Evangeline Lilly Blasts Disney’s “Disgusting” Marvel Layoffs, Calls Out Andy Park Firing and AI Shift
A fresh wave of controversy has hit the Marvel Movie world, and this time it isn’t about box office numbers or storylines. It’s about the people who helped build the Marvel Cinematic Universe from the ground up.
One of its own has stepped forward to say what a lot of fans and industry insiders are already thinking. Evangeline Lilly, known for playing Hope van Dyne, aka the Wasp, in the MCU, took to Instagram to publicly criticize The Walt Disney Company following recent layoffs that impacted employees across the company, including key creatives at Marvel Studios.
Earlier this year, around 1,000 employees were let go across Disney. Among them were several visual effects artists and creatives tied to Marvel. One name that stood out was Andy Park, Marvel’s longtime director of visual development, whose work has helped define the look of the MCU for years.
Lilly didn’t hold back when reacting to the news, especially after learning firsthand that Park was among those affected.
“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, I’ve been let go.’ I can’t quite believe that…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.
“If you’re a huge fan of Marvel, just take a moment today to think about them, to send up a prayer for them, to honor them, to honor the people who created the world that you fell in love with,” she said.
“That was a human invention. These were human creations. And they shouldn’t be stolen by tech giants so that their robots can replicate them.”
Lilly didn’t stop there. In the caption of her post, she pushed even further, taking aim at the broader implications of AI in creative industries and the lack of legal protections surrounding it.
“Where are the laws that REMOVE all human art from the AI bank?!? Why do they get to steal our brilliance and use it to make executives rich while the artists responsible for feeding their robots go hungry?? Disgusting. California lawmakers…where are you?!?!?”
The situation taps into a growing concern across Hollywood and beyond. AI isn’t just a futuristic concept anymore, it’s actively reshaping how studios operate. For many artists, designers, and VFX professionals, that shift feels less like innovation and more like replacement.
What makes this moment stand out is that it’s coming from inside the house. Lilly isn’t an outsider throwing stones, she’s part of the MCU legacy. Her comments reflect a frustration that’s been building as studios explore cost-cutting measures while leaning harder into automation.
Fans now find themselves in a complicated spot. The same universe they love was built by artists like Park, yet the industry powering it may be moving in a direction that sidelines those very creators.
Whether this sparks meaningful change or just becomes another flashpoint in the ongoing AI debate remains to be seen.