Evangeline Lilly is hoping to get her own spin-off after Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. She’d like the potential Wasp solo outing to explore the character’s “darker side,” but many Marvel fans disagree with the idea.
The actress spoke with Variety during the premiere for the latest Marvel movie, and detailed her hopes that the studio would be willing to make another female-led movie centering around the Wasp. The actress hoped to pitch the idea to the Marvel higher ups, emphasizing that the solo venture would focus on Hope Van Dyne’s darker side.
Some portions of the Marvel fanbase poked fun at the idea of a solo Wasp movie, but most simply said “no thanks” and left it at that. Others elaborated a bit on why they weren’t interested in seeing a Wasp film, claiming the character has been explored enough in the Ant-Man movies. It looks like the Wasp hasn’t made much of an impact among fans.
Not all viewers were against the idea, however, leaving room for a potential solo film, but even these fans don’t like the sound of a release focusing on the darker elements of Wasp’s character. The general consensus appears to be that the film should take on a lighter tone.
A large portion of the discussion centered around Lilly’s recent behavior, and may make her odds of getting a solo movie less likely. The actress has been in headlines recently, after she admitted to attending anti-COVID vaccine rallies. She also stated, during the height of the pandemic, that she would not socially distance or self isolate.
Her attitude to the whole pandemic alienated many of her fans, and some believe it may have even harmed her role as the Wasp. Lilly’s character is noticeably absent from a lot of the promotional material for the third Ant-Man film, leading some to guess that Disney may be distancing itself from the star due to controversy she’s been attracting. After all, it’s common for studios to distance themselves from controversial stars — Lucasfilm recently did the same with Mandalorian star Gina Carano. Lilly hasn’t reached that level of controversy quite yet, but signs seem to indicate she’s on her way.
It seems the Marvel star currently has yet to be vaccinated, and some suggested that Disney could strike a deal to give Lilly a solo movie if she agrees to get the shot. Sounds like a win-win!
It looks unlikely that Lilly will get her wish as, even without the controversy, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of interest in her character at the moment. Maybe in a decade or so, since it took over 10 years to finally get a War Machine movie. Seeing more female-led superhero movies is certainly great, but there are plenty of better, less problematic, women to choose from in the MCU. Sadly, Lilly’s Wasp just hasn’t won over the fans.
Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania hits theaters February 17th.