Wasp (
Janet van Dyne), also known as the
Winsome Wasp, is a
fictional superheroine appearing in
American comic books published by
Marvel Comics. Created by
Stan Lee and
Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in
Tales to Astonish #44 (June 1963). She is usually depicted as having the ability to shrink to a height of several centimeters, fly by means of insectoid wings, and fire bioelectric energy blasts. She is a founding member of the
Avengers as well as a long time leader of the team.