Ant-man and the Wasp is finally here, and it’s about time because we need a pick-me-up after Avengers: Infinity War (because Thor: Ragnarok can only do so much to numb our post-Thanos woes). Before we see Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) take names and kick ass in theaters, we can’t help but appreciate how Rudd and Lilly have been killing it during their press tour.
When they aren’t making ant-sized feasts, Rudd and Lilly have been talking about some serious topics in their interview barrage. Lilly specifically has been unabashedly discussing body positivity, age positivity, women empowerment and so much more.
While you might already be a Marvel-stan-slut (which is perfectly acceptable and encouraged), you should definitely stan Evangeline Lilly (if you don’t already), and here are just a few reasons why:
1. She’s brutally honest with fan questions
queen. evangeline. stating. facts. pic.twitter.com/Vjh4SLA8yS
— YANNA SAW AMATW n died (@marvxlspeter) July 2, 2018
TBH, we’d watch a movie that showcased a team-up between Wasp and Mantis—because we’re pro-insect alliances. Beyond her comical, but truthful, commentary about how empowering women characters are often overlooked in the Marvel fandom (and fandoms in general), Lilly’s comment about Wasp and Mantis could have a hidden message.
After all, Mantis is a highly powerful character in the Marvel comic books, yet her Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) counterpart doesn’t seem to have half of her comic self’s skills and abilities.
2. She isn’t afraid to call out the men of MCU
evangeline lilly just ended male actors and she f*cking snapped! pic.twitter.com/PM6XOI69JC
— gabi and the wasp (@emilybluntz) June 24, 2018
Most of the men’s costumes are glorified jumpsuits. Meanwhile, many of the women of the MCU has to wear suspiciously revealing clothing.
It’s bad enough that Wanda Maximoff (aka the Scarlett Witch) doesn’t know who her real parents are (i.e. Magda and Magneto), but she also has to protect the world while wearing a corset. Seriously, corsets don’t scream comfortable.
Keep telling them, Evangeline.
3. She empowered herself to use her voice on set
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lilly said that she didn’t shy away from providing her input on the Wasp’s character. “I wanted [Hope] to have a signature style that little girls, like I was when I was a feminine, girly little girl, would be able to fall in love with,” Lilly said. We’re already in love with your attention to detail and the border spectrum of your impact on young women. So, how could we not love Hope (aka the Wasp)?
Ultimately, using her power to speak up both on and off set also indirectly shows young women that they can use their own voices to make progressive change, which can create a ripple effect and continue to inspire women for generations to come. (And how can you ~not~ stan someone inspiring other women to influence even more women?)
4. She got ripped AF for her role—which sets a body-positive message to young women
let’s take a moment to appreciate evangeline lilly’s arms pic.twitter.com/krNMgEvXrD
— gabi and the wasp (@emilybluntz) July 5, 2018
As Lilly inspires young women with the Wasp’s fighting style, she’s also aiding physically strong women superheroes, like Tessa Thompson, to show viewers that being physically strong is a positive movement.
For reals, comic book women superheroes have been revitalized as petite women, which implies that there are specific beauty and body standards for physically strong women crime-fighters. Yet, there’s no set way a woman superhero should look or act (just like there’s no way that a real-life woman should look or act). Bolstering a muscular physique can exemplify to young women that they don’t need to conform to traditional physical appearance. (Because muscles aren’t just an aesthetic—they’re a useful feature, and women should feel empowered to flaunt their bodies regardless of their muscles or lack thereof.)
5. She also gets real about age-positivity
evangeline lilly talks about aging in hollywood wow she’s so wise I’M IN LOVE WITH HER pic.twitter.com/kuvvPUFIZa
— gabi and the wasp (@emilybluntz) July 4, 2018
Amid her many memorable moments during the Ant-man and the Wasp press tour, Lilly discussed how her role as Hope helped her challenge her own perspectives on aging, particularly for aging women. In the video, Lilly says that she’s elated that the public is finally recognizing that “women are at their most powerful in their 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond. They grow into their power.” Experience equals powers, so getting older just means we become more powerful with age.
Honestly, this beautiful outlook on growing older defines how we look at the aging process as a whole. Now, we can’t wait until we grow our own “sparklies,” so we can harness the power of our gray hairs.
Lilly’s flipping the hackneyed scripts about body positivity, women superheroes and aging. We can’t wait to see what other outdated norms she’ll redefine.
6. She wants a Marvel film entirely made up of women
Lilly told Comicbook.com that she wants to see an all-women MCU movie. And, she just gets us because we’ve been waiting 10 freaking years for all-women Marvel lineup. This could be a reality, seeing as the Marvel Studios overlord Kevin Feige has hinted that women are the future of the MCU on numerous occasions.
Tessa Thompson, i.e. the living breathing Valkyrie, has already started planting the seeds for an all-women movie and she’s continuously watering the idea so that it eventually blooms. Honestly, we hope that Lilly and Thompson can work on the long-overdue movie together. Danai Gurira could write the script too, seeing as she’s a Tony-nominated screenplay writer and we’d trust her to write anything including our Bumble messages (we also trust her with our lives, but that’s besides the point).
7. Plus, Lilly’s character could eventually lead the Avengers
That’s right! In the Marvel comics, Janet Van Dyne led the Avengers for a brief period of time. Although Hope isn’t her mother, she could fill Janet’s crucial comic book role moving forward in the MCU.
If you’re going to argue that Hope leading a team of superheroes isn’t canon with the comics, just recognize that not everything in the MCU follows the comic book panels. For good reason, too, seeing as watching Thanos’ creepy courtship with Death herself probably wouldn’t have made a palatable movie or cinematic story arc. (Especially since Death is too good for him anyway.)
So, cinematic creative liberty isn’t absurd or out of the question for Hope’s future as an Avenger.
8. Lilly’s character is the first ever Marvel woman to have her name in the title of a movie
Hope Van Dyne is the first ever woman superhero to have her name (the Wasp) grace an MCU movie title. It’s a monumental moment for Marvel, for women and for fans. The Wasp’s titular debut can lead to more prevalent representation for women superheroes in the MCU, which the universe is desperately lacking.
After all, there are 246 days until Brie Larson (Captain Marvel, aka Carol Danvers) not only gets her own solo film— but her character will also have her own titular movie. While Captain Marvel’s inaugural screen time has been in the making for the last few weeks, the Wasp’s title achievement could infest the MCU with even more vital women-led titles.
After all, women shouldn’t be reduced to sidekicks and refrigerator content. As long as Evangeline Lilly continues to inspire women with her brutally badass self and empowering ideology, we can’t help but stan.