Victoria Alonso was recently let go from Marvel Studios over what she claimed was being asked to do something “reprehensible”. New reports the two sides clashed over a request to blur a gay pride sign in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
For those unaware, Victoria Alonso was a 17-year-veteran at Marvel Studios and served as President of Physical, Post Production, VFX and Animation. Recently she was fired from Marvel Studios over what Disney claimed was a breach of contract in her work on Argentina, 1985 for Amazon Studios. Alonso’s lawyer claimed a different story, saying that Alonso was “silenced” for refusing to do something “reprehensible”. While the lawyer declined to state what Alonso was asked to do, The Hollywood Reporter says that the act in question was likely blurring a gay pride sign in the newest Ant-Man film to abide by censorship laws in countries like Kuwait. Alonso was allegedly asked to blur the signs hanging in a storefront window in two brief scenes of the movie. After she refused, insiders say Mavrel Studios went over her head to use an outside vendor for the edit.
This wouldn’t be the first time Marvel Studios censored parts of their films for a wider release. While there have been times the studio has championed diversity, such as refusing to censor LGBTQ references in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Eternals, this led to the films being banned in countries like Kuwait and Qatar. Other times, Marvel has specifically cut LGBTQ references from foreign releases to allow them to show in those countries, such as cutting a brief lesbian kiss scene in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and eventually editing Eternals to be viable for release in those markets.
Victoria Alonso’s Marvel Studios history
Prior to her exit, Victoria Alonso had been a member of the Marvel Studios family since 2006. She started as the chief of visual effects and post-production, where she played a crucial role in launching the Marvel Cinematic Universe by co-producing Iron Man, the superhero movie that featured the debut of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark.
Following the release of Iron Man, Victoria Alonso continued her successful run as a co-producer on Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger. In recognition of her outstanding contributions, Alonso was promoted to the position of executive producer for The Avengers, which earned more than $1.5 billion and cemented Marvel as the king of the superhero genre.
In 2021, Victoria Alonso was promoted to president of physical and postproduction, visual effects, and animation production, a position that gave her even greater influence over the creative process of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Her exit from the company raises many questions about the future direction of Marvel Studios.
Victoria Alonso has been a pioneer not only in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but in the film industry as a whole, as one of the few Latina women to hold a significant position of power in Hollywood. She has spoken publicly about the importance of diversity and inclusion in filmmaking and has used her position to advocate for more representation both on and off-screen.
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