Victoria Alonso’s firing from Marvel tied to Argentina, 1985 conflict

Victoria Alonso’s surprise firing from Disney and Marvel Studios last week was in part related to her breach of contract to produce the Oscar-nominated international film “Argentina 1985,” IndieWire has learned.

The former Marvel executive’s involvement in “Argentina, 1985,” a film distributed by Amazon Studios in which he was one of eight producers, violated company terms signed in 2018 that prohibit Disney employees from working with competing studios. insiders told IndieWire. And as THR Initial reports said Alonso received several warnings, including after Alonso appeared at the Oscars not on behalf of Disney and Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” but alongside “Argentina 1985” director Santiago Mitre.

An insider told IndieWire that Alonso did not seek permission from Disney for “Argentina 1985,” although IndieWire recently reported that “producer Axel Kuschevatzky persuaded Alonso to seek permission from Disney and from Marvel to help him produce it”. The source claimed that Alonso was never given permission and that his continued participation in other performances and press interviews under the name of “Argentina, 1985” severed his relationship with the studio.

Disney had no comment. A representative for Alonso could not immediately be reached.

Alonso, who has been with the studio since 2006 and was a co-producer on the first Iron Man, was elevated to his role in 2021, joining Marvel boss Kevin Feige and co-chairman Louis D’Esposito. But his promotion came at a time when Marvel was in the midst of a massive production wave, with the studio going from just three movies a year to seven movies and eight Disney+ series by 2019 and MCU Phase 3. .

As a result, Marvel VFX and post-production, with Alonso as president of physics and post-production, visual effects and animation production, came under increased scrutiny and criticism. VFX sources who recently spoke to IndieWire said they were embarrassed by the quality of their work under the Marvel banner, and one source also said Alonso spread himself too thin promoting his other film when the studio came under fire. .

“Argentina, 1985” premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in September and was nominated for Best International Film at this year’s Academy Awards.

Alonso, who is gay, has increased his public profile in part due to his advocacy of Marvel’s advocacy efforts, most recently amid the backlash that followed Disney’s handling of Florida’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill in 2022. “As long as I’m at Marvel Studios, I’m going to fight for representation,” he said last year.

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