In shocking news that somehow avoided detection over the weekend, Victoria Alonso has exited Marvel Studios after 17 years at the company.
Alonso was promoted to President of Physical and Post-Production, Visual Effects, and Animation Production in 2021, making her one of the most powerful women in all of entertainment. She has served as an Executive Producer on all of Marvel’s releases dating back to the first Avengers movie back in 2012. Alonso is also a gay woman who has served as an important ambassador for representation within the studio.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news of Alonso’s exit on Monday, though the reasons behind her departure on Friday remain unclear. One source told Below the Line that they weren’t surprised by Alonso’s exit, as she’s been unhappy for a while and out of sync with other Marvel leaders of late, though the abruptness caught them off-guard.
Alonso first joined Marvel Studios in 2006 as Executive Vice President of Visual Effects and Post-Production, a position that earned her a Co-Producer credit on early MCU films such as Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger. She established herself as a key member of Marvel’s brain trust, and in 2015, was promoted to Executive Vice President of Production.
With Marvel currently in the middle of Phase 5, Alonso leaves behind upcoming films such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels, as well as a handful of Disney+ shows including Agatha: Coven of Chaos, Echo, Ironheart, Season 2 of Loki, and Secret Invasion. Additionally, she recently produced the Oscar-nominated international feature Argentina, 1985.
While this surely had no bearing on her exit, Marvel has never won the Visual Effects Oscar despite releasing 31 movies, though the company has received a dozen nominations in that category since the MCU launched with Iron Man in 2008.
Because of Marvel’s prolific output, the company has helped keep numerous VFX houses afloat, though it hasn’t exactly endeared itself to the VFX community, as countless artists have complained about constant changes requested and increasingly tight deadlines. As a result, the quality has suffered, as visual effects in both Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law have come under fire from both critics and fans. Could Marvel have thrown Alonso under the bus in an effort to placate the overworked and underpaid VFX community?
It’s worth noting that Alonso was particularly outspoken during Disney’s dispute with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, as she pushed then-Disney CEO Bob Chapek to make a public statement denouncing the bill. As a result, Disney is losing its special tax status in Florida, likely costing it a lot of money. It may be a stretch, but perhaps the powers that be held Alonso somewhat responsible… though it’s just as likely that she was simply a well-compensated executive who grew to be too expensive for Disney as it starts to make cutbacks. After all, Marvel operates under the premise that no one is indispensable, and that the show will go on no matter who is at the helm.
Marvel had no comment regarding Alonso’s exit, and it’ll be interesting to see what’s next for the executive, whose experience will surely be valued around town — if not at rival DC Studios, then perhaps someplace like Skydance. Stay tuned…
