Marvel

Evangeline Lilly's stepping up to defend the real superheroes behind the Marvel characters onscreen ... blasting parent company Disney for letting some high-profile crew go.

Here's the deal ... the House of Mouse recently laid off about 1,000 staffers amid some notable shakeups at the company -- including the exit of CEO Bob Iger -- and comic book artist Andy Park, who worked on 40+ Marvel movies, was one of them.

In a video posted to social media, Lilly says she reached out to her friend -- who helped bring her character's superhero costume to life, she says -- about the firings and a pivot toward A.I. ... and, she says Park confirmed her worst fears.

Marvel Comics writer and former Editor-in-Chief Gerry Conway -- who co-created "The Punisher" -- has died at age 73.

Marvel posted the news on Monday ... but it is not clear when Conway died, or how.

Dan Buckley, President of Marvel Comics and Franchise, said in a statement ... "Gerry Conway was a gifted writer. He was thoughtful, deeply attuned to the emotional and moral core of storytelling, and a wonderful and articulate advocate for comics and creators. His writing has inspired all of us at Marvel, and will continue to inspire generations of writers, readers and fans to come."

Of all the contributions he made to the stories of iconic Marvel characters ... he is best known for co-creating the anti-hero character The Punisher. Currently, Jon Bernthal plays the fan-favorite character both on the Marvel TV series and in the upcoming movie "Spider-Man: Brand New Day."

The legendary writer is survived by his wife, Laura Conway.

Marvel extended its deepest sympathies to Conway's family, friends, and fans around the world.

He was 73.

Tom Holland and Zendaya have reportedly tied the knot IRL -- we're all still trying to figure that out -- but they're total strangers in the first trailer for "Spider-Man: Brand New Day."

Sony dropped the new clip for the highly-anticipated superhero flick ... which includes a scene where TH has to watch his real-life love with another man!

The upcoming installment of the 'Spider-Man' franchise follows Tom's Peter Parker as he navigates a world where everyone he loves -- including his girlfriend -- have no memory of him at all.

And that's just one of Spidey's problems ... the clip shows him struggling physically as he seems to find himself between his spider "life cycles" -- a stage that leaves him "vulnerable" to the big bads in the MCU.

Hindsight is 20/20 for Terrence Howard -- 'cause he's looking back at the time he lost out on a massive Marvel payday ... because he threatened to knock the teeth out of a big-time producer.

Howard dished all on the “PBD Podcast," saying the drama started during the promo run for the film "The Brave One," when he confronted producer Joel Silver over why his name wasn’t billed above the title alongside Jodie Foster. Joel told him it was because TH had a supporting role ... an explanation Terrence says he understood, but he still reacted aggressively.

According to Howard, his temper flared, and he warned Silver that if he ever spoke to him like that again, he’d knock his teeth out. Yikes.

Chris Pratt’s no stranger to staying ripped for his Marvel role as Star-Lord, but even when he’s not in superhero mode, he says he’s always got one thing on his mind -- not letting himself go.

Speaking on 'GMA' Tuesday, Chris told the hosts he’s always just "six weeks away from the right body" ... so he doesn’t have to suffer to get back to that lean, superhero-ready shape for the role he’s expected to reprise in "Avengers: Secret Wars."

As we all know, starting from scratch would be brutal ... something Chris has documented plenty of times on social media, showing off his workouts and diet as he went from full-on dad bod days to Marvel superhero status.

Jessica Alba and Danny Ramirez didn't stop with a kiss at midnight on New Year's Eve ... they're bringing the PDA into the New Year!

The actors couldn't keep their hands off each other Friday in Cabo ... leaning in for a smooch while lounging around in the afternoon sun.

Danny threw off his University of Miami tank top to reveal his brave new abs to the world.

Philadelphia Eagles great LeSean McCoy believes the defending champs are still the team to beat in the NFL ... and he explained why on the TMZ Sports Live Stream!!

Shady joined Babcock, Luca, and Lucas on the show this week to weigh in on the state of the Eagles ... and fresh off a win over the Detroit Lions in Week 11, he said they're not only the best in the NFC, but the whole NFL.

