An MCU veteran held back nothing in commenting on Marvel Studios employees who were recently fired by Disney. While the MCU continues to move forward with plenty of exciting new projects, Walt Disney Studios (which owns Marvel Studios) is in the midst of some major internal changes, some of which potentially do not bode so well for some of its movies' prospects on screen.
Hope Van Dyne/Wasp actress Evangeline Lilly shared a passionate message on Instagram after multiple major layoffs from Disney, including a large faction of Marvel Studios' visual development team. Asking where the laws are that "remove all human art from the AI bank," she lamented studio executives for wanting to steal the "brilliance" of artists and leave them starving.
"Where are the laws that REMOVE all human art from the AI bank?!? Why do they get to steal our brilliance and use it to make executives rich while the artists responsible for feeding their robots go hungry?? Disgusting. California lawmakers...where are you?!?!?"
She gave credit to the Marvel Studios artists "who designed and brought life to the glory days of Marvel," saluting them foe their work and calling them "magicians" for what they accomplished. She did this while shaming Disney for "turning [their back] on the people who built the power [they] are now using to throw them away."
To the @marvelstudios artists who designed and brought to life the glory days of Marvel...I salute you. I was there. I know what you did. I know how passionately you worked round the clock to make magic happen. You are the magicians, no matter what the Wizards of our new Oz make it look like going forward. I will never forget.
@disney SHAME ON YOU for turning your back on the people who built the power you are now using to throw them away.
Finally, she offered her sincere thanks to former Visual Development Supervisor Andy Park, who she said was "responsible for designing SO many" of fans' favorite Marvel characters. She also thanked executive producer Patrick Caligiuri for his discussion on this subject:
"Fans, please share the love with @andyparkart Tell him how much his art has meant to you over the years. He was responsible for designing SO many of your fav @marvelstudios characters
@producer.patrick Thank you for spreading the word. Everybody please check out his full post (you can click through in my stories)."
Park was part of a large group of employees who were laid off from Marvel Studios' visual development team, spending 16 years working with the company on the visuals for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He has credits on over 40 MCU projects and led development on 15 movies from this franchise.
Lilly is credited for her role as Hope Van Dyne/the Wasp in all three Ant-Man films, along with 2019's Avengers: Endgame. Most recently appearing in 2023's Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, it is unknown if or when she will return to the franchise.
Marvel Studios' Visual Future After Major Layoffs
Following Park's firing, along with much of the visual development team, Marvel Studios and Disney are putting themselves in a difficult position. The team is currently in development on two of the biggest movies in entertainment history (Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars), which are expected to be two of the biggest visual spectacles in the history of cinema.
These films have already been delayed until December 2026 and December 2027 in a hope to make sure the visual effects and story are as great as they can be. However, the studios are putting even more pressure on themselves after these layoffs, while giving those worrying about the rise of AI in Hollywood one more thing to potentially worry about.
The MCU has already fielded plenty of complaints about its VFX in recent years, particularly in movies released in Phase 4 and Phase 5. These moves only increase the worry that these issues will come back for future movies, especially considering the only movies confirmed on the release schedule are the next two Avengers films (outside of the Sony-produced Spider-Man: Brand New Day).
What Marvel and Disney do from here is unclear, but it is evident that concerns are rising about their next steps potentially impacting the future of film in a negative way.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
