Marvel Cites ‘Egregious Misconduct’ For Firing X-Men ’97 Showrunner Beau DeMayo

Since he came out of panic X-Men ’97 with a week to go until it premiered, former show producer Beau DeMayo didn’t hesitate to continue talking about the show and his time on it on social media. But while he offered some insight into the characters and stories, DeMayo kept quiet about the reasons for his exit until last night, prompting the public to respond to Marvel.

On Twitter and Instagram last night, DeMayo posted a statement saying that a few months after he was fired, Marvel decided to remove him from the credits for the upcoming second season X-Men ’97scripts that were largely finished by the time of his exit from the show in March 2024. DeMayo, who has previously talked about the intersection of his queerness with the “transformative metaphor” of the X-Men, said that a piece of fan art he submitted to celebrate Pride Month in early June, depicting him as a shirtless figure taking on Cyclops, was the stated reason for the cancellation of his debt.

“Sadly, this is the latest worrying pattern I have come across in my career X-Men ’97 again Blade,” DeMayo’s statement said in part. “I am very happy to work X-Men ’97in collaboration with some incredibly talented people. Creating this revival was a dream come true and the support the fans have shown is very touching. However, I felt it necessary to speak after leaving the show.”

Shortly thereafter, The Hollywood Reporter published a statement from Marvel, a rare, swift response by the studio to internal allegations. “Mr. DeMayo was terminated in March 2024 following an internal investigation,” Marvel said in a statement posted to the store. “Due to the serious nature of this discovery, we have immediately severed ties with him, and he is no longer affiliated with Marvel.”

Both The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, citing unnamed sources, alleged that DeMayo had been fired. X-Men ’97 following an internal investigation into sexual misconduct. Both DeMayo and the studio reportedly agreed to limit what DeMayo could discuss about the series on social media after his exit, which DeMayo continued to do as the series began to resonate with fans, until as recently as earlier this week. , when DeMayo complained that Disney and Marvel hadn’t been forthcoming about sending him to the 2024 Emmys, where X-Men ’97 nominated for Best Animated Feature. The alleged breach of this agreement resulted in DeMayo being stripped of his writing credits for season 2.

A request for further comment by io9 saw a Disney spokesperson direct us to The Hollywood Reporter’s piece.

That Marvel would strip DeMayo of credit for posting his fan art