victoria alonsoone of the key people in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was fired in March for an alleged breach of contract. The producer of all Marvel movies left office to promote an Amazon movie, although its lawyers argued that it was a strategy by Disney to silence it. After weeks of uncertainty, the dispute has come to an end with an economic agreement.
According to a report from Deadline, Disney will pay million-dollar compensation to Victoria Alonso after dismissing her abruptly. The details were not disclosed, although it is known that it is a “multi-million dollar deal” commensurate with the time Alonso dedicated to the company. With this decision, Disney got rid of a legal process that threatened to expose some questionable policies of the company.
According to Victoria Alonso’s lawyers, Disney decided to silence her when the executive refused to “do something considered censorship.” Although the statement did not provide details of the situation, The Hollywood Reporter published that gay references in the movie Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania were the cause. Disney executives asked to edit the flags and the word pride in the version that would be distributed in Kuwait, to which Alonso refused.
Disney has a clear policy when it comes to making these types of editions. Adjustments are made to meet legal requirements, as long as they do not impact the film’s narrative. In the case of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the LGBT flag appears in two scenes in which Scott Lang walks down a street in San Francisco. The company considered that it could blur the content in order to distribute it in Kuwait, a country with anti-LGBT laws.
What will happen to Disney and Marvel after the departure of Victoria Alonso?
Although the censorship of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania would be the trigger for dismissal, it is likely that the relationship between Victoria Alonso and Disney was already deteriorated. The Argentine, who once confessed that she did not like superheroes, was facing a difficult time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The phase 4 distinguished not only by the poor connection between its films, but also by the poor quality of its visual effects.
Victoria Alonso, president of physical post-production, visual effects and animation, did not perform a good management. The most obvious example is the conflict with the VFX industry which was made public in mid-2022, when several artists expressed the reality of working with Marvel. a thread of Reddit He exposed various situations, such as the little margin of time to carry out the work or last minute changes.
The case Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania It was no different, and the movie suffered from the same problems we’ve seen in other Marvel productions. VFX employees stated that the low quality of the effects was due to the fact that resources were focused on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. “Certain things were used to cover up incomplete work. Some editorial cuts were made with the intention of not showing all the action or effects that there could be,” they mentioned.
Although Victoria Alonso was a key player in terms of inclusion, his departure could have a positive effect for the next Marvel movies. Whoever takes his place will have to right the ship and resolve the failures that the company has been carrying for years.