Marvel Studios' success has been unparalleled and unprecedented, but among the chief complaints among many fans for years was the lack of diversity, both in ethnic heroes and female heroes as well. Marvel has most definitely addressed both issues with the blockbuster hit Black Panther, and the upcoming Captain Marvel, but Victoria Alonso, Marvel's executive VP of physical production, hopes to see a day where half of the MCU slate is directed by women.

Before joining Marvel in 2006, Victoria Alonso worked in the male-dominated world of visual effects, working on films such as The 6th Day, Cats and Dogs, Darkness Falls, The Core, Big Fish, Fifty First Dates and Kingdom of Heaven. She joined Marvel as the chief of visual effects, serving as both a producer and a visual effects producer on the first MCU movie, Iron Man, while also producing the rest of Marvel's early movies before being promoted to her current position in 2015. The studio's Captain Marvel represents the first time a female director will be at the helm of an MCU movie, with Anna Boden directing alongside her longtime collaborator Ryan Fleck. When asked when the first MCU movie directed by a solo female filmmaker will happen, Alonso had this to say.

"Soon, I hope. Here's the thing: We want the best person for the job. I don't think it's fair to the movie to say, 'This has to be directed by a man,' or 'That has to be directed by a woman.' I think it has to be a conscious search for the best human, and hopefully the best human, as we continue to fill out our slate, is half and half."

Alonso, who has been married to her wife Imelda Corcoran for 16 years, also said she sides with Marvel's parent company Disney, after the studio threatened to pull all of their productions out of Georgia if the state passed laws that would discriminate against same-sex couples. While Georgia has not passed such a law yet, Alonso stated she has very strong feelings about that, and also adding that she supports the Times Up movement as well. Here's what she had to say about the importance of Times Up.

"Yes. It is necessary. I think women have this tendency to think that if we get a job, we still have to earn it. No, no, no, no, no. Once you have the job, you're there. Own it. Men don't do that. I grew up in production and visual effects, which is a man's world. You have to own your place. When I walk into a room, I do a head count of males and females. When I leave, I say it. Every room, every time. I get no pride, no power by being by myself. I'm happy to hold the banner, but I don't want to be there alone. I want to be the first of many, not the first and only."

While Marvel has yet to have solo female directed movie yet, their parent company Disney is making strides in this area, with Niki Caro coming aboard to direct Mulan, Thea Sharrock directing The One and Only Ivan and Jennifer Lee directing Frozen 2. Marvel did come close to having a solo female director, when Patty Jenkins was in the mix to direct Thor before dropping out, a few years before she would become the first female to direct a $100 million movie with the DCEU blockbuster Wonder Woman. You can head over to The Hollywood Reporter for their full interview with Marvel Studios' Victoria Alonso.