Ant-Man's Big Christmas

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Ant-Man's Big Christmas is a one-shot holiday special, released under the Marvel Knights imprint of Marvel Comics. The issue was written by Bob Gale, with art by Phil Winslade. It was released in 1999, with a publication date of Feb. 2000. The cover price was $5.95.

The issue focuses on the first Ant-Man, Dr. Henry Pym, and his wife Janet who is also known as the Wasp, and their attempts to bring holiday cheer to a dysfunctional family.

[edit] Plot summary

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The story begins at the Avengers Mansion, with all of the Avengers decorating for the holidays, with the exception Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym. The Wasp finds him in his lab working on ascertaining the contents of some shrinking chemicals he had lost when he first became Antman. Then the Wasp enters the lab trying to convince Hank to go visit her families for Christmas, after being invited by her Aunt Ruth. But Pym is weary of going this year because he feels that Janet's family hates him. The Wasp counters by arguing that his family is no different.

As the couple begin to fight, Captain America enters bearing a letter. The letter happens to be addressed to the "Make A Christmas Wish With the Avengers" program, in which the members of the team reach out to child in need for the holidays. Captain America says the letter is for Ant-Man, but Hank has long since given up the name to become Giant-Man and refuses the assignment. Pym then recommends that his successor, Scott Lang, go in his stead. However, Captain America decides to make an exception and allows Hank to go out as Ant-Man one more time and then gives him the letter to read over.

The letter comes from a 12 year old boy named Larry Magruder. He believes that his family is all a "bunch of jerks" because they are always fighting. Larry also writes that he hates Christmas, because his father insists on honoring his mother's (Larry's grandmother) last wish to invite his entire side of the family over for the holidays. It is later revealed that both Larry and his mother feel that it is time for Mr. Magruder to stop honoring this wish as the family have come over for 8 straight years and have worn out their welcome. Larry then asks Ant-Man and The Wasp to come visit to make everyone's visit more merrier. Henry is still hesitant until he reads the line "Maybe someone there has relatives like mine, and you know what I mean." Henry finally agrees and he and Janet make preparations to visit Larry and his family the next day.

Later that evening Hank and Janet make plans on how to let the Magruder family know they are coming for Christmas. Hank suggests calling them. But when he gets on the phone with Larry's mother, she thinks Ant-Man is a sexual predator. After Hank hangs up, Janet tries to call the family and gets Larry on the phone without trouble. However, Larry doesn't believe he is talking to the Wasp, instead he thinks it his friend Samantha playing a prank on him. He hangs up without the Wasp giving him a chance to know they are coming.

The next day, the Pyms arrive in Pennsylvania by car and decide to pull up to the Magruders' and approach Larry first as Ant-Man and The Wasp. Using a flying ant that Janet brought along in case of emergencies, the duo enter the house (though how is never revealed) and introduce themselves to Larry in his room.

Once Larry discovers that the pair are in his house, he wants to call all his friends to let them know about his visitors. Ant-Man quickly stops him, saying that if others find out they are there, the focus will be on them and not Larry. The boy agrees and suggests showing them a video of how his family are like "a bunch of jerks".

Before he can show the video, his mother calls him to dinner. So Larry decides to have Ant-Man and The Wasp shrink down and he will introduce them to his parents, as well as get something to eat. But before Larry gets a chance to talk with his parents, they start to fight about Mr. Magruder's promise to his dead mother. During the fight, Ant-Man is almost speared by a fork and eaten by Larry's father. Larry notices and spills his milk in order to save Ant-Man. But during the spill, the Wasp is almost drowned in a flood of milk, until Hank comes to her rescue and the duo, plus Larry, retreat to his room.

There, Larry explains his letter in better details to the visiting super heroes. He also shows the video to the Pyms as promised. The video shows his great Aunt Sadie smoking cigars in everyone's face, his Uncle Elmer wearing Mrs. Magruder's underwear, and another uncle being verbally abusive to his wife and Larry's father. Larry's cousin apparently has a bad habit of bringing unwelcomed guests, who mock the Magruders, with her for Christmas dinner. The video also shows some of his cousins, known as "The Twins" picking on him and forcing him to smile for the camera by beating him up. After watching the video, Ant-Man claims to understand why Larry hates Christmas and comes up with another plan.

Ant-Man asks Larry if he's ever read Dicken's "A Christmas Carol." Larry says he has and hopes they can come up with a plan to "Rock their (his relatives) world", and wonders what the superheores have in mind. Ant-Man pulls out the canister he was working on in his lab, which he now calls "B-6 Shrinking Gas", but before Pym can explain what to do with it, Larry grabs the container and ends up shrinking himself.

Ant-Man and Wasp decide to take the boy on a little trip. Using the flying ant, they explore the Magruder's Christmas tree and they go outside. There, the Avengers take Larry into an ant colony which is currently dormant due to the extreme cold weather. Before they can get much further into the colony, Pym remembers that the B-6 only lasts 10 minutes and quickly flees above ground before Larry begins to grow again and destroys the ant colony.

Once outside, Larry regains his normal size and gets caught being outside without a coat. Larry makes up a quick excuse and retires to his room. There, Ant-Man and Wasp meet back up with the boy and make final plans for the next day. Larry tells them to return by 3:00pm the next day. The Avengers agree and shrink back down and leave the Magruder home to rest at their hotel room. On their way back, Wasp expresses concen that they are allowing a minor to be "mean spirited" against others. Hank explains that the lesson they are going to teach Larry's family is important and will be maintained under "adult supervision." The Wasp suggests that is why she's involved in the plan for payback.

