Evangeline Lilly: Marvel actress gives fans 'bad news' that she's suffering from brain injury after she fell 'face first into a boulder'

The star previously said she had a “hole punctured into my face” after the accident, which happened in Hawaii back in May.

The Canadian actress and author, who is known for her roles in TV series Lost and Marvel films Ant-Man (2015) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), shared photos online of the time of the accident that showed a scab above her top lip and marks on her nose and chin.

In an Instagram post, she said: “I fainted at the beach. And fell face first into a boulder. 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.”

Speaking in a new video posted to her Instagram, Lilly said: “It’s late on January 1st. The first day of 2026. I’m entering into this new year, the year of the horse, with some bad news about my concussion.

“A lot of you have asked how I’m doing. A lot of you have enquired about the brain scan that you heard I got. The results came back from the scan, and almost every area in my brain is functioning at a decreased capacity.”

Lilly continued: “I do have brain damage from the TBI (traumatic brain injury) and possibly other factors going on. My job now is to get to the bottom of that with my doctors.

“Then I’ll embark on the hard work of fixing it, which I’m not looking forward to – I feel like hard work is all I do. But that’s OK. My cognitive decline is because I smashed my face open [but] it’s helped me to slow down.”

The 46-year-old mum-of-two noted that the injury has taught her “to have a more restful finish” to her year, adding that this was “the most restful Christmas holiday” she’s had since she had her two sons in 2011 and 2015.

She concluded: “‘I’m still feeling extraordinarily grateful and blessed to be able to play for one more day, one more year on this beautiful living planet. So, that is my concussion update. Thank you all for caring.”

The star said in a Substack post at the time of her accident that she had had fainting spells “since I was a little girl” which had been put down to hypoglycemia, also known as low blood sugar. She also said that she had “blacked out” on the way to the hospital, as well as on the beach.

The actor, who also played Kate Austen in all six seasons of the series Lost, had been on a holiday in Hawaii when the incident occurred. Lilly has also starred in films including comedy White Chicks and two Hobbit films – The Desolation Of Smaug (2013) and The Battle Of The Five Armies (2014).