Marvel Studios executives' departure may be related to "exploitation" of special effects workers

According to multiple foreign media reports, Victoria Alonso, an executive who has been involved in Marvel Universe works since the first "Iron Man", officially resigned on Friday. The industry speculates that her departure is related to the criticized visual effects of Marvel works and their "exploitation" of visual effects workers.

She joined Marvel Studios in 2006 as executive vice president of visual effects post-production, participated in Marvel's Phase One works as a co-producer, and served as the producer of every Marvel film and television work since "The Avengers" in 2012; she was promoted to executive vice president of production in 2015.

Since last year, visual effects staff have repeatedly criticized Marvel's working methods on social media, and fans have also compared the texture of the armor in "Iron Man" in 2008 and "Black Panther 2" in 2022. The special effects shots of some Marvel TV series can even be described as horrible.

Chris Lee, a reporter for Vulture who once reported on Marvel's exploitation of visual effects workers, said on social media that Alonso was responsible for this environment because she only cared about being loyal to her superiors at work. She even had a blacklist and would ban visual effects workers and companies who were disobedient or made her dissatisfied.

Veteran visual effects artist Mark Patch said in a previous interview with Vulture magazine that Marvel had contacted him hoping to consider participating in the studio's next film, but the offer was low and the workload was huge, requiring him to sign a contract to work 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, for three consecutive months: "They said, 'OK, then, do you want to do our new show?' I said, 'No.'"

Many people complained about Marvel's low efficiency in post-production. It took 20 times as long to redo a two-second shot and ensure the effect was correct. Often, Marvel would ask different companies to redo something done by other visual effects artists if they were not satisfied. This practice is not common in other film companies.