Janet Van Dyne -- Wasp

Name: Janet Van Dyne (formerly Pym.)

Alias: The Wasp.

Affiliation: She was the first lady Avenger, and has been there through the years. She was also a Lady Liberator.

Powers: Jan can shrink to a very small size, thanks to her ex-husband's Pym particles. She also has grafted wings she can use to fly, and wrist shooters she uses as stingers.

Friends: Hank Pym (ex-husband), Tony Stark (she dated him, not knowing at the time he was Iron Man) Paladin (another ex-boyfriend). And she and Magneto had a lil' sumthin' sumthin' goin' on back in Secret Wars ;). She-Hulk, and Invisible Woman count amoung her pals too.

Enemies: Ultron (who has an honest to God Oedipel complex towards his 'mother', Whirlwind, and who-ever the Avengers were fighting that week.

First appearance: Tales to Astonish #44.

Favorite quote: "You know, I bet he's pretty cute under that hat!" -- spoken about Kang, of all people. Then again, Jan has always been something of a flirt, having flirted with all the male Avengers at one point or another, on the grounds that, "Hank is so cute when he's jealous, and Thor has such dreamy shoulders!" My quote, not hers :)

Least favorite storyline: After her husband Henry Pym (alias Yellowjacket) hits her, Jan divorces him in a heart-breaking storyline. Then, years later, they decide 'hey, what was the big deal?!' and start snuggling on the couch and calling each other pet names. Ughh!!

Favorite storyline: After her breakup with Pym, Janet starts seeing a handsome young millionaire called Tony Stark. While he's interested in her, Tony begins to feel some powerful guilt over keeping the the secret that he's actually Iron Man from his teammate. He eventually tells her the truth, and they break off their romance.

Where can she be seen?: Jan was the original Avengers chick, and currently even leads said super-team. :)

Wasp links: The Marvelous Wasp, while mainly a gallery of all the costumes she has ever worn (and dang, has she ever worn a lot of 'em!) is still a nicely laid out site. Patially in Italian, but with English translations. Of particular interest is the fanart gallery, which is completely spectacular!