Sep 21, 2021

Marvel's Victoria Alonso raised in the role of president as the studio expands animation production

Two months after she teased a new Marvel animation studio, Victoria Alonso has been promoted. Her new title at Marvel Studios - president of physical and post-production, visual effects, and animation production - reflects the new emphasis on animation at the company.

Alonso will oversee those departments across all Marvel films and series. A 15-year veteran of Marvel, she was previously an executive vp at the Disney-owned studio. She will continue to report to its co-president Louis D'Esposito.

In July, Alonso told Variety, “We're going to have our animation branch and mini studio, and there will be more to come from that as well.” In a statement accompanying her promotion, she confirmed her commitment to animation:

August saw the Disney+ release of What If…-, the first animated series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It was released by Marvel Studios, not Marvel Animation, the unit that had produced animated series and films in the past.

After a stint at vfx studio Digital Domain, Alonso joined Marvel Studios in 2006 as executive vp of visual effects and post-production. She co-produced the early films in the MCU, starting with 2008's Iron Man, before being bumped up to executive producer on 2012's The Avengers. She has retained that title on all subsequent MCU releases.

In 2016, Cartoon Brew spoke to Alonso about her role at the studio. “I'm involved … from the very beginning to the very end,” she said. “We are there previs'ing the show and doing visual development on shows, sometimes a year before a director comes on board. And I am the one that sees the final frame of every shot of every format.”

A native of Buenos Aires, Alonso is unusual among senior executives in the industry in being a woman of color. She is a vocal advocate of diversity onscreen and behind the scenes, and has twice made People en Español's list of most influential hispanic women.

Other accolades include a Visual Effects Society (VES) award for her vfx work on Kingdom of Heaven, a VES Visionary Award for storytelling through visual effects, and an Emmy nomination for producing Marvel's Wandavision.