After working together with the Avengers, Hank and Janet grow closer. Hank tries to muster the courage to ask Janet out, already having Vernon's approval. Janet is increasingly excited about her life as a superhero. However, all of this falls apart when Vernon dies unexpectedly from heart failure. Grieving, Jan withdraws, and Hank doesn't know how to help, feeling he has failed once again. But things get even more complicated when an explosion occurs in Pym's lab during an attack led by Whirlwind (the mutant villain the duo defeated at the beginning of the film), leaving Jan injured. Hank blames himself, questioning whether it was a mistake to become Ant-Man again. However, he discovers that the mastermind behind the attack was his old friend, Darren Cross, who years ago worked unsuccessfully with SHIELD in an attempt to replicate Pym particles. Using a sample of the particles, Cross produced his own, albeit unstable, particles. Hank needs to deal with the feelings of failure and doubt he feels in order to stop the man he once called a friend and help Jan. Meanwhile, Jan needs to deal with grief and anger when, even wounded, she joins Hank to stop Cross. However, the two are not alone; they have each other, which strengthens their bond as a heroic duo and perhaps something more.
