Warning: SPOILERS for Wasp #1Some fans may not know that the Avengers during the very first team-up of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, but it could have been something else. The diminutive hero had another idea in mind for the team name that fans never got to hear, and now Marvel has an opportunity to enlighten readers about that name could have been.
Janet van Dyne finally has her own series in the present Marvel Universe. Since being a superhero is outlawed in New York except for a team of Thunderbolts, Janet zips through New York to visit her stepdaughter, Nadia, who is also the newest version of the Wasp. However, the visit is cut short when they are attacked by the villain Whirlwind. Working together, the two of them dispatch the villain, who it appears has been powered up a bit.
The Avengers Could've Had A Different Name
But this fight is not all that takes place in Wasp #1 Al Ewing and Kasia Nie. Janet also reflects on her early days as a hero. Wasp mainly got into being a superhero to find justice and revenge for the entity that took her father away. Later on, when the Avengers first formed in Avengers #1 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Janet had suggested the team's name: "It should be something colorful and dramatic, like...the Avengers, or..." Before she has a chance to mention her second idea, Ant-Man cuts her off, declaring, "'Or' nothing! That's it! The Avengers!!"
In many ways, Wasp is a forgotten avenger. Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor suck up so much oxygen in the room that Wasp, the only female member of the original crew, often gets pushed to the side. But she was instrumental in bringing the group together and naming them, and the fact that Marvel is revisiting this time is a perfect opportunity to expand upon this bit of important superhero history. It could answer a big "what if" question that Marvel fans may be hungry for.
Since the time of their formation, the Avengers have become a global name and brand both within the Marvel Universe and in the real world. So it's crazy to think that it could have been something else. It would be unfortunate if Marvel didn't return to this idea and run with it. Perhaps the publisher can introduce what that name could have been in an alternate reality where the other team heard Janet's suggestion and liked it even more. Then there could be a superhero group just as famous as the Avengers with the same , except with a different name. Comics in general love taking little details of lore and blowing them up into huge stories. So this is one Avengers tidbit that Marvel should take advantage of with Wasp's standalone series.
Wasp #1 is now available from Marvel Comics.
