Evangeline Lilly made her MCU debut in 2015 Ant Man. THE Lost The star played Hope Van Dyne, Hank Pym’s estranged daughter. After training Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang for his first adventure, she eventually took on the role of the Wasp in the aptly titled film Ant-Man and the Wasp. She then returned to the MCU for the climactic battle of Avengers: Endgamebefore returning to the forefront in 2023 Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
In 2024, the actress revealed that she would take a break from acting. This was a notable development for the MCU. With doomsday And Secret Wars meant to bring together almost every corner of the MCU, the absence of Lilly’s Wasp would be significant, especially with Paul Rudd being one of the Fate doomedare the main stars there. The actress, however, left the door open for the future, saying she could return to acting at any time.
Now something curious happened. The actress took to Instagram to randomly praise Captain America: The Winter Soldier:
In the video, Lilly says: “Hey, big guy, the sun is going down.” paraphrasing Black Widow’s lullaby for Hulk in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The post was captioned with: “I saw again [Captain America: The Winter Soldier] last night with my son. One of Marvel’s best.” She also included the hashtags #captainamerica, #blackwidow, #hulk, #marvel and #wintersoldier.
She then interacted with fans in the comments, where she specifically praised Winter SoldierThe elevator fight sequence of, stating: “But the elevator scene.” In another response, the actress revealed that her favorite MCU movie was Peyton Reed’s. Ant Man: “[Ant-Man] is still my favorite.”
Now, as geeks over-analyzing for clues about the next big thing in the MCU, you know what we need to do: It’s time for wild speculation. First, let’s state the obvious: This could be a simple example of the actress sharing a fun experience watching a movie with her son. That said, we are geeks and we like to look for clues where there might not be any. Thus, the timing of his message could be considered suspicious. Avengers: Apocalypse is online for covers, with Secret Wars is preparing to begin filming in summer 2026.
Nearly all of the MCU’s former cast members are rumored to appear in upcoming blockbusters, so it’s not unreasonable to assume that Lilly could use her post as a tease for her return to the franchise. Although it may seem far-fetched, the actress has already teased her return to the MCU on Instagram. In May 2025, the actress shared a secret project she was working on (unrelated to Marvel Studios).
In the comments, a fan asked him the following: “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but is there any chance we’ll see you again in any of the next Avengers movies? Lily simply responded with a winking face emoji.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier was released in 2014. 11 years ago and counting. Yes, it’s one of Marvel Studios’ most beloved projects, but releasing it haphazardly while being a major player in that same franchise could be a sign that something is brewing for the fading superhero. Of course, these details may ultimately be of no use. Still, given his previous MCU tease, it wouldn’t be surprising if this latest post is seen as a fun nod to his potential return as Wasp.
At the time she announced her retirement from acting, Lilly told Variety:
“Actually, I’ve been on hiatus for three years already (since I finished working on Quantum). This time away from work has brought me a fundamental sense of fulfillment and joy. I could come back tomorrow, in two years or never, but at the moment I am not actively working in the industry and have no contractual obligations to anyone. I devote my time to my humanitarian work and my writing.”
Avengers: Apocalypse is scheduled to hit theaters on December 18, 2026.
What do you think of Evangeline Lilly’s message? Do you think she was teasing something, or was she just sharing praise for The Winter Soldier? Let me know what you think in the comments.
