Eric O'Grady (LMD) (Earth-616)

## Black Ant

### Affiliation

Partner of Taskmaster; formerly Hydra; Hydra's Avengers; Illuminati; Descendants; Secret Avengers (Black Ops Unit)

## Appearances

### First

Secret Avengers #24 (May, 2012 - As Ant-Man), Secret Avengers #32 (December, 2012 - As Black Ant)

## History

### Origin

Black Ant was a Life-Model Decoy of Eric O'Grady, the third Ant-Man, who was killed in battle against the Descendants. He was sent to join the Avengers on behalf of the Descendants, as a double agent. Despite his programming, the Black Ant still fought as Ant-Man, with no obvious differences.

During a fight against the Masters of Evil, because he was a robot, he was not affected by the control by the Serpent Crown. As one of the two Avengers free from Taskmaster's influence, he and Venom battled the criminals and freed their teammates.

### Reveal

Black Ant's heroic rescue of the team was short-lived as Black Widow was quick to deduce that Black Ant was, in fact, now a robot working for the Descendants. Since Ant-Man had just saved the team, Hawkeye and the rest of the Avengers refused to believe her accusation, so she quit the team in protest.

The LMD however changed his identity to Black Ant and began an attack on the Lighthouse. His teammates Venom and Valkyrie were left to die, whilst Hank Pym and the original Human Torch were kidnapped. Black Ant began attacking the Lighthouse, and Venom, Valkyrie and Black Widow broke into Father's lab to find a way to defeat Black Ant.

The team broke into the nursery of Parvez, who was kidnapped from the heroes by a Descendant strikeforce. As they prepared to escape with him, the group was ambushed by the Black Ant. Black Ant explained that he remembered every part of Ant-Man's life, and that if he did not do as father said, Father would have killed him. Black Ant's justifications caused Venom to go berserk, and a fight begun. Valkyrie rescued Venom from Black Ant's blast by stabbing the robot with her sword, as the Orb of Necromancy the Father used to empower him and the Descendants gave him soul, he died like a human being, before shrinking while swearing he would see Valkyrie and Venom in the afterlife soon.

### Illuminati

The Mad Thinker got his hands on Black Ant's corpse and rebuilt him. Both Black Ant and Mad Thinker later joined the Hood's Illuminati. Eric joined under the Hood's promise to give him a "new flesh-and-blood" body. However, the Mad Thinker betrayed the team and destroyed Black Ant with a bomb he placed inside him.

### Secret Empire

Black Ant resurfaced not long afterwards in Bagalia. Around this time, Captain America had been secretly supplanted by an evil version of himself from an alternate timeline. He was involved in an operation in Bagalia, and Bagalia's sheriff Taskmaster managed to obtain a recording of him showing his loyalty for Hydra. Taskmaster and Black Ant attempted to sell the recording to Maria Hill. However, Elisa Sinclair, an ally of the evil Captain America, intercepted them, and forced them to become her new bodyguards.

By the time Hydra rose to power and conquered the United States, the duo had become members of Hydra's own Avengers. Both Black Ant and Taskmaster decided to switch allegiances during the final battle between Hydra and the resistance as soon as Hydra started losing. They freed some of Hydra's prisoners, namely the Champions, in hopes that the young heroes would later put in a good word for them.

## Powers and Abilities

**Pym Particles :** With the assistance of Pym Particles, Eric has the ability to shrink to the size of an ant, while retaining full size strength, and increase in size and communicate telepathically with insects via a cybernetic helmet.

**Life-Model Decoy :** As an android a Life-Model Decoy possesses all of the various superhuman attributes:

**Superhuman Strength:** As an android a Life-Model Decoy is superhumanly strong and possesses beyond the human limit.

**Superhuman Speed:** As an android a Life-Model Decoy can run and move at speeds that are beyond the physical limits of the finest human athlete.

**Superhuman Durability:** As an android a Life-Model Decoy construction makes him very durable.

**Superhuman Stamina:** As an android a Life-Model Decoy can exert itself well beyond the human limit.

**Superhuman Agility:** As an android a Life-Model Decoy agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete.

**Quick Repair:** The nanites in his body give a Life-Model Decoy a form of self-repair.

### Weaknesses

He can be squashed at small size and at giant size.

## Paraphernalia

### Equipment

Various gadgets housed within a shrinking exoskeleton armor ex. retractable robot legs with magnetic grapples

### Transportation

Leg-mounted jet thrusters (this can also be use as a flamethrower)

### Weapons

Mandible-like tools that swing out like claws