hank as his thief in the first Ant-Man movie and because of how Hope Van Dyne was in love with him.

Nevertheless, things weren’t always fine and dandy between Scott and Hank, especially in Ant-Man and the Wasp, where it was clear at the start that Pym was angry at Lang. So, why was Hank mad at Scott in Ant-Man and the Wasp?

It is worth noting that just after the events of the first Ant-Man movie, Scott Lang was forced into a situation wherein he had to help out Captain America’s group in the events of Captain America: Civil War. 

In that movie, Steve Rogers and other heroes were at odds with Tony Stark and his group because the Sokovia Accords allowed the government to regulate superhumans. Cap didn’t agree with the Sokovia Accords, but Stark supported it. Due to their “rebellion,” Steve Rogers and his allies became fugitives that needed to be captured, especially because they had custody of Bucky Barnes, who Stark wanted to get his hands on because the Winter Soldier was responsible for the death of his parents.

Rogers needed all the help he could get, and that was when the Falcon went to kidnap Scott Lang, who he fought during the events of the first Ant-Man movie when Scott infiltrated the Avengers HQ. And when Scott saw that Captain America wanted his help, he couldn’t resist his request as he looked up to him.

As such, Scott Lang participated in the battle in the German airport, where he and several other members of Rogers’ group were defeated and apprehended by the US Government. Ant-Man and the other allies of Cap were taken to the Raft, a floating prison. But while Steve broke his allies out at the movie’s end, Scott was forced into house arrest because he needed to return home to see his daughter, Cassie, instead of constantly being on the run from the law.

The fact that Scott participated in the fight in Germany made Hank so angry at him. Hank didn’t know Scott would take the suit to fight Iron Man. Remember that Hank is secretive and possessive regarding his technology, as he wants to keep it a secret from the rest of the world due to how it can be quite dangerous in the wrong hands. And that meant that Scott taking the suit to Germany to fight Stark and his men exposed Pym’s tech to the world.

In Hank’s eyes, Scott stole the suit to play hero with Captain America’s group members. And that didn’t sit well with him because he always wanted to fly under the radar regarding his tech.

There’s also the fact that Hank and Hope became targets of the government due to Scott’s exposure. Hank and Hope, having Pym tech, were in direct violation of the Sokovia Accords, and that meant that they became fugitives that needed to constantly hide from the government to keep their tech safe from the wrong hands. As such, Hank was mad at Scott for exposing him and Hope to the entire world, as the government was now looking to get its hands on them and their technology.

Did Hank and Scott make up?

While Hank was angry at Scott almost the entire Ant-Man and the Wasp movie, what needs to be stressed is that they still needed to work together so that they could achieve a common goal. And Hank, regardless of whether he would admit it, still needed Scott’s help because he had the Ant-Man suit.

In this movie, Hank tries to get to the Quantum Realm to rescue his wife, Janet. He developed the tech that could help him get to the Quantum Realm. But because the government constantly monitored them, Hank and Hope struggled to get the parts they needed to finish their machine. Of course, there was also the threat of Ava Starr, the Ghost, constantly going after the Ant-Family.

So, because Scott helped Hank throughout the film and was there to protect him from the outside when he went to the Quantum Realm to rescue Janet, they eventually made up and became friends again. Of course, there’s also the fact that Hope was in love with Scott, and Hank needed to accept his daughter’s decision. Still, Scott and Hank don’t always get along, as they are almost complete opposites.

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