Yesterday, the news broke that Marvel Studios President of Physical, Post Production, VFX and Animation, Victoria Alonso, had parted ways with the company after 17 years. Very few details were shared at the time, but a new report has now given us a little more to go on.
Though the specific reason for Alonso's termination - and yes, she was fired - still hasn't come to light, Variety has heard that the exec was "blindsided" by the news.
Apparently, the decision was made by a consortium including Disney Entertainment Co-Chairman Alan Bergman. Marvel chief creative officer Kevin Feige was not involved in the process, but is said to have "felt mired in an impossible situation," and ultimately chose not to intervene when the hammer came down.
It's entirely possible that Alonso's departure is at least partially due to Marvel Studios' less than amicable relationship with the beleaguered VFX houses that work on their projects.
There have been numerous reports from overworked artists who believe that the shoddy visual effects we've seen in some of the more recent MCU movies is largely down to impossible-to-meet deadlines, and a recent Twitter thread from NY Mag writer Chris Lee claimed that "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."
This assessment of Alonso's character has been disputed, however.
“The idea of a very senior exec terrifying rank and file artists, per some reports, feels a bit off,” one VFX artist tells the trade. “She was the epitome of professional, and knows her stuff,” added one former Disney film executive.