Evangeline Lilly, known for her role as the Wasp in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has publicly criticized Disney over recent layoffs at Marvel Studios. She accused the company of replacing artists with AI after they built the franchise's success. The cuts reduced Marvel's workforce by about 8%.
Disney implemented company-wide layoffs that affected Marvel Studios, including its visual development department. The reductions impacted film and TV production, comics, franchise, finance, legal, and visual teams. This followed a smaller round of Marvel layoffs in 2024 and trimmed the workforce by roughly 8% overall, according to reports from Deadline Hollywood on April 30, 2026, as first noted by sources covering the entertainment industry.Lilly, who starred as Hope van Dyne in Ant-Man (2015), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), shared her reaction on Instagram. She confirmed the layoffs with Andy Park, the designer of her Wasp suit who was also let go. “SHAME ON YOU for turning your back on the people who built the power you are now using to throw them away,” Lilly wrote.In a video statement, Lilly expressed disbelief that Disney fired artists who created Marvel's characters and visuals. “The people who invented these characters in the first place, who designed them in the first place, are now being replaced by AI,” she said. She called it “disgusting and horrible,” adding, “I am so sorry Andy, and I am so sorry to every single one of the artists who were let go... I stand with all the artists and Andy.”
