It's always an exciting time in the pop-culture world when an Avengers movie is on the horizon. Not only does it mean that something truly game-changing is about to make its presence felt on the world (all of the Avengers movies have grossed over $1 billion, with the latter two surpassing $2 billion), Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars promise to feature a multitude of surprises, cameos and returns - from actors all across the Marvel landscape (including from movies that even predate the Marvel Cinematic Universe).
The double-header from Marvel Studios will bring the franchise's ongoing Multiverse Saga to a close, and that will likely result in an epic battle featuring heroes from all across the Marvel Multiverse. And that's where the cameos and returns will come in, as fans are already anticipating what surprises will be in store for the larger-than-life MCU showdown.
It turns out that the movies - or at least one of them - might feature the one character nobody expected to return, simply because the actor who played them had taken an indefinite break from acting.
Evangeline Lilly offers unexpectedly hopeful update about potential Avengers return
Evangeline Lilly has Marvel fans wondering whether she might stage a big return to the MCU in either Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars. When asked by a fan on Instagram about whether there was any chance that audiences would see her in either of the upcoming Avengers movies, she simply responded with a wink emoji. Needless to say, this was more than enough to send the fans into meltdown.
Although Lilly has made an MCU appearance as recently as this current phase (Phase Five), the actress recently announced her retirement from acting, saying that she was "stepping away" from the "wealth and fame" that Hollywood brought with it and that she was ready for a new beginning. She didn't rule out a return to Hollywood one day, however, and now it seems that it could be the MCU that offers the chance to make a comeback - even if it is just for this particular role.
Lilly has played Hope van Dyne in the MCU since 2015's Ant-Man. She has reprised the role in 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp, 2019's Avengers: Endgame and 2023's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The daughter of Michael Douglas' Hank Pym and Michelle Pfeiffer's Janet van Dyne, Hope falls in love with Scott Lang / Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and goes on to become The Wasp, saving her loved ones from more than a few dangerous encounters. She also helps the heroes of the MCU battle and defeat Thanos in the Infinity Saga closer (Endgame).
When the star announced her retirement from acting last year, it instantly threw the fate of Hope into question. Although another Ant-Man movie is unlikely due to the underperformance of Quantumania at the box office, the character is still a prominent figure in the overarching franchise. And now that we know Paul Rudd will reprise his role as Ant-Man in one of the leading roles in Avengers: Doomsday, there were questions about whether Hope's absence would be explained.
Irrespective of whether Lilly returns or not, it's clear that The Wasp won't have a major role in Avengers: Doomsday if she does appear. The film has commenced production in the UK and Lilly has already confirmed that she's working on a project in Bali right now. Her name was also understandably absent from the cast reveal, which we all expected due to her retirement from acting. And yet that doesn't rule out an appearance at all. Marvel loves cameos and it could very easily find a way to slot in a scene between Scott and Hope prior to Avengers: Doomsday's release next December.
If she is set to return at some point, the most likely place would be Avengers: Secret Wars. With that movie set to bid farewell to the Multiverse Saga, it will pay tribute to all elements of the MCU - and indeed the history of Marvel characters on the screen. And with what is undoubtedly going to be a major, epic multiversal final battle featuring the Avengers taking on Doctor Doom, it would make perfect sense for The Wasp to be among the many, many multiversal heroes.
Avengers: Doomsday is released in movie theaters on December 18, 2026. Avengers: Secret Wars comes out the very next year on December 17, 2027.