Evangeline Lilly criticizes Disney, saying AI is replacing the artists who created the MCU
After Marvel artist Andy Park said he was let go, Ant-Man’s Evangeline Lilly criticized Disney’s latest layoffs. He said the cuts sidelined the artists who shaped the MCU and raised fears about AI replacing creative work.
Actor Evangeline Lilly has criticized Disney’s recent layoffs that have affected several Marvel Studios employees, including members of the studio’s visual development team.
In a memo on April 14, Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro informed employees about the cuts and revealed that approximately 1,000 jobs were eliminated, as reported. Hollywood Reporter. Lilly addressed the layoffs in an Instagram video and caption of the post posted Wednesday.
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He said that after hearing about the cuts he contacted Andy Park, director of visual development at Marvel, and he confirmed that he had been let go. Lilly also said she was surprised by how artists who help shape Marvel characters are now “being replaced by AI”, although it is not known whether Disney intends to use AI for such work.
Lilly said, “I reached out to my good friend Andy Park, who was the genius behind creating the original Wasp super-suit and the original Wasp concept drawings for the film. Ant-Man and the WaspAnd just said, ‘Is it true?’ Is this really happening?'” She added, “And he said, ‘Yes, it’s true. I have been let go. And I simply cannot believe that Disney has let go of the artists who brought the Marvel Universe to life through their imagination and their talent.”
Park, who is well known among Marvel fans, worked with the studio for nearly two decades, beginning in 2011 Captain America: The First Avenger And thor. He contributed to most of the studio’s major MCU projects, including Avengers: Endgameand also worked on it Avengers: Doomsday.
Lilly said she was surprised that “the people who invented these characters, who designed them in the first place, have now been replaced by AI”. He added, “AI that will take their designs and take what those artists have created and use that to create an iteration of that.”
In the caption of her post, Lilly directly tagged Disney’s Instagram account and wrote, “Shame on you for turning your back on the people who built the power you are now using to throw them away.” He also wrote, “Where are the laws that remove all human art from the AI bank?!?! Why do they steal our talent and use it to make executives rich while the artists responsible for feeding their robots go hungry?? Disgusting,” before adding, “California lawmakers, where are you?!?!? (sic)”
Lily joined the MCU in 2015 as Hope van Dyne, also known as the Wasp ant Man. she came back in Ant-Man and the Wasp In 2018, quantummania Also appeared in 2023 and Avengers: Endgame.
In 2024, Lily had said on social media that she was moving away from acting. He is not part of the cast list for Doomsday, Although it is releasing in December quantummania The film co-stars Paul Rudd and Kathryn Newton.
Lillee’s comments came in response to Disney’s layoffs, which affected Marvel Studios employees, including Parks, and focused on the exit of artists she said helped bring the MCU to life, as well as her concerns about the potential use of AI in creative work.