The next morning both Larry and Ant-Man are little distracted in anticipation for excuting their plans later on. Larry's mother starts off the day with a little prayer for strength to make it through the day. Soon the Magruders start hiding valuables and underwear and try to make the house ready for their relatives. Larry is very helpful and cheery, much to his parents surprise. As they prepare, Larry's mother tells the family that the Twins will not be able to make it for Christmas dinner until 4:30. Larry and his Dad are thankful for that and they continue to prepare for their visitors. Soon 3 o'clock approaches, and Larry is eager to get dressed for the visitors. His mother and father express concer that he might be sick.

Once dressed, Ant-Man and the Wasp, who entered by a window that Larry left open for them, meet the boy in his room. Ant-Man says he brought the items that Larry asked for: six canisters of B-6. Larry then says he has made some labels to disguise the cainsters with and some other surprises in store. Janet asks Larry why he has some yellow food coloring and an eye dropper with him. Larry explains that he will make his relatives think that the shrinking gas is permanent and that only he has the antidote, which he has fashioned out of the dye and the eye dropper. Soon, the Magruder's doorbell rings and Larry and the super heroes prepare to put their plan in action.

The First relative to arrive is Aunt Sadie, who begins to put the family down as soon as she enters the Magruder home. Larry invites her upstairs to his room, where he has a present for her. When the aunt enters Larry's room, she begins to light up another cigar and the boy asks her to put it out. Aunt Sadie berates Larry for being rude to a guest and demands her present. The gift is really a canister of B-6 shrinking gas, disguised by one of Larry's homemade labels as an exclusive perfume. Larry warns her not to open it, but is too late, as Aunt Sadie claims that the boy gave it to her and thus rightly hers to do with as she pleases.

Quickly, Aunt Sadie begins to shrink and Larry picks her up with tweezers and places her in a plastic container. Larry tells his aunt that it is rude to stink up his family's home with the stink of cigars and then decides to taunt her with some digusting smells. Larry places rotten fruit, a fish head, and other smelly items into the plastic container that is acting as Sadie's prison. But Wasp and Ant-Man interveine before Larry can place his final item in with his aunt. The item is hinted to be dog feces and the Wasp declares that Larry has gone too far and needs "adult supervision". Ant-Man removes Sadie from the container and places her on Larry's bed after she faints.

While Aunt Sadie recovers from the shrinking gas, Larry is told to come downstairs as his uncles have arrived. Then the door knocks and Larry's cousin arrives with members of her boyfriend's Existential Studies Group. Larry's father then asks him where Sadie is and Larry replies that she was tired and needed to rest. Suddenly, Aunt Sadie rushes down the stairs with an announcement to make. With her are the Wasp and Ant-Man, who have used their shrinking powers to remain unseen by others. The super heroes begin whispering apologies in Sadie's ear, making her confess that she has been rude and promises to never smoke in front of them again. Ant-Man then threatens to shrink Sadie again, permanently, if she breaks her promise. Then she flees the Magruder home and drives off in her car.

Up next is Larry's Uncle Elmer, who likes to raid Mrs. Macgruder's underwear drawer. Inside is another canister of B-6, this time disguised with the words "Rated X". Elmer gets very excited and opens the canister, thus shrinking himself. The Wasp finds herself repulsed by Larry's relatives and decides to help out by taping Elmer to a bra and throws it to the boy playing catch with it. This time Ant-Man interveins to keep Larry from going to far. Larry agrees and makes his uncle promise to behave or the boy will make him live with his dirty underwear forever. The uncle agrees and Larry pretends to bring him back to normal size with the eye dropper. As soon as Uncle Elmer regains his strength, he too runs down staris and leaves Christmas dinner early.

Larry's parents become even more suspicious that Larry is doing something, but are too happy to do anything about it.

Next Larry gives his cousin, named Martha, a "gift" of aroma therapy. But as she tries to open the disguised B-6 she begins to shrink. Using the tweezers again, Larry places her in a terraium filled with beetles and a small ladder for her to escape. Then boy gives his cousin a lecture on bringing un-invited guests home for Christmas. As Larry threatens to leave her to the insects, The Wasp tries to save her, but Ant-Man assures her that it is a harmless species.

Larry then goes downstairs to his other uncle, named Harley. Harley is the uncle who abuses his wife and insults Larry father by calling him a wimp. Larry asks Harley to go upstairs and help him loosen a jar. Harley agrees, but not before insulting everyone in the living room. In Larry's room, the boy hands his uncle another disguised canister. Harley tries to open it, but instead gets shrunk. Larry grabs him with the tweezers and insults his uncle for opening a jar labeled "Do Not Open."

Larry then outs Harley in with the beetles. But the uncle shows that deep down he is a wimp as he tries to use Larry's female cousin as a human shield so he can escape the beetles. Larry then "rescues" Martha from the beetles and makes Martha promise to never bring her friends ever again or face the insects living with her permanently. Martha promises and she and her friends make a hasty retreat. Again, Larry's parents thinks he has something to do with it. But they are so happy with their absence, the parents decide that it is best not to know.

Then Larry turns his attentions to his uncle Harley. The boy admonishes him for belittling his father. Harley promsies to change and Larry pretends to change him back. Soon, Harley and his wife flee, leaving the Magruders only the twins to deal with.

While everyone waits for the twins to arrive, Larry admits that it's not been as fun as he thinks. The Avengers are glad that the boy has come to that understanding, but point out that Larry still has two containers of B-6 left. Larry decides not to use them, but does have a plan on dealing with the twins.