A group of mercenaries silently creep up on and manage to overpower a S.H.I.E.L.D. security team that is guarding a secret lab in the middle of an isolated jungle. Inside is a lone scientist, Dr. Henry Pym, who is studying a sample of a rare element known as Vibranium that is difficult to find outside the secretive African nation of Wakanda. Pym is enthusiastic about the opportunity to study Vibranium's rare vibrational properties but his research is cut short by the mercenaries' attack, led by the scientist Ulysses Klaw. Klaw demands that Pym hand over the Vibranium sample as well as his results, but he does not count on Pym's mastery of a form of Phlebotinum that he discovered himself; this allows Pym to shrink and become invisible to the naked eye while still retaining the strength of his human-sized form. Klaw also learns the hard way that this ability can be applied to other people as well and is almost eaten by ants.
With the threat dealt with, for now, Pym returns to his job as a college professor and his lovely research assistant Janet van Dyne, who bemoans the lack of excitement inherent in managing his entire life and making all this-
Ahem, science, possible. A break-in at a lab in the vicinity prompts Jan to leap into action as the Wasp, a superheroine who is immensely agile and can shoot bio-energy "stings" at her opponents, making her a tricky and annoying combatant. Wasp chases what seems like a living tornado down the street while Hank enthuses about successfully mapping insect genomes. The tornado turns out to be the supervillain Whirlwind, who then proceeds to engage in a running battle with Wasp and they trash talk each other all the while. Unfortunately for Whirlwind, he is so distracted that he runs into cloud of flying insects that effectively disables him.
Ant Man catches up with Wasp and an argument ensues over the best use of their collective abilities. Pym believes that supervillains should be left to the justice system and that they can be rehabilitated over time while Wasp wants to be proactive in hunting down and beating up criminals. Whirlwind, meanwhile, is captured and taken to the Big House, the third of the maximum security prisons for superpowered individuals. He breaks free of his restraints and attempts to escape, only to be crushed by the giant finger of Ant Man — the Big House is revealed to be an ironic name for a miniaturized prison kept in a locked room onboard S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Helicarrier where all the inmates are shrunken down by Pym's technology.
Nick Fury extends an offer to Ant Man and Wasp to come and work for S.H.I.E.L.D. but Ant Man is still unhappy with the idea, citing suspicions that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s interest in him is primarily because he was able to endow himself and Wasp with superpowers. He refuses to make weapons and Fury once again reveals that the world's supervillains have already gotten their hands on high-tech weapons. He accuses Pym of being an ivory tower academic in all but name and Pym and Jan depart on a sour note. Whirlwind is left screaming and ranting, but is told to sit down and shut up by his neighbor, a simple thinker although some call him Mad. The Mad Thinker reasons that since the four supervillain prisons hold some of the most powerful beings in the world, a breakdown is inevitable and they need only sit and wait.
Meanwhile, in Wakanda, the Man Ape challenges the Black Panther to single combat for the throne and wins, thanks to a sonic device designed by Klaw. Prince T'Challa runs away in disgrace but not before taking the Black Panther costume and weapons as his own. Man Ape grants Klaw free access to Wakanda's gigantic Vibranium mound as payment for his assistance.
Tropes:
- Expy: Klaw's minions look suspiciously like the cast of Predator.
- Ironic Name: It's revealed that the Big House is actually a shrunken-down facility.
- Little "No": Hank lets out one when Jan expresses interest in Fury's job offer.
- Luxury Prison Suite: the inmates of the Big House are perfectly content with their living quarters.
- Mook Horror Show: The whole "fight" between Pym and Klaw's minions ends up being this for the latter.Pym: (after shrinking them) Welcome to my world, Klaw. Ready to talk, now?
- Mythology Gag: This episode's title is taken from the very first story featuring Hank Pym in Tales to Astonish #27.
- Shout-Out: When it's learned that Whirlwind is a mutant, Fury intends to have him turned over to the MRD.
- Three Shorts: The whole episode consists shorts featuring Ant-Man and the Wasp.
- Worf Had the Flu: The only reason Man-Ape is able to defeat T'Challa's father is because of Klaw's intervention.
- You Could Have Used Your Powers for Good!: Wasp does this in a tongue-in-cheek manner while fighting Whirlwind, claiming he could've used his abilities to blend giant drinks or cool people off instead of becoming a criminal.
