Evangeline Lilly Says She Gets 'Major Cool Points' From Her Kids Playing The Wasp in Ant-Man

Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney

Evangeline Lilly is officially cool in her kids' eyes.

The mom-of-two, 43, opened up to PEOPLE about the street cred she's gained from being a Marvel superhero at the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania premiere in Los Angeles on Monday.

"Major cool points. And I needed it so bad with my oldest son because he didn't believe a word I ever said," Lilly exclusively tells PEOPLE of her firstborn, Kahekili Kali, 11, who just started middle school.

"He didn't give me credit for anything ever. Until suddenly, he got into MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) and he was like, 'Oh, mom's cool.'"

"And of course, the Marvel Universe is the thing in middle school," she adds. "I mean, there is almost nothing cooler. Maybe Lil Nas X might be cooler. Or Lazarbeam. But I'm up there with all those guys."

RELATED: Evangeline Lilly Welcomes Second Child, Rocks Post-Baby Body in Bikini

Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney

Lilly welcomed a second child in 2015 with her longtime love, Norman Kali, a production worker she met on the set of Lost.

That same year, after a private pregnancy, she debuted her bump at the Los Angeles premiere of the first Ant-Man movie.

"I feel wonderful," she told PEOPLE at the time, before admitting her days of high heels were quickly dwindling.

"My first one, I was 30, now I'm 35. I'm much more tired this time. The last time I was off work, I had no children, I had a partner who was busy working 18 hours a day, so I had all day to meditate and love on my baby and just be pregnant."

Lilly's second child has since been kept out of the public eye.

"We are the laziest parents ever," she admitted ahead of baby number two. "This one, we're hoping the same might happen because we still don't have any names for this child," Lilly, who opted to keep the sex a delivery surprise, said during an appearance on Conan.

Speaking to PEOPLE at the premiere of Ant-Man's third installment, Lilly explains the advantages of starting small with the movie franchise.

"So we went from the first Ant-Man film that was really, really sweet, and innocent, and simple. Not simple, I shouldn't say simple, but it was a small story," she explains. "And then the second one, we introduced a second superhero with The Wasp. And we brought in an otherworldly female villain."

This time, Lilly says they "just dove into a whole new universe. And we're tackling a story that is sweeping and epic and is going to really launch phase five of the entire MCU. And so, that's a pretty great trajectory."

For Quantumania, Lilly reprises her role as Hope Van Dyne/The Wasp, while Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas return as her parents Janet Van Dyne and Hank Pym. Freaky actress Kathryn Newton also joins the cast as Scott's grown-up daughter Cassie Lang alongside Bill Murray, with Paul Rudd returning as Scott Lang/Ant-Man.

RELATED: Paul Rudd Says His Kids 'Don't Care' He's Ant-Man: 'Nor Should They'

Marvel/ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Directed by Peyton Reed, the third Ant-Man movie sees Jonathan Majors' villain Kang The Conqueror enter the picture after being introduced in season 1 of Loki.

"Oh man, Jonathan Majors has such an intense energy," Lilly shares with PEOPLE about Majors' impact in the film. "He is a very serious actor. And when he comes to set, he brings all of that intensity with him."

"Acting opposite him, you have no choice but to come into his orb, come into his energy field, and feel that, and know that, and play with that," she continues. "And I think it translates on screen. He's an anchor. He's like wrought iron. He's heavy. He's got weight to him."

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania is scheduled to hit movie theaters on Feb. 17