By Tim Stevens

Scott Lang is an adult male who presents as in above average physical health. Previous records indicate that he was killed during an incident that led to the destruction of Avengers Mansion several months ago. The client asserts that these records are accurate and that he is unable to adequately explain how it is that he was once dead but is now alive, both because it involves certain information he has been urged to keep classified and he does not fully grasp the science involved.

What he can discuss about his return is that part of the price paid was the death of his daughter Cassie at the hands of the Latverian dictator Victor Von Doom. Doom, it seems, came into contact with an incredible amount of energy that, amongst other things, gave him the power to grow. Cassie, in her super hero guise of Stature, also grew to oppose him and was ultimately slain fighting to save her father, her teammates, the Young Avengers, and various members of both the Avengers and the X-Men.

Since that time, Lang has not attempted to rejoin the Avengers but has instead taken a position heading Reed Richards’s think tank and school known as the Future Foundation. He feels as though this is a better use of his expertise in electronics than “simply” being an Avenger as being a costumed vigilante rarely granted him the opportunity to do more than “punch bad guys.” He allows that it is possible Cassie’s death might have influenced his opinion as well but is generally closed off to discussing this hypothesis further.

This resistance to grieving his daughter’s death and exploring how it is influencing his mood, behaviors, and cognitions, is distressing to this writer. It is well documented that Lang would do anything for his daughter and, in fact, it was her illness that first led him to fall back into a life of crime by stealing from Dr. Henry Pym (also known by the identities of Giant-Man, the first Ant-Man, Yellowjacket, and Wasp). Most recently, it led to him recklessly vandalizing a portrait of Victor Von Doom. While the client insists that the latter was nothing more than a prank, Doom is well-known for his complete lack of humor. Add to this that Lang is currently working with the individual Doom has the strongest dislike for, Dr. Reed Richards, and it is apparent that, at best, Lang acted without thinking and, at worst, he is actively courting the negative attention such actions may bring.

This writer intends to continue to work with the client on processing his grief and, in time, shifting to discuss how he feels about his return to life and how, if at all, death has affected his goals, view of self, and so on.

Scott Lang will next see Doctors Matt Fraction and Michael Allred on November 28. Session notes can be located in file FF #1.

Psy D. Candidate Tim Stevens, MA is a Dialectical Behavior Therapy Consultant and Practicum Trainee who currently provides therapy and outreach at a state university.