Longtime Marvel Studios executive and EP Victoria Alonso suddenly exited the company after 17 years of making amazing superhero content.
Victoria Alonso, the invaluable Marvel executive and EP of several films and television series that helped put the studio on the map, exited the company after 17 successful years. Alonso left the company on Friday, with her most recent title being the Marvel Studios President of Physical and Postproduction, VFX, and Animation Production.
Alonso’s impact on Marvel Studios dates back to 2008’s Iron Man, in which she was a co-producer. Alonso co-produced Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain American: The First Avenger before ranking up to an executive producer on The Avengers. She continued executive producing Marvel tentpoles like a boss, including Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Black Widow Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Mouth of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Alonso executive produced tons of Marvel’s television content as well, including WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, What If…?, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, I Am Groot, Werewolf by Night, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special, Loki, and more.
In other words, if you’re a fan of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, you owe a debt of gratitude to Victoria Alonso and her superpowered contributions. She was a diversity champion at the studio, saying diversity and gender “all go hand-in-hand with showing the World as it is.”
Alonso was fearless in saying what a lot of people were thinking. At a 2021 Women in Animation panel at the Annecy Animation Film Festival, she went to bat for underrepresented parties in the entertainment industry by saying that diversity can be viewed “from the social point of view, the cultural point of view. But truthfully, this is a business. From a fiscal point of view, you are leaving money on the table by not representing. I think 51% of our audience is female, and 28% of our audience is Hispanic. If we don’t represent the people that watch what we make, eventually they’ll go elsewhere because somebody else will figure it out.”
Alonso’s departure from the studio is troubling, knowing she was unafraid to vocalize her discontent with management. We need people who stir the pot in positions of power to act as a counterbalance. Marvel will continue forward, which is a no-brainer, but without Alonso, there’s no telling if specific projects will represent the way they have in the past.
We wish Ms. Alonso the best in her next position. Thank you for making a difference and entertaining us for so many years!
Originally published at www.joblo.com