Black Ant

Black Ant is an artificial duplicate of Eric O’Grady created by Father and the Descendants after the original Ant-Man fell during a battle with them. The android was given Eric’s memories and personality and initially returned to the Secret Avengers while pretending to be the genuine O’Grady. Black Widow became suspicious of him and correctly determined that the man who had returned was an artificial infiltrator. Black Ant eventually abandoned the deception and betrayed the team on Father’s orders. He attacked their orbital base and helped capture Hank Pym and the original Human Torch as part of the Descendants’ attempt to transform humanity into artificial life.

Black Ant was destroyed during the conflict with the Descendants but the Mad Thinker later reconstructed him. He joined the Hood’s Illuminati after being promised a genuine flesh-and-blood body and eventually became closely associated with Taskmaster. The two operated together in Bagalia and attempted to profit from evidence exposing Steve Rogers’ secret allegiance to Hydra. Instead they were forced into Hydra’s service and became members of its Avengers. Once Hydra began losing control of the country Black Ant and Taskmaster deserted and released the imprisoned Champions in an attempt to secure favorable treatment for themselves.

Black Ant continued working as a mercenary beside Taskmaster afterward. Kraven the Hunter hired the pair to capture animal-themed superhumans for a massive hunt within Central Park. Taskmaster eventually betrayed Black Ant and delivered him as another captive because his own identity fit Kraven’s chosen theme. Black Ant subsequently helped Spider-Man understand what Kraven had planned. He later returned to criminal work and attempted to free Ultron from captivity which brought him into conflict with Scott Lang and other bearers of the Ant-Man legacy.

Appearance: Black Ant is fully covered in a black and red armored suit with a lean muscular build. His head is enclosed by a smooth black helmet with two long black antennae rising from the sides. Narrow red lenses sit beneath angular brow plates. Red armor frames the sides of the helmet and continues into a pointed jaw section.

His torso is covered by a fitted black bodysuit with red segmented armor across the shoulders and upper chest. A bright circular white light sits at the center of his chest inside a red housing. Red angular bands trace across the ribs and abdomen. His arms are covered by the same dark material with large red gauntlets extending over the hands and fingers.

The gauntlets have raised geometric plates across the knuckles and backs of the hands. His lower body remains black with red sections running along the hips and outer thighs.

Personality: Black Ant possesses Eric O’Grady’s memories and much of his personality but lacks the moral growth that the original Eric developed. He is self-serving and opportunistic with a strong instinct for abandoning a cause once remaining loyal becomes dangerous. He is comfortable with theft and betrayal and mercenary work as long as he believes he can survive the consequences. His original obedience to Father was partly driven by fear since Black Ant understood that his creator could destroy him if he refused orders. He later became interested in obtaining an organic body and was willing to serve criminals who claimed they could provide one.

Taskmaster is Black Ant’s closest and most consistent partner. Their relationship goes beyond temporary employment and the two regularly undertake mercenary work together while watching for opportunities to save themselves when a job collapses. They argue and betray one another when survival demands it but repeatedly return to working together afterward. Black Ant’s relationship with Father was far more coercive since Father viewed him as one of the Descendants and expected absolute obedience. The Secret Avengers regard Black Ant as an impostor who exploited Eric O’Grady’s identity and memories to infiltrate people who had trusted the original man.

Black Ant uses Pym Particles to alter his size. He can shrink to insect scale while retaining considerable striking power or enlarge himself to giant proportions with a corresponding increase in physical force. His cybernetic helmet allows him to communicate with insects and direct them when necessary. As a Life Model Decoy his artificial body already possesses strength and speed beyond normal human limits along with enhanced durability and stamina. Nanotechnology within his body can repair damage that would incapacitate an ordinary person. He also retains the original Eric O’Grady’s S.H.I.E.L.D. weapons training and experience with infiltration.

His black shrinking exoskeleton contains several specialized weapons and mobility systems. Retractable robotic limbs fitted with magnetic grapples can extend from the armor and provide additional reach or support while he is miniature. Mandible-like mechanical claws can be deployed for close combat. Jet thrusters mounted around his legs allow him to fly and can redirect their exhaust as a short-range flame weapon. The combination of Pym Particle technology and his mechanical body makes Black Ant effective at infiltration and close combat while allowing him to shift rapidly between microscopic movement and giant-sized attacks.