Marvel star Evangeline Lilly started a social media firestorm this week when she publicly denounced COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Lilly had previously expressed unpopular opinions about social distancing in 2020, but now has reignited the controversy by attending a “Defeat the Mandates” rally in Washington, D.C., over the weekend. The “Lost” alum shared photos from the event with her 2 million followers on Instagram.
The caption read in part, “I believe nobody should ever be forced to inject their body with anything, against their will… under any threat whatsoever. This is not the way.”
The Canadian actress wrote, “This is not safe. This is not healthy. This is not love. I understand the world is in fear, but I don’t believe that answering fear with force will fix our problems.”
It didn’t take long for the backlash against Lilly to start. Twitter users expressed their desire to see the Marvel alum canceled and removed from any future projects with the studio.
“Recast. Immediate,” one person tweeted. “They shoulda recast Letitia Wright. They should recast Evangeline Lilly. Ain’t nothing THAT special about em. There are much more talented (and sane) actors out there who can take up their spot & make the set a safe space.”
Recast. Immediate. They shoulda recast Letitia Wright. They should recast Evangeline Lilly. Ain't nothing THAT special about em. There are much more talented (and sane) actors out there who can take up their spot & make the set a safe space. https://t.co/OyCge9XCIl
— Pramit (@pramitheus) January 27, 2022
Another said: “Evangeline Lilly is in Marvel films and apparently she would rather be stuck in a production of Steel Magnolias at the Waco Playhouse with Kristy Swanson and Gina Carano.”
Evangeline Lilly is in Marvel films and apparently she would rather be stuck in a production of Steel Magnolias at the Waco Playhouse with Kristy Swanson and Gina Carano.
— Louis Virtel (@louisvirtel) January 27, 2022
“F*** Evangeline Lilly. @MarvelStudios won’t even have to recast her,” another user agreed. “They already have THE Wasp, Michelle Pfeiffer. We need no tolerance for this foolishness anymore.”
F**k Evangeline Lilly. @MarvelStudios won't even have to recast her. They already have THE Wasp, Michelle Pfeiffer. We need no tolerance for this foolishness anymore. https://t.co/wBOKnlJqZV
— Great Catsby, Admiral Paul, or Mr. B (@BennettWriting) January 27, 2022
But the actress also had plenty of support, including from The Daily Wire’s Candace Owens.
“Evangeline Lily will be on the wrong side of the Left, which means on the right side of history,” Owens shared to Twitter.
Evangeline Lily will be on the wrong side of the Left, which means on the right side of history.
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) January 27, 2022
So far, Lilly hasn’t responded to the criticism, nor has Marvel released a statement about the incident. However, it’s all but guaranteed that this saga is far from over.
Lilly’s 2020 Instagram post dealt with “freedom” during the pandemic.
“I have two young kids,” the actress shared on Instagram. “Some people value their lives over freedom, some people value freedom over their lives. We all make our choices.”
But after Hollywood celebrities and fans came after her, Lilly issued an apology for her “insensitivity.”
“I never meant to hurt you,” the “Ant-Man” star wrote in a lengthy Instagram post. “When I wrote that post 10 days ago, I thought I was infusing calm into the hysteria. I can see now that I was projecting my own fears into an already fearful and traumatic situation. I am grieved by the ongoing loss of life, and the impossible decisions medical workers around the world must make as they treat those affected.”
The actress’ apology at the time seemed to be enough, but with mounting tensions regarding the vaccine mandates, this latest move could have more dire consequences for Lilly. If it were up to the Twitter mob, she’d be permanently removed from the MCU just as Gina Carano was tossed out of Disney.