Marvel’s Victoria Alonso Was Fired for Promoting ‘Argentina: 1985,’ in Violation of Her Contract

Marvel Studios veteran Victoria Alonso was fired for promoting “Argentina: 1985,” which was in violation of her employment contract, TheWrap has confirmed.

Alonso had been with Marvel Studios since the first “Iron Man” and served as president of Physical, Post Production, VFX and Animation.

“Argentina: 1985” was distributed by Amazon and Alonso is one of eight credited producers of the historical legal drama. However, by promoting the film, Alonso “breached a 2018 agreement that saw her violate the company’s standards of business conduct that stated employees would not work for competing studios,” according to the Hollywood Reporter, which first reported the news.

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Alonso was warned repeatedly, and was even given a dispensation on the condition she would not work, promote or publicize the film going forward. Disney’s management audit team became involved and a new memo was signed.

Alonso was reminded of her agreement and breach numerous times, yet kept up appearances. She even walked the Oscars carpet as a producer of “Argentina: 1985” with director Santiago Mitre, not as a Marvel exec associated with “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” which was also nominated.

Alonso’s attorney Patty Glaser countered Disney’s claims and issued a statement.

“The idea that Victoria was fired over a handful of press interviews relating to a personal passion project about human rights and democracy that was nominated for an Oscar and which she got Disney’s blessing to work on is absolutely ridiculous,” Glaser said. “Victoria, a gay Latina who had the courage to criticize Disney, was silenced. Then she was terminated when she refused to do something she believed was reprehensible. Disney and Marvel made a really poor decision that will have serious consequences. There is a lot more to this story and Victoria will be telling it shortly—in one forum or another.”

Late on Friday, Disney responded to Glaser’s comments.

“It’s unfortunate that Victoria is sharing a narrative that leaves out several key factors concerning her departure, including an indisputable breach of contract and a direct violation of company policy,“ a Disney spokesperson said in a statement. “We will continue to wish her the best for the future and thank her for her numerous contributions to the studio.”

Alonso, a proud Latina and a member of the LGBTQ community, challenged former Disney CEO Bob Chapek at the 2022 GLADD Awards to stand up against the anti-LGBTQ laws in Florida.

“So I ask you again Mr. Chapek: please respect—if we’re selling family—take a stand against all of these crazy outdated laws,” Alonso said. “Take a stand for family. Stop saying that you tolerate us—nobody tolerates me, let me tell you that. You tolerate the heat in Florida, the humidity in Arizona or Florida, and the dryness in Arizona and Texas. And you tolerate a tantrum in a two-year-old. But you don’t tolerate us. We deserve the right to live, love, and have. More importantly, we deserve an origin story.”

Shortly after Alonso made those remarks, according to an insider with knowledge of the situation, she was told she could no longer do press interviews promoting Marvel movies.

“Men across Disney have done much worse than two press interviews and received a slap on the wrist. It’s laughable to think this was a fireable offense for the cofounder of the company,” the insider added.

In February, Marvel Studios released “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” but the movie underperformed at the box office and in terms of critical reception.

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Marvel Studios has come under fire from the visual effects community for its approach to visual effects, what has been described as “pixel-f–king” — a micromanaging process that saw Alonso and Marvel Studios Chief Kevin Feige personally overseeing every shot, piling on work and demanding changes up until the last possible second.

After the Oscars, Alonso was terminated for cause.

Marvel had no comment.

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