MCU and Lost star Evangeline Lilly is sharing a sobering update with fans nearly a year after a frightening accident left her with a traumatic brain injury.
In May 2025, Lilly fainted while at a beach in Hawaii and fell face-first into a boulder, an incident she detailed in a Substack post published on May 30. Writing candidly about the aftermath, she recalled arriving at the hospital with a severe facial wound, and doctors focused less on the visible injury than on why she had lost consciousness.
“At the hospital, the nurses and doctor went straight into action, more determined to find the cause of my blackout than to stitch up the hole punctured into my face by the rock. I smiled wryly at them. ‘You won’t find anything.’ I said with a woozy voice.”
Lilly explained that fainting spells have been part of her life since childhood. After ruling out epilepsy when she was young, doctors attributed the episodes to hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar.
The actress shared a photo from the incident:
Over time, she has come to believe the blackouts may also be tied to emotional overload.
She continued:
“I have come to believe that this ‘checking out’ is a result of my little soul reaching her limit of what she feels she can cope with in this life, and she ‘leaves the building,’ so to speak.”
At the start of 2026, Lilly offered an update on the physical consequences of that fall. In an Instagram video posted last week, she revealed that brain scans confirmed lasting damage from the injury. Speaking calmly but plainly, she said that nearly every area of her brain is now operating at a lower capacity than before.
Lilly revealed:
“I’m entering into this new year―the Year of the Horse―with some bad news about my concussion. A lot of you have inquired about the brain scans that you heard I got. And the results came back from the scans [that] showed that almost every area in my brain is functioning at a decreased capacity.”
In the video's caption, Lilly acknowledged the weight of the diagnosis while thanking fans for their continued concern.
She reflected on the diagnosis, writing:
“Verdict’s in… I do have brain damage from my [traumatic brain injury]. Comforting to know my cognitive decline isn’t just peri-menopause, discomforting to know what an uphill battle it will be to try to reverse the deficiencies. Thank you all for always asking, for always caring, and for your continued prayers.”
She said the injury has forced her to slow down in ways she once resisted.
Speaking with cautious optimism, she added:
“But now my job is to get to the bottom of that with doctors and then embark on the hard work of fixing it, which I don’t look forward to because I feel like hard work is all I do. But that’s okay. My cognitive decline since I smashed my face open has helped me to slow down and helped me to have a more restful finish to my 2025.”
“Feeling extraordinarily grateful and blessed to be able to play one more day, one more year on this beautiful living planet,” she said before thanking her followers “for caring.”
You can view the post below:
Support quickly poured in from friends and former co-stars.
Michelle Pfeiffer, who played Hope van Dyne’s mother in the Ant-Man films, wrote:
“You are a warrior. Nothing-not even this will defeat you my friend. ❤️”
Lilly replied lovingly, “Thanks, Mama.”
Fellow Lost actress Rebecca Mader also shared her support, sending Lilly “all my love and a massive hug.”
More fans and friends shared messages of support in the comments:
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Lilly has spent the past year away from acting. In 2024, she went on an “indefinite hiatus” from Hollywood, following the release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and renewed controversy over comments she made during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. While those remarks sparked backlash, Lilly shifted her public focus toward personal healing, spirituality, and charity work.
In a social media post last June, she explained her decision to step back from her career:
“Stepping away from what seems like the obvious choice (wealth and fame) can feel scary at times, but stepping into your dharma replaces the fear with fulfillment. I might return to Hollywood one day, but, for now, this is where I belong.”
Lilly rose to fame as Kate Austen on Lost, which ran from 2004 to 2010, earning her a Golden Globe nomination. She later became a fixture in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Hope van Dyne, appearing in Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Avengers: Endgame, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. She also portrayed Tauriel in two installments of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy.
For now, Lilly says her priority is recovery. While the road ahead is uncertain, she continues to share her journey with the same openness that has long defined her public life.
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