Marvel’s decision to fire Victoria Alonso from her position at Marvel Studios has led to new reports to surface. Specifically, it looks like Disney made the decision to have gay imagery removed from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in an effort to keep the film from getting banned in Kuwait.
As shared via THR, Alonso’s attorney, Patty Glaser, first hinted at the news. She claimed that Victoria Alonso was “terminated” by Disney for having “criticize[d]” them and “refused to do something she believed was reprehensible.”
The publication continues to cite several insiders at Disney who believe the “reprehensible” actually involved removing gay imagery from Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Specifically some of the gay Pride references that are visible in the film. This way, insiders say, the film wouldn’t be banned by the Kuwait market.
As explained:
“In January, as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was being readied for release, word came down that Marvel executives wanted an editor to blur a storefront window that featured rainbow decorations and the word “Pride” for the version of the film to be released in Kuwait, which has restrictive anti-LGBTQ laws. The storefront was shown in two brief scenes in which Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) walked down a San Francisco street.”
They continue to note that “Alonso, who is gay, was an outspoken proponent of inclusion during her time at Marvel.” As such, she’s said to have “refused to have her team make the edit as part of her duties overseeing visual effects and postproduction at Marvel,” according to insiders. Though “Marvel then went to an outside vendor to see the edit through.”
The edit, the changes for which only exist in Kuwait, is also said to include the following alterations:
“The edit also removed references to alcohol that would have run afoul of local authorities, and it removed the animated butt cheeks of the character M.O.D.O.K.”
At this time, however, representatives for both Disney and Alonso have declined to comment. As such, we’ll have to see how this situation continues. It’s likely much more complicated than what these reports say. Especially after Alonso already spent so much time with the company. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates as we have them.