Evangeline Lilly, known for playing Hope van Dyne, the Wasp, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has publicly criticised The Walt Disney Company over recent layoffs at Marvel, which saw the workforce reduced by about 8%. The cuts affected various departments, including film and TV production, comics, finance, and visual development, with Marvel's visual department hit particularly hard.
In an Instagram video, Lilly reacted to news of the layoffs and confirmed their veracity by contacting Andy Park, the artist who designed the Wasp suit for the first Ant-Man film. Park confirmed he was also laid off. Lilly expressed disbelief that Disney had let go of the artists who brought the Marvel Universe to life, accusing the company of replacing them with artificial intelligence.
Lilly stated: 'SHAME ON YOU for turning your back on the people who built the power you are now using to throw them away.' She added that the artists' creations were 'human creations, and they shouldn't be stolen by tech giants so that their robots can replicate them. I think it's disgusting and horrible, and I stand with all the artists and Andy.'
The actress, who reprised her role in several sequels including Avengers: Endgame and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, voiced solidarity with the affected artists. The layoffs are part of broader cost-cutting measures at Disney, which have sparked debate about the use of AI and the treatment of creative workers.
