Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania star Evangeline Lilly is getting backlash from Marvel fans over her attendance at a vax mandate protest. Lilly first rose to stardom with her role as Kate in ABC's hit mystery series Lost, for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination, and would rise to further prominence with her roles in the Oscar-winning The Hurt Locker and Shawn Levy's Real Steel. Following her work in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy, Lilly would make her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in 2015's Ant-Man as Hope van Dyne, daughter to scientist and original Ant-Man Hank Pym.
Lilly would carry the role through the film's 2018 sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp, in which she was given a more prominent role and became the titular hero alongside co-star Paul Rudd. She returned for Avengers: Endgame, in which her character was brought back to life after having been snapped out of existence by Thanos at the end of Avengers: Infinity War. Audiences have been eager to see Lilly's Wasp return in the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, though the MCU threequel may now see its anticipation stunted.
As the Omicron variant surges across the country, Evangeline Lilly took to Instagram to reveal she attended a vaccination mandate protest, expressing in the post's caption her belief of being "pro choice before COVID" and "still pro choice today." Marvel fans have subsequently responded with backlash on social media, expressing disappointment in Lilly's apparent anti-vaccination stance and comparing her to fellow MCU star Letitia Wright. See Lilly's post and some fan backlash below:
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With her attendance of the vax mandate protest, Lilly becomes the second MCU star to have a controversial spotlight put upon her after actress Letitia Wright was reported to be expressing anti-vaxx beliefs on the set of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in late 2021. Though Wright has refuted the original report in the months since, the film reportedly saw an extended hiatus going into the new year due to both her latest on-set injuries and hesitation to receive the vaccination. Wright would ultimately return to the set of the MCU sequel, for which she is said to be the new lead following the passing of Chadwick Boseman last year.
Major Hollywood productions have come under major scrutiny over the past year as they have tried to return to business as normal, with various shoots facing multiple shutdowns due to surges in multiple COVID-19 variants, recently including that of Star Trek: Picard and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. While some of these productions have encountered the occasional slip-ups, some have suffered due to stars refusing to adhere to set vaccination mandates, with the making of The Godfather series shutting down reportedly due to star Miles Teller exposing the set after traveling without a vaccination. Despite Lilly's apparent anti-vaccination beliefs, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania wrapped production in November 2021, which should keep it on track to make its July 28, 2023 release date without having to worry about potential exposures from stars.
Sources: Various [see links above]
Key Release Dates
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Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness
Release Date:2022-05-06 -
Thor: Love and Thunder
Release Date:2022-07-08 -
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Release Date:2022-11-11 -
captain marvel 2
Release Date:2023-07-28 -
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Release Date:2023-05-05 -
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Release Date:2023-02-17
