While Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings made waves at the box office, Marvel Studios also managed to dominate streaming side of Hollywood due to their Disney+ shows.
The pop-cultural phenomenon that was WandaVision, the wild success of Loki, Hawkeye's record-breaking trailer, and more all made it evident that everyone has been watching Marvel's lineup on the House of Mouse's streaming service.
Marvel talent like Ant-Man 3's Evangeline Lilly were watching too, but are having a little trouble keeping up.
Ant-Man 3 Actress Talks WandaVision, Loki, & MCU Homework
When Evangeline Lilly, who plays Hope van Dyne (aka Wasp) in the Ant-Man franchise, was asked by Collider about keeping up with the MCU and if she watches with her son for a different perspective, Lilly noted that she sees it "almost like homework:"
"I have not seen all of it, and I do try. I see it as almost like homework. I need to know what's going on in the world. I need to understand when there's references made in scripts, I need to know what's going on."
Keeping up with the MCU isn't all work for Lilly. She is a fan, but more so for those behind the camera as opposed to the characters on-screen:
"I'm also a fan of Marvel, as in I'm a fan of the filmmakers that are creating this incredible universe. I think they are the best superhero moviemakers I've ever witnessed. And I know that I'm not alone in that, so that's not a revolutionary thing to say, except that I don't actually like superhero movies. So coming from me, that's different. I think they're really smart. I think they're really, really, really good at what they do and it's why I wanted to get involved with this franchise. I never had any desire to be in a superhero movie, but Marvel do it right. They do it really well. So I'm a fan."
In regard to just what Marvel projects Lilly has been streaming, the Wasp actress claimed to love how the studio handled Wanda Maximoff's "epic female protagonist story" in WandaVision:
"I think WandaVision was phenomenal, and I think it was probably the best they've ever represented a female character. It was so incredible to see her be so complicated and so flawed and yet so redeemable and so lovable, the way we have typically historically treated our male characters. I think it was an epic female protagonist story."
She also "loved, loved the ending" of Loki and the show's willingness to "tackle such enormous topics:"
"I loved, loved the ending of the Loki TV show. They didn't fully have me till the end. I was like, 'Okay. Okay, sure. Yeah. Okay. Good.' But I wasn't like, 'Oh my God, this is an amazing show,' until they got to the end. And I was like, 'It's chaos theory. I love it. I love it. I love it.' The science geek in me loves that element of how smart they are and how they tackle such enormous topics that most kinds of fluff popcorn movies are not going to tackle. They tackled chaos theory. That's really brave and really bold and really cool."
However, Lilly did admit that she hasn't done all of her Marvel homework, and that includes projects that she contributed to:
"So yeah, I don't watch them all. I still haven't seen my What If…? episode, which I'm dying to see, because I had so much fun making it, but I will. I'll catch up on it eventually. I still haven't seen Black Widow, but I will. I have intentions to. I haven't seen ... What's Anthony Mackie's show called? I haven't seen Falcon and Winter Soldier yet."
Chaotic Connection Between Marvel Disney+ Shows?
It's always surprising to hear that an actor or actress hasn't seen their own project or is as well-versed in the franchise as its fans, and Lilly is far from the first when it comes to the MCU and beyond.
Still, in their defense, Marvel stars have a lot more to keep up with than most franchise actors, since they're rarely limited to a single film series, as every MCU project somehow connects or relates to another.
Still, it's fascinating to hear a Marvel actress' perspective on Disney+ shows and especially Loki since He Who Remains (aka Kang), played by Jonathon Majors, is set to appear in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Whether or not Lilly is up to date with the MCU's multiversal direction or not is unknown, but it's worth noting that she didn't exactly remark on Majors' role as Kang and its implications. Instead, she praised the show for tackling "chaos theory."
To date, that term hasn't been used by Marvel characters when describing the branching timelines and the multiverse, but WandaVision's Agatha Harkness did describe Wanda's power as "chaos magic."
While it's likely that Lilly's description of the events in Loki was her own, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is currently filming. Could it be that the science behind Loki and the magic behind WandaVision will share a chaotic connection in Quantumania? Is "chaos theory" something Marvel fans will be hearing about soon?
The first season of Loki is now streaming on Disney+ while Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will premiere in theaters on February 17, 2023.
