Marvel Studios executive Victoria Alonso has dismissed poor reviews for Eternals, promising “diversity and inclusion is not a political game for us” as she told viewers to prepare for more of the same wokeness more often.
Alonso delivered the remarks at the Outfest Legacy Awards on Saturday night at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Variety magazine reports she warbled a verse of B.o.B’s “Beautiful Girl All Over the World” to her wife, Imelda Corcoran, before offering her views about LGBTQ equality and “visibility.” She said of her work at Marvel:
We have tried to stir it up and sometimes the critics are not with us. That’s OK. That’s OK.
We thank you for being a critic. We thank you for writing about us. And the fans will decide. Diversity and inclusion is not a political game for us. It is 100 percent a responsibility because you don’t get to have the global success that we have given the Walt Disney Company without the support of people around the world of every kind of human there is.
Alonso then offered a mea culpa to transgender performer Rain Valdez, saying, “I see you. You’re not alone. I perhaps have not 100 percent done right by you.”
She went on to indicate she will lobby for on-screen transgender characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: “I can assure you for as long as I am at Marvel Studios, I will do right by you. One of the greatest gifts that we can give each other is in the belonging, is knowing that you do belong. Don’t walk in thinking you don’t belong.”
Her speech follows the release of Eternals, the latest Marvel Studios epic featuring the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first gay superhero that comes complete with a gay kiss.
As Breitbart News reported, the Disney-owned Marvel Studios’ latest superhero epic is struggling to find an audience and is clocking in as one of the worst-rated and lowest-attended Marvel films at theaters.
Last week it looked like the film would struggle to earn $70 million over its opening weekend, as it has earned historically low marks from both critics and audiences alike. Its box office receipts suffered a 61% drop in its second weekend.
Viewers polled by CinemaScore gave the film a “B,” the lowest of any Marvel Studios film to date. And the film’s current rating at Rotten Tomatoes sits at a “rotten” 48% — the lowest for any Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Marvel hoped to make Eternals the tentpole of its new phase four universe of films. The plot spans thousands of years as a team of superheroes are deposited on earth in antiquity to safeguard humanity and are brought back together thousands of years later to face a world-ending threat in modern times.
Despite its opening stumbles, Alonso is determined to approach more themes of LGBT relevance that will dominate in character development and portrayals for years top come.
“I want to do it all,” Alonso said. “I want to make sure that I get out there and I create as much change as time will allow.”