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With the upcoming release of Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp, Evangaline Lily had the opportunity to speak about her role, the true power of Hope, and her fascination with science. The full press conference is below, but please be warned, there are mild spoilers for the film. The article will not contain any spoilers, but the video may hint at some.
Rather than be a sequel to Ant-Man in the sense of Ant-Man 2, this film is just as much a Wasp origin story as it is another outing for Ant-Man. Paul Rudd, who reprises his role as Scott Lang, confirmed that the movie focuses on Hope Van Dyne’s strong abilities as well as their strength as a team unit. “One of the things I really like about this…it really is a duo and a team. We work together pretty well”, said Rudd.
Lily agreed, as she mentioned her pride in seeing Marvel give Van Dyne the opportunity to take charge. “It was just fun to finally get to see her take on the mantle. This is something she has been ready and willing to do her whole life…To actually seeing her fighting in that moment is wonderful”.
Marvel Studios President, Kevin Feige, also went over the planning for the film, looking back at the idea and confirming it was the studio’s intention all along to bring Hope Van Dyne into the center of the spotlight. “The first Ant-Man film essentially is all about how qualified Hope is and her estrangement from her father which is preventing her from doing these things. It was without question in what would end up being the tag on the first Ant-Man Film that was in there from the beginning which was her finding that suit and saying ‘It’s about damn time’. We always knew what the next one was going to be: Ant-Man and the Wasp. It would finally be time for her to suit up and be the hero that she said earlier she was born to be.”
The focus of the entire press event revolved around that lead up, where things were left at the end of the first film, and how important it was that Van Dyne sets herself apart in a way that doesn’t treat her as a supporting damsel in distress. “I think Hope was born into this. It’s a family business. I think in the first one it was pretty clear she would be really good at this”, Rudd added.
Yet, Lily wasn’t the only one that had a chance to expand upon the importance of her character. Hannah John-Kamen, who plays the film’s central villain, made sure to note that there was more than meets the eye when looking at her role in the film. Rather than be a bad to the bone antagonist, Ava doesn’t see herself as the enemy. “It’s not black and white. It’s very grey. The villains are very redeemable because they are fun and we want to see them again”.
Lily again stepped forward and supported John-Kamen in her observations. When dealing with her own children, she knows how important it is to paint a more realistic and complex picture when dealing with the darker side of villainy rather than a simple and cliche approach. “There’s no such thing as a bad guy. There are only just good guys who have made so many bad choices they’ve forgotten how to make good choices and a true hero’s job is to remind them of their goodness…not to annihilate and to kill them but to help them redeem themselves”.
Marvel’s villains have been unique, and especially in the case of Thanos, there is a lot more than meets the eye. The complexity is something to be observed, and Lily wanted to make sure to express that when going in to see the new film. Maybe there is some good that needs to be salvaged to save the day. “To have redeemable villains, you’re teaching children that if you encounter somebody that might have a different opinion than you, that doesn’t mean they’re a villain…If they have a different objective than you doesn’t mean you should attack them. Maybe you wanna try to understand them first.”
Ant-Man and the Wasp will release nationwide on July 6th. You can read our spoiler free review by clicking here!
