Marvel stars speak out after Ant-Man's Evangeline Lilly protests vaccine mandates

LOS ANGELES - Marvel stars such as Simu Liu appear to have called out Ant-Man actress Evangeline Lilly for attending a rally against vaccine mandates.

Lilly, who is also known for her role in television drama Lost (2004-2010), had posted on Instagram on Thursday (January 27) that she attended a protest in Washington D.C. the previous weekend "to support bodily sovereignty".

"I believe nobody should ever be forced to inject their body with anything, against their will," the Canadian actress said in her post, which included pictures of the protest.

According to a report by AFP, thousands had attended the protest, including anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who compared vaccine mandates in the US to the Holocaust.

Lilly's compatriot Simu Liu, who starred in last year's Shang-Chi, later tweeted on Jan 28 that "the media needs to stop spotlighting opinions that are not rooted in facts or science."

Liu, 32, did not directly address Lilly in his post, but he did add, "I lost my grandparents to [COVID-19](Covid) last year. They were still waiting for their vaccines. I'm fortunate to have been double-vaccinated and boosted when I got Covid-19 two weeks ago. Felt like a cold."

Lilly's Ant-man co-star, David Dastmalchian, also seemed to condemn Lilly's actions. "It's so unfortunate when people with a large platform use that platform to share irresponsible things," he tweeted on Jan 28.

This is not the first time Lilly, 42, has been criticised for her views on public health. In March 2020, she apologised on Instagram for posts implying that she did not believe in self-quarantine and that the virus could be a political ploy.

She will be appearing alongside American actor Paul Rudd in Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in July next year.