Losses to the Giants and Broncos don't have him in panic mode, either -- McCoy said bad outings are bound to happen from time to time ... but it doesn't mean anything necessarily needs fixing, and last season ending in "green confetti" is proof.

9:35 AM PT -- We just found out Chris and Alba had a baby girl, and named her Alma Grace. She's taking both Mom and Dad's last names ... Baptista Evans, and she arrived at 1:27 PM.

Chris Evans has something new to "Marvel" at ... TMZ has learned the "Captain America" star and his wife, Alba Baptista, just had their first baby!

Records indicate they welcomed their first child Friday in Massachusetts. So far no word on name or gender.

The new parents -- Chris, 44, and Alba, 28 -- wed September 9, 2023, during a private ceremony on Cape Cod after first going Instagram official with their relationship 9 months earlier.

Tom Holland’s back, swinging like his old self ... 'cause we have the first sighting on the "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" set since that scary concussion sent him to the ER.

Peep the clip -- Tom was fully back in action in London Thursday, diving into a major scene while the crew watched him web-sling back to form.

No Spidey suit yet, but Tom was all in during the rehearsal -- script in hand, scheming the scene, chasing that perfect web-slinging moment.

Tom Holland's recent injury on the set of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" happened during a "routine" stunt ... and is not expected to hold up production for long.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Tom suffered a bump on the head ... which resulted in a "minor" concussion when he fell.

We hear production is currently paused due to the incident ... but the stoppage is not expected to go past this week. That said, there is no exact date to resume rolling ... or should that be swinging?

Tom Holland got shaken up while on set filming "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" ... and was taken to the hospital after suffering a concussion.

Filming for the flick came to a halt Friday after Tom was treated for a mild concussion, per Deadline. Fortunately, he's expected to be back filming in a few days -- but for now is taking a break out of precaution.

No one else on set was injured ... and there's reportedly a meeting today to adjust the filming schedule.

Speculation that Ryan Reynolds and Robert Downey Jr. had a massive blowup on the set of "Avengers: Doomsday" has spread like wildfire online ... but the rumors aren't just a load of crap -- there's no way it could have happened, TMZ has learned.

Here's the deal ... the internet subculture devoted to Marvel conjecture cooked up a story that there was a verbal fight on the set of 'Doomsday' between two mega stars ... and fingers were inexplicably pointed at RR and RDJ. Why them? No clue.

A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ … Ryan and Robert know each other, sure ... but here's the problem with the rumor -- they've never actually met in person!

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Sorry kids ... but summer is over ... and back to school season is officially upon us.

And if you don't want to send your little students to class with last year's gear, Disney's got some killer deals on backpack, lunch box and water bottle sets for all you last minute shoppers.

Check out some of the hottest sets below -- from Disney princesses to Marvel superheroes -- or click here for the full Back to School shop at Amazon.

Make your little princess feel like the real deal with this Simple Modern Disney Princess 3-piece set.

Anthony Mackie was playing Captain Smooch on the streets of London -- caught locking lips with a mystery woman who looked very pleased with her assignment!

TMZ got the pics -- and let’s just say the "Captain America: Brave New World" star was in full smooth-operator mode in Notting Hill Tuesday ... getting handsy and swapping spit in a steamy embrace with the blonde babe.

The PDA-packed makeout sesh was a two-person show -- zero cares given. At one point, the Hollywood hunk even copped a smooth handful of her dress as they really went for it!

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With Marvel's The Fantastic Four: First Steps taking the top spot at the box office ... it's time to bring the MCU's newest family home with some super superhero merch.

Whether you're looking for something celebrating Mr. Fantastic and The Invisible Woman Sue Storm ... or the fiery Human Torch and The Thing ... we've got your covered, on everything from LEGO kits to cool clothes, bedding and more!

See the film's full Amazon storefront here.

Let's start off with merch of galactic proportions ... specifically, this LEGO Marvel Fantastic Four vs. Galactus Construction Figure!

We wanna see if you can guess who this actor is -- and we don't think you're doomed to fail this one!

We caught this Oscar-winning actor in 2024, just after he picked up a Golden Globe for his work in "Oppenheimer," and he'd eventually take home an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor ... sounds like a pretty good awards season to us!