Is Disney’s first female chair a Marvel superhero of diversity or just another corporate drone?

The entertainment giant has a substantial gender pay gap in the UK, faces a lawsuit over equal pay in the US, and has taken heat over the treatment of low-paid staff. Will Susan Arnold use her position to address these issues, asks James Moore

Should Disney’s new chair line up with the Eternals? The company’s low-paid workers may end up disappointed (Marvel Studios)

The company that gave us the modern pop culture princess – from Snow White to Anna & Elsa – has finally crowned a woman as chair of the board in the form of Susan Arnold. Or rather, as chair of the board. That’s how Disney’s announcement describes the role.

The entertainment giant’s investor relations site is, appropriately enough, currently decorated with a still from Eternals, the Marvel movie which has done better with audiences than it did with critics.

Although it boasts an admirably diverse ensemble cast, it is a female-led film. If you read Disney’s announcement of Arnold’s appointment, you’ll see that its real flaw was not including her alongside Sersi, Sprite, Makkari and Ajak.