One significant change to in the MCU has proven to be a drawback for classic lore. The Marvel Cinematic Universe often sets itself apart from the comics, with adaptations that range from minor tweaks to complete overhauls of characters and storylines. One of the biggest overhauls reshaped how MCU audiences perceive two of the comics’ most important Avengers: Iron Man and Ant-Man.

In the MCU, Iron Man is canonized as the man who created Ultron, whereas in the comics, it was Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man. Those who are more casual comic readers or who watch Marvel's superhero movies exclusively wouldn't know it by watching them, but .

Unfortunately, the MCU deprived Hank Pym of creating Ultron, minimizing his role in the movie franchise and, consequently, minimizing his role in the minds of fans and in comics.

An argument can be made for Avengers: Age of Ultron being the MCU's most important movie, largely because much of the franchise is built on the back of said movie, especially when it comes to Iron Man's arc. , using an AI found within an Infinity Stone. This gives birth to the maniacal supervillain Ultron, voiced by James Spader. Although Ultron is defeated, Stark's paranoia regarding the future persists.

This lore eventually paved the way for Tony's motivations in Captain America: Civil War, which largely sets the stage for Infinity War and Endgame. Iron Man's role in the MCU and Avengers lore altogether is amplified as a result of Age of Ultron, whereas . Because Hank Pym isn't given the luxury of creating Ultron in the movies as he does in the comics, his part is constricted exclusively to the Ant-Man trilogy and nothing else, in a supporting role no less. The MCU's Pym plays second fiddle to his successor, Scott Lang.

While Ant-Man plays a relatively minor role in the movies, he is much more important in the comics. Ultron first appears in The Avengers #54, mostly hidden beneath a cloak. In this issue, Ultron disguises himself and Iron Man’s butler, Jarvis, who serves as his mind-controlled body double, as the Crimson Cowl to manipulate the Masters of Evil into doing his bidding. Once unmasked, Ultron reveals himself as Ultron-5. However, his grudge against the Avengers does not become clear until The Avengers #58.

It is then that Upon turning coat and joining the Avengers to defeat Ultron, Vision brings Earth's Mightiest Heroes to a seemingly abandoned dwelling place. There, Hank Pym recognizes the metal parts as the same ones he used to experiment on Dragon Man before fighting the android in Avengers #41. He lastly remembers leaving the equipment in ruins, so he's confused to see everything perfectly intact when he doesn't remember touching it again.

With Janet van Dyne's help, Hank uses an apparatus to access his memory bank. It is then that the Avengers discover that Hank created Ultron. Hank had been experimenting with the concept of artificially intelligent robots, and thus,Convinced that his mission is to surpass his father by conquering him and humanity, Ultron-1 immediately attacks Hank and uses its powers to brainwash him into forgetting ever creating him. In secret, Ultron constantly rebuilds and advances himself until he's ready to fight the Avengers as Ultron-5.

For a time,Giant-Man's guilt and grief surrounding his creation of Ultron not only come to define his character but also completely warp his mind. His mental health struggles eventually led to Pym becoming the Yellowjacket to distance himself from the man who created a monster, while his part in creating the Avengers' greatest villain proved to be a crux for future storylines. Ant-Man’s role in the Avengers is significant as a founding member, and his connection to Ultron’s creation further highlights his importance to the team. However,

As much as not being Ultron's creator in the MCU has left a burden on his movie legacy, it would be inaccurate to say that's the only reason why the movie franchise has been shy about casting a bigger spotlight on his onscreen counterpart. Pym's downgrade has been plagued largely by the same reason why he isn't depicted in comics as often as he used to be: a.k.a. The Wasp. In The Avengers #213, Hank strikes Janet in the face.

Marvel's most controversial moment came as a result of an editorial mistake that didn't have the time to fix, forever painting Hank as a domestic abuser. It wouldn't help that the tormenting Janet. Such a stain on his legacy has felt like an elephant in the room that's hard to address, and so Marvel doesn't. In the comics, Hank has spent the past couple of decades unused and dead, save for a resurrection during Avengers Inc. He hasn't been seen since the series was canceled.

Iron Man has replaced Ant-Man in every facet of the latter's role from the comics. Tony taking Hank's role in the comics for Marvel's big-screen adaptation has given the company all the more reason not to adapt Hank to the fullest extent. Hence, this is the reason why the original Ant-Man lacks any semblance of a notable presence in the franchise. By proxy, . Marvel loves to promote synergy between its comics and movies, as is evident by their renaming of the Thunderbolts comic as soon as the big-screen version became the New Avengers.

Without the need for synergy between Hank Pym’s movie character and the comics, Hank has essentially been erased from the larger Marvel landscape. This is unfortunate because, in earlier comics, Hank was a vital, compelling, and before his controversies, a likable part of the Marvel Universe. As an inventor and super-genius, he contributed much of his brilliance to the Avengers. His connection to made even more captivating, but in the MCU, there seems to be no need for him when Iron Man has taken over his role.