In a shocking move, high-ranking Marvel Studios executive Victoria Alonso has reportedly exited the company.
Alonso has been at the forefront when it came to all things MCU. After being promoted to a brand new position in 2021, the top executive previously lamented the "painful" challenges that were brought about by the pandemic, forcing the team at Marvel to truly take note of how much "external change" was affecting what the team did on a daily basis.
Although Phase 4 managed to finish the slate strong with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, a past report claimed that Marvel was unhappy with the first chapter of the Multiverse Saga, leading to a re-evaluation of future releases in Phase 5 and beyond.
And amidst that unexpected turn of events, a major shift is now coming from a leadership perspective as well.
Marvel Studios Loses Top Executive
As per The Hollywood Reporter (THR), Victoria Alonso, Marvel Studios' president of physical and post-production, visual effects, and animation production, reportedly left the company on Friday, March 17.
Alonso's exit comes after an incredible 17-year run with Marvel Studios, watching the studio grow from operating above a Mercedes-Benz dealership in Beverly Hills, California to being acquired by Disney and becoming the highest-grossing franchise in movie history.
This departure from Marvel Studios comes amid the studio’s struggles with current and upcoming releases.
Some critics believe that Phase 5 is off to a bad start after Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania received mixed reviews. Meanwhile, impending delays for several Disney+ shows under the MCU banner have been rumored, with several of those Marvel shows expected to be pushed to next year.
Alonso joined Marvel in 2006 as chief of visual effects and post-production, helping Kevin Feige launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a co-producer on 2008's Iron Man.
After the success of Robert Downey Jr.'s solo Marvel movie, she served as co-producer on several Phase 1 films, namely Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger.
In 2021, she was promoted to president, physical, and post-production, visual effects, and animated production, which was a newly created position for Marvel Studios.
Aside from her executive title, Alonso is also known as an advocate of Marvel's representation efforts.
In April 2022, Alonso discussed the recent controversy surrounding Florida's anti-LGBTQIA+ "Don't Say Gay" bill, with her asking then Disney CEO Bob Chapek to "take a stand" and make note of Disney's focus on creating entertainment for families.
How Will Victoria Alonso’s Exit Affect MCU’s Future?
Victoria Alonso's exit is set to have a major effect on Marvel Studios' internal affairs, considering that she is in charge of visual effects (VFX) management for the studio.
In a past report, Marvel Studios was accused of blacklisting VFX artists, with anonymous workers pointing out that the list exists due to Alonso while she was described as a "kingmaker:"
"The main one that everyone’s quite scared of is Victoria Alonso. She is known in the industry as a kingmaker. If she likes you, you are going to get work and move up in the industry. If you have pissed her off in any way, you’re going to get frozen out.”
While Marvel didn't comment on that matter, some would argue that it placed Alonso in a bad light.
It remains to be seen if Alonso resigned on her own or if she was fired from the company, but this new development suggests that major changes to Marvel Studios are slowly happening.
In fact, this could be part of the previously reported re-evaluation that Marvel is undergoing after Phase 4's full of ups and downs.
Although it's unfortunate that Marvel lost one of its high-ranking executives, it's possible that this could be the change that the MCU needs in order to improve and retain consistency, especially now that there are a number of looming projects on the horizon.
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