Disney fired Marvel Studios’ former VFX and postproduction head Victoria Alonso earlier this year for working on and promoting another studio’s picture without permission. Alonso’s resignation was also linked to the lackluster reception of Marvel’s recent VFX-heavy films like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. As a result, Marvel settled with Alonso instead of going to court.
Deadline claims Disney’s settlement with Alonso was multimillion-dollar. In the weeks preceding the settlement, Disney and Alonso’s legal team spoke out about what they believed caused his departure.
According to reports, Alonso was fired after producing Amazon Studios’ Argentina in 1985 and promoting the Oscar-nominated picture during the 2022/23 awards season. However, Alonso’s lawyers from Glaser Weil Fink Howard Avchen & Shapiro denied that “Victoria was fired over a handful of press interviews.” Instead, they claimed that “a gay Latina who dared to criticize Disney was silenced.”
“Then she was terminated when she refused to do something she believed was reprehensible,” Alonso’s lawyers argued at the time. “Disney and Marvel made a really poor decision that will have serious consequences.”
The Hollywood Reporter called it “reprehensible” as Alonso refused to alter Quantumania’s gay pride themes to appease Kuwaiti movie distributors, where homosexuality is illegal. Alonso, who represented Disney on GLAAD’s board, was also frank about her disagreements with previous CEO Bob Chapek over his silence on Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
Marvel “will continue to wish her the best for the future” after Alonso “shared a narrative that leaves out several key factors concerning her departure” in late March. Unfortunately, the studio may have to pay much for their kind wishes.