Marvel features an endless catalog of talented actors and actresses throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but some have fallen victim to online backlash and even cancellation. In the wake of recent online attacks, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) actress Evangeline Lilly finally speaks up and clears the air.
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Marvel and The Walt Disney Company champion respecting their talented stars, often supporting their various political alignments.
Nonetheless, some of their superheroes have fallen into the social pit of “cancellation” over various controversial Tweets and other social media posts, most famously The Mandalorian actress Gina Carano. She was later fired from Lucasfilm over political positions.
Related: Marvel Could Recast Canceled Star Evangeline Lilly With New Actress
Flash forward two years, and Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) Marvel star Evangeline Lilly (Lost, The Hobbit) is the latest social media backlash over various posts regarding the COVID-19 vaccination mandate and Canadian trucker protests that occurred in early 2022.
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Now, after facing heated threats and loud cries of replacement by some viewers, Lilly has finally cleared the air with her latest statement on filming Ant-Man: Quantunmania, stating that the experience has made her feel “the most heard, the most respected, and the most collaborative” throughout her entire acting career:
“What’s great is what I can talk about is sort of the theme that we started on, which is my own personal growth. On that film, that was, I think, the first time where I really… probably because of some of the healing that’s happened within me, which is… partly fueled by the MeToo movement and the Time’s Up movement. That really helped me to feel empowered, to have a voice, and not to be afraid to use it and not to feel like I’m being obnoxious or difficult. And what was really incredible was to, for the first time ever, really, really say I have an opinion.”
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Lilly continues, sharing that she had “a lot of opinions” about the movie’s script but was given creative control to make changes to her character and final script of the film “with confidence”:
“I have a lot of opinions and I’d love to share them and I’d love to give you my thoughts on all of this. And to do it with confidence and to do it with clarity, instead of, before I even speak, already… brushing my own ideas under the carpet, which is an old habit of mine. Like, ‘Yeah, this probably isn’t a very good idea, but…’ or, ‘You don’t have to use this, I’m just going to tell you what it is…’ Like. all that stuff that I think is is a very common habit of a lot of people and and it was definitely a habit of mine, but instead saying just really openly, ‘Here are my thoughts.’ And that’s a really vulnerable thing to do without the precursor. It actually feels really unnerving because you’re making yourself vulnerable to somebody not liking it, without saying, ‘You might not like this and that’s okay.’ And that was really empowering for me to be heard and to have my ideas actually really, really well-received and valued and then to see them wind up in the final script.”
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You can watch Lilly’s newest revelations about her time at Marvel below:
“That was really empowering for me to be heard, and have my ideas [about Hope] actually really well received and valued and to see them wind up in the script”
— Evangeline Lilly on filming for #Quantumania![Via: https://t.co/mwWCJ2rMr2] pic.twitter.com/peFyLGDBR2
— Ant-Man News 🐜 (@AntManNews) April 22, 2022
Evangeline Lilly reveals that Ant-Man 3 sets the stage for her Hope Pym/Hope Van Dyne character like never before, giving her “own personal growth” and “healing” to occur within her and her Marvel superhero.
Thanking the MeToo and Time’s Up movements, Lilly feels “empowered” and allowed to have her own “opinion” this time around the Marvel wheel, ramping up for one of the biggest MCU films in history.
Upon the peak of Evangeline Lilly’s backlash, however, many viewers didn’t hold back their opinions:
Another viewer shared:
Can’t wait for marvel to announce Evangeline Lilly new replacement as the wasp.
Can’t wait for marvel to announce Evangeline Lilly new replacement as the wasp.
— Mushy Sparrow (@Mushy_Sparrow) February 20, 2022
Related: Marvel’s ‘Secret Invasion’ Cast List Teases Big Name MCU Cameos
Here We Go Again
Now, it seems this turmoil has begun to boil once more, with some viewers sharing this distaste for the Marvel actress and her political standings:
Hopefully the cast didn’t have to listen to her BS politics
Hopefully the cast didn't have to listen to her BS politics
— Lewis Jones (@LewisJo58265023) April 22, 2022
Another user shared:
we don’t care about her
we don’t care about her
— ricky (@thebadsin4u) April 22, 2022
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The Flip Side
These views do not reflect all fans’ opinions, as many continue to support and even respectfully defend Evangeline Lilly for speaking her voice and sharing her true opinions, advocating for a pro-choice on vaccinations, and more:
Is it really fair to compare Evangeline Lilly to Ezra Miller and Amber Heard? Even to compare Letitia Wright to them. Lilly apologized for what she said, and you or I may not agree with Wright AND she has a responsibility to comply to set rules, but neither of them abused anyone.
Is it really fair to compare Evangeline Lilly to Ezra Miller and Amber Heard? Even to compare Letitia Wright to them. Lilly apologized for what she said, and you or I may not agree with Wright AND she has a responsibility to comply to set rules, but neither of them abused anyone.
— Riley Blankenship (@RileyPBlank) April 21, 2022
Another user wrote:
She is vaccinated, she isn’t anti vaccine like everyone on twitter likes to spout, she is however pro choice of if you get the vaccine or not which is Hella based
She is vaccinated, she isn't anti vaccine like everyone on twitter likes to spout, she is however pro choice of if you get the vaccine or not which is Hella based
— Spector The Critic (@Sorazure15) April 22, 2022
Evangeline Lilly’s latest Marvel adventure occurred in What If…?, the animated series that’s opened the Multiverse door for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).
With Ant-Man: Quantumania (2023) reportedly finishing principal photography, there’s no chance that Evangeline Lilly will be scrapped from this Multiverse Marvel movie that’s set to feature the evil Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).
Lilly’s Wasp character has appeared in Ant-Man (2015), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Marvel’s What If…?, and now Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania alongside Michael Douglas’ Hank Pym and Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang/Ant-Man.
More about Doctor Strange
Dr. Stephen Strange casts a forbidden spell that opens a portal to the multiverse. However, a threat emerges that may be too big for his team to handle.
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All bets are off for Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Benedict Cumberbatch leads this mind-shattering Marvel movie, with Rachel McAdams (Christine Palmer), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Karl Mordo), Benedict Wong (Wong), Xochitl Gomez (America Chavez), Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch), and Sir Patrick Stewart (Professor X) all supporting the Sorceror Supreme.
The Kevin Feige production features numerous Stephen Strange’s, including Evil Doctor Strange, Strange Supreme, and more.
Tom Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man Avenger is leading the way for Marvel Cinematic Universe newcomers Kate Bishop, Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), Moon Knight (Oscar Isaac), Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany), Eternals’ Thena (Angelina Jolie), and more — especially with his next Spider-Man trilogy that’s currently in the works.
What are your thoughts on Lilly’s statement? Comment below!