Following the sudden departure of Victoria Alonso from Marvel Studios, old and new workplace accusations have arisen.
Alonso has been part of Marvel Studios since Iron Man, joining the studio in 2005 as executive vice president of visual effects and postproduction. In 2021, Alonso was promoted to President of Physical and Post-Production, Visual Effects, and Animation Production at Marvel Studios.
It's a bit of a shock to see Alonso exit the studio she's worked at for nearly two decades, especially after just being promoted to one of its highest positions. Many fans assumed it had to involve Marvel Studios' poor relationship with VFX houses since that was one of Alonso's primary responsibilities.
New and old reports and reactions quickly began to surface, alluding to this being the case for the unexpected leave of Marvel Studios.
Marvel Studios Workplace Accusations Proven True?
In January, Chris Lee reported that Disney and, by extension, Marvel Studios, had created a blacklist for VFX artists that don't meet its demanding standards.
After Victoria Alonso's sudden departure, Lee went on Twitter to say that "Victoria Alonso was singularly responsible for Marvel's toxic work environment:"
"So many VFX sources have told me Victoria Alonso was singularly responsible for Marvel's toxic work environment: a kingmaker who rewarded unquestioning fealty with an avalanche of work, but who also maintained the blacklist that kept FX pros wild-eyed with fear."
He emphasized how much control Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Victoria Alonso had over post-production, "personally [approving] every single shot:"
"She held a crazy amount of power, bigfooting all major creative decisions on Marvel movies and shows. 'Kevin Feige and Victoria Alonso personally approve every single shot, all the visual effects work, which is usually the job of a director or a show runner,' one tech told me."
Lee republished more quotes from his Vulture piece, pin-pointing that "everyone [was] quite scared of Victoria Alonso:"
"'The main one that everyone's quite scared of is Victoria Alonso...if she likes you, you're going to get work and you're going to move up in the industry. If you have pissed her off in any way, you're going to get frozen out'."
Jeff Sneider of Below the Line said one source wasn't surprised by Alonso's exit, only the abruptness of it. She was reportedly unhappy for quite some time and "out of sync" with other Marvel leaders as of late.
However, The Ringer's Joanna Robinson disputed Lee's claims of Alonso being a "kingmaker" and how it's "absolutely opposite of what I've heard from every person who has ever worked with her:"
"This is just the absolutely opposite of what I’ve heard from every person who has ever worked with her. I’d call it a gross mischaracterization."
Robinson didn't dismiss Lee's sources outright, but that "this is absolutely not who Victoria is:"
"Chris has done a lot of great reporting on the state of VFX work in Hollywood and particularly Marvel and I know his anonymous sources have some very legit concerns but this is absolutely not who Victoria is."
It appears not to be entirely clear-cut who is to blame for this apparent toxic work environment, but the fingers are certainly being pointed squarely at Alonso.
Turning Victoria Alonso Into a Scapegoat?
It certainly seems a tad ridiculous that Victoria Alonso could be, as Chris Lee bluntly put it, "singularly responsible" for the toxic environment at Marvel Studios. But, unfortunately, this makes it look like she's becoming a scapegoat for the studios' current problems.
It's not as if once she's gone, it'll solve all the supposed toxicity at the studio. Instead, her departure could be in reaction to the major box office disappointment of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, which was heavily criticized for its VFX. Moreover, Kevin Feige was also responsible for supposedly micro-managing VFX teams, the same as Alonso, and he still holds his position at the studio.
Is her ouster meant to appease shareholders or Disney CEO Bob Iger as a show of force? It's possible, but it could be that Alonso left voluntarily. After all, she does have a career outside Marvel Studios, being one producer for Argentina, 1985.
What's also concerning with Alonso's departure is that she was a major advocate at Marvel Studios for LGBTQIA+ representation in its films and shows. Hopefully, her leaving won't mean compromises from Feige or the studio on that front.
