In one of 2023's most shocking news stories, Marvel Studios' President, Physical and Postproduction, VFX and Animation Production, Victoria Alonso, was ousted from the company after 16 years.
Numerous reports at the time claimed that Alonso was difficult to work with in that role (particularly given the post-pandemic pressure on VFX artists). However, she was fired due to an alleged breach of contract after she produced the Oscar-nominated documentary Argentina 1985.
Issues first arose when Alonso, who is openly gay, criticised Disney for its stance on Florida's divisive "Parental Rights in Education" bill (which was commonly dubbed "Don't Say Gay" in media reports).
It was also said that Alonso taking days off to conduct her personal business—such as producing Argentina 1985—contributed to some of the big VFX delays at Marvel Studios. She denied that and hit back by saying that Disney fired her for refusing to censor LGBTQ+ imagery.
Ultimately, Alonso sued Disney and Marvel Studios, and the matter was resolved with a multimillion-dollar settlement.
Talking to Variety to promote her new book, Possibility Is Your Superpower: Unlock Your Endless Potential, Alonso was asked whether anyone reached out to show their support after her split with Marvel Studios.
"I had some people. I wouldn’t say that I had all the people that I wish I had. Amy Pascal and Kathleen Kennedy were pretty amazing. Pam Abdy and Donna Langley were great," she shared. "Some of the women that were peers were very much in support and very present."
"I concentrated on cherishing the legacy I leave behind, which I’m very proud of, and I’m very grateful that Marvel and Disney allowed me to be there for 18 years," Alonso said of her legacy in helping shape the MCU. "It was always in their control whether I was going to be there or not. I am very grateful that they allowed me a lot longer than I thought I’d stay. The book, in a way, was a chance to do that."
There no longer appear to be any hard feelings (Disney Hyperion is even publishing the book, so it's no hit-piece), and the former Marvel Studios executive confirmed that she remains a fan.
"I do, but there hasn’t been a Marvel movie in a while, so when they come out, I’ll go see it," she noted, before being asked about the challenges she faced with making Black Panther a reality and filmmaker Ryan Coogler's current success with Sinners.
"It’s looking at Ryan’s career and Chloe’s Zhao’s career. When they came to us, they had done one or two small films and they took it upon themselves to write these big endeavors, which was making our movies. I see the growth, and I’m so proud of them."
"I have been wowed, and I have cried, and I just cannot wait to see everything they continue to do, but more than anything, celebrate them now for having achieved what they have," Alonso concluded.
If it has been done, you can do it. But if it hasn't been done, you should.' It was these words from Victoria Alonso's mother that imbued in her the power of possibility. First as a young person in Argentina living through a dictatorship, then as a nineteen-year-old alone in America, saying yes to possibility again and again laid the path for Victoria to become who she is today: one of the most powerful Latinas in Hollywood and a top executive at Marvel Studios - the biggest and most successful studio in the world.
Having spent the last fifteen-plus years bringing relatable superheroes to screen, often being the lone woman in the rooms where big decisions are made, Victoria has a simple secret to share: 'You don't need a cape, you don't need a hammer, you don't need a shield. Your superpower is your voice, and your voice will create change for yourself, for society, and for those who you love.'
In Possibility Is Your Superpower, Victoria takes you on a deep dive into her years climbing the Hollywood ladder - its hurdles, highlights, and meaningful lessons-in hopes that her path will inspire you to find your own voice, to speak up when you finally have a seat at the table, and to never lose sight of who you are along the way. With vivacious wisdom, she illustrates how your favorite superheroes are just like us - how their struggles and obstacles are not so different from our own. That, in fact, we are just as strong as they are, because their power, and our own, ultimately springs from our character, will, resolve, and ability to embrace new ideas, relationships, and circumstances.