MCU star Evangeline Lilly hits out at Disney after Marvel layoffs and AI replacement push: 'Shame on you'

A Hollywood controversy has sparked debate over AI, creativity, and corporate layoffs, after a member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe publicly called out Disney’s recent cost-cutting decisions.

Evangeline Lilly, known for playing The Wasp in Ant-Man, has criticised The Walt Disney Company following a wave of layoffs across its Marvel division cuts that reportedly affected more than 1,000 employees. The restructuring, part of broader financial tightening, has hit several departments including visual development, finance, legal, and comics, leaving many long-time creatives without jobs.

Taking to Instagram, Lilly shared a video message reacting to the news and revealed she had reached out to Marvel concept artist Andy Park for clarity. She said, “I reached out to my good friend Andy Park, who was the genius behind creating the original Wasp super-suit and concept drawings, and I said, ‘Is this true? Is this really what’s happening?’ He said, ‘Yeah, it’s true.’”

She added, “I can’t quite believe that Disney has let go of the artists who brought the Marvel Universe to life through their genius, and that the people who invented these characters and who designed them are being replaced by AI. AI that will take their designs and take what they created and use it to create iterations of that. I am so sorry, Andy. I am so sorry to every one of the artists who were let go.”

In her caption, Lilly wrote, “Disney, SHAME ON YOU for turning your back on the people who built the power you are now using to throw them away,” adding praise for Marvel’s creative teams who “designed and brought to life the glory days of Marvel… I was there. I know what you did. I know how passionately you worked round the clock to make magic happen. You are the magicians, no matter what the Wizards of our new Oz make it look like going forward. I will never forget.”

She also raised concerns about intellectual property and AI training, writing, "Why do they get to take our work and use it to make executives rich while the artists responsible for feeding their systems go hungry? Disgusting."

For those unfamiliar, Evangeline Lilly played Hope van Dyne, also known as the Wasp, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a role that propelled her mainstream popularity. She has portrayed the character across the Ant-Man film series and also appeared in the blockbuster Avengers: Endgame, where the ensemble brought together several key heroes from the franchise.