Thank you to Marvel Studios for hosting me during the Infinity War Event.
Marvel Studios Executive Vice President of Physical Production Victoria Alonso, actor Tom Hiddleston, President of Marvel Studios and Producer Kevin Feige, Mark Ruffalo, and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for Disney)
There tends to be two types of fans when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe: lifelong fans of the comics and people who were introduced to the characters through the movies. “I’m not a comic book fan,” says Victoria Alonso, Marvel Studios’ EVP of Physical Production and Avengers: Infinity War Executive Producer. “I do see our movies because I think they have a heart and they have a message… You can peel our movies like an onion and find it… And eventually, you might cry.” If you’ve seen Infinity War, there’s definitely a strong chance you relate to that crying part.
Alonso’s desire for movies with heart and her role as a mother have had a direct impact on her work at Marvel Studios. “Is that stab necessary? Do we need to see that blood? How am I going to explain this in the playground?” It’s the same reason so many of my fellow bloggers write movie reviews related to their experience as moms. They want you to know exactly what you’re taking your kids to see. Those playground discussions? They happen everywhere.
President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige and executive producers Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso and Trinh Tran (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for Disney)
Beyond the playground, it’s impossible to ignore the importance of Alonso’s role at Marvel Studios. After an invitation to a special Change-Maker event at her daughter’s school, Alonso’s daughter repeated for weeks, “My mommy’s a change-maker. My mommy’s a change-maker.” This reminded Alonso of her own mother. “I knew my mother was a change-maker, but I never said it aloud because I didn’t have the words… The fact that she can say it out loud and she can look up to it is a beautiful thing.”
In addition to her official titles, Alonso has her hands in a bit of everything that Marvel does. “We’re a little bit like a production company meets a studio meets the producers meets everything else, because we’ll go and fetch your coffee if you need it.” But beyond getting your coffee, Alonso knows what is the most important. “I’m a working mother. That’s all. That’s my title. That’s what I do.”
There’s lots more to come. Make sure you follow along with all of my #InfinityWarEvent coverage to get all of the fun details. Avengers: Infinity War is in theaters now.