When Avengers: Endgame was released in 2019, Marvel Studios really could do no wrong. Since then, we've seen them massively expand their big and small screen offerings, leading to issues with quantity over quality and a leader - Kevin Feige - who has been stretched thin.
Many blame ousted Disney CEO Bob Chapek for those issues, but we first learned of tensions within Marvel Studios earlier this year. That came when Victoria Alonso, President, Physical and Postproduction, VFX and Animation Production, was fired from the company after 16 years.
There have been conflicting reports about what happened, ranging from her taking time off to promote outside projects to her anger at Disney for its stance on Florida's divisive "Parental Rights in Education" bill (which is commonly dubbed "Don't Say Gay" in media reports).
In the newly released MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios book, more insights are shared about the divide between Feige and his former right-hand woman.
"Alonso had broken one of Feige’s cardinal rules: don’t speak out publicly against the company," it explains. "A source close to the matter said that later that year Feige suggested to Alonso that she had outgrown her role at Marvel. He reportedly cautioned her to "keep her head down' and 'do the work.'"
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"In early 2023, Alonso refused to act on Marvel Studios’ request to remove LGBTQ pride symbols from Quantumania for foreign markets. The atmosphere at the studio was tense: the department of 'yes' had said 'no.' D’Esposito outsourced the VFX work anyway, an act Alonso regarded as a betrayal."
Alonso, who is a lesbian, making these moves isn't surprising and many will agree with her taking this stance. Disney and Marvel Studios, meanwhile, continue to insist she breached her contract and Alonso has since been blamed for "Marvel's toxic work environment" toward VFX artists.
It also sounds like she started exerting her creative control over projects - similar to what happened with Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania - and that proved to be the straw which broke the camel's back.
Chances are we'll never know the full story but these latest insights are food for thought. It's ultimately a shame this relationship broke down and Alonso's actions may have played a role in Marvel Studios' VFX artists deciding to unionise.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.