Credit: DisneyIn 2009, Marvel Studios officially became part of The Walt Disney Company, making superheroes like Captain America, Black Panther, Iron Man, and Thor part of the Mouse House.
Since purchasing Marvel, Disney has made more than $13 billion on the studio’s various films and television shows. Fans have flocked to the theaters to see hit movies like Black Panther (2018), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), and more.
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In fact, when looking at Disney’s top-grossing films, Marvel films have made up six of the top ten. Disney’s top-grossing theatrical release is one of Marvel’s most popular films to date — Avengers: Endgame (2019).
The partnership between Marvel and Disney has been very successful, but that does not mean everyone is happy about the changes since the purchase.
And now, one former Marvel executive has filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming that he was denied a promotion because of the color of his skin.
According to a lawsuit filed with the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Roger Steffens, former Marvel CFO, and co-president, was denied the promotion to president of Disney Consumer Products because he is white.
Mr. Steffens claims that then-Marvel CEO Ike Perlmutter — who was laid off from Disney in 2023 — told him that former Disney CEO Bob Chapek stopped Mr. Steffens promotion because he was “another old white guy.” Instead, the job was given to a woman Mr. Steffens claims is of “ambiguous ethnicity.”
Although she was not named in the lawsuit, Tasia Filippatos is the current president of Disney Consumer Products. According to her LinkedIn profile, she has held the title of president since May 2022. For four years before that, she was the Vice President of Disney Consumer Products for Europe, Africa, and Russia.
Related: Marvel Sues to Keep Rights to Billion-Dollar Avengers Characters
Steffens alleged that he was also denied the promotion for objecting to other incidents of racial discrimination that he witnessed at the House of Mouse in the past. The former Marvel executive claimed that Disney was engaged in an “official effort to promote vice presidents based on their race and a memorandum that would have referred to employees with the racial signifier ‘BIPOC.’”
Disney’s actions were “willful, wanton, malicious, intentional, oppressive and despicable and were done in willful and conscious disregard of the rights, welfare and safety of [Steffens],” the complaint stated.
The lawsuit comes just days after Disney took a step back from its DEI initiatives, including the company’s “Reimagine Tomorrow”program, which was created to amplify “underrepresented voices.”
Disney was forced to turn away from its DEI programs after President Donald Trump issued an executive order making such initiatives illegal, and calling them discriminatory.
Do you think Mr. Steffens was truly denied a promotion because he was white? Or is he just upset that the job was given to a woman who had experience doing the job he wanted? Share your thoughts in the comments.