Hank Pym, the Ultimate Defender

The Defenders never had it so bad as they did in Ultimates 2. Set in an alternate reality, #6 of that series depicted the Defenders as a group of struggling vigilantes with high hopes of stopping crime.

Misrepresenting their skills, resources, and connections, the group recruited Dr. Henry Pym into their ranks. With the ability to shrink as Ant Man or grow 60-feet-tall as Giant Man, he was actually the only member of these Defenders with any superhuman powers.

The 34-year-old biochemist soon found himself in a burgeoning romance with Barbara, a 19-year-old teammate who called herself Valkyrie. But that relationship made the sting all the more harsh when Hank learned that he he'd been misled.

Hank: You people don't really know Dr. Strange at all, do you?

Barbara: Nope. Or Iceman. Or Colossus. Or any of the other X-Men we kind of hinted might be signing up.

Having long felt like a second-class superhero, Hank's heart sank all the more when Barbara asked if he could dress up like Captain America.

Roll Call: (back) Nighthawk, Giant Man, (front) Power Man, Valkyrie, Son of Satan, Hellcat.
Not Pictured: Black Knight.

Ultimates 2. No. 6. July 2005. "The Defenders." Mark Millar (story), Bryan Hitch (pencils), Bryan Hitch & Paul Neary inks), Laura Martin (colors), Chris Ellopoulos (letters), Tom Valente (production), Nicole Wiley & John Barber, Ralph Macchio (editor), Joe Quesada (editor in chief), Dan Buckley (publisher).