Can Evangeline Lilly’s Wasp Character Be Revived in the MCU?

Evangeline Lilly has set a strong foothold in Hollywood by her performance as Hope van Dyne, who is also called The Wasp, in MCU. Her recent comments, however, have sparked rumors about her potential retirement from the franchise, leading fans to wonder.

Well, can The Wasp break free of Marvel’s typical female hero doldrums, or could Lilly in its stead just walk away from MCU?

What Evangeline Lilly has Done to the MCU

Hope van Dyne was introduced by Evangeline Lilly in Ant-Man (2015) and she got appreciated for her intelligence, strength and determination. Born as the daughter to the first Ant-Man, Hank Pym, and the first Wasp, Janet van Dyne, Hope was one of the key players in the superheroes’ universe. The character she played was depicted as a determined, intelligent and professional woman who protected her family’s tradition.

Her MCU timeline was shaped when she got the opportunity of being Marvel’s first female superhero to grace the title of the movie in Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018). This was not only about co-lead with Paul Rudd, Scott Lang’s (Ant-Man), character but also a matter of smashing the glass-celling in superheroes. Thus, the success of the film underscored the firm’s need for female heroes in the MCU.

However, some people claimed that The Wasp has been portrayed in the MCU as an incredibly weak character whose significance largely overshadows by Scott Lang aka Ant-Man. Although she had some brilliant characters, her story arcs never had the same weight as male ones did. So, as fans are speculating about Lilly leaving MCU, it only makes sense to know more about how The Wasp can be given her due place in MCU.

Life Struggles of the Wasp in MCU

Even though Hope van Dyne is an iconic character of Marvel Comics, she has a few issues in the portrayal in MCU. One major critique is that her character has often taken on a supporting role, especially in films like Avengers: Spider-man: Far from Home released in 2019 where her acting roles were again outshined by big ensembles.

Even in the recent Ant-Man and The Wasp: In Eternals (2021) some viewers requested that the creation of Hope’s personality remains fully realized, however, in Quantumania (2023), where her character is more featured, this essential aspect of the character remained somewhat underdeveloped.

A lot of audiences were taken wanting to observe more of her personal traits, intelligence and capacities for leadership, and character development. Still, her character has not always received the depth and complexity that fans of MCU have come to expect.

Why Lilly May Be Contemplating Retirement

Considering all these factors it can be quite plausible why Evangeline Lilly might decide to quit the MCU. To be an actor, who becomes a part of such an enormous and only growing series, is hard. The pressure from fans that demands more great performance and the unpredictability of the character’s development can be quite exhausting for anyone.

Furthermore, MCU proposed some character replacement or moved to the background as the universe became larger and new heroes appeared. Thus the uncertainty and sometimes insecurity can be experienced by talents like Lilly due to the volatility of such huge brand like MCU.

What will happen to The Wasp at the end of Acts?

Still, there is a lot of space for speculation that The Wasp may rise in the MCU once again. Firstly, there is lack of depth profile on the character, Second, There is aspect of over complexity, Third there is aspect of holo contribution.

So much more can be explored in Hope’s bond with her mom, Janet van Dyne embodied by Michelle Pfeiffer as well as Hank Pym. Further exploration of these family relationships may help the character of Hope be depicted with more emotional arc and make her even more prominent in the subsequent MCU instalments.

[ Also Read: Underrated Marvel Movies That Didn’t Get Their Due ]

On the other hand, concentrating on her leader qualities as well as knowledge in sciences could grant The Wasp more chances for the portrayal. Focusing on her various skills and demonstrating that she is a smart person capable of solving many problems would make her character more important in the MCU further.

Playing Partner to Other Superhero Women

It is also quite fascinating to imagine other spin-offs that feature The Wasp together with other strong MC female superheroes. How about a collaboration of Hope van Dyne and characters such as Captain Marvel, Scarlet Witch or Ms. Marvel, who is yet to be debuted?

Of course, this kind of collaboration could give birth to a great story and prove the might and resolution of the Marvel’s female characters. A storyline such as that would not only expose The Wasp to more audiences but also remind people of MCU’s tendency to create complex and self-sufficient women that are capable of fighting alongside men.

The Future of The Wasp

In the end, whether or not The Wasp continues to be a major asset of the MCU and whether Lilly stays a key figure or not depends on Marvel management’s whim. With that in mind, the MCU has a tendency to rejuvenation characters and give new existence to characters arcs – there is no rationale to assume that Hope van Dyne journey is over.

She also has so much untapped potential in her character that many great stories can be written about her if Marvel decides it so. It remains unclear if Lilly will stay in the MCU or not, but The Wasp role is memorable.

Amy Williams has been able to open the door for future women superheroes to showcase that women can equally feature in the superhero sub-genre. In any case, no matter Lilly’s decision to retire or not, she is already leaving her imprint on the MCU that will be appreciated for the year to come.

Conclusion: If Lilly to Merge What Will Become of It?

In the long and short of it, it lies in the bosom of Evangeline Lilly and Marvel Studios all Things being equal. It is, however, worth noting that The Wasp still has a lot of potential in the MCU and if  given an even better storyline in the subsequent phases of the mcu she can be an even more powerful character.

For now, all that the fans can do is to watch and see what future is in store for the beautiful actress and her fabulous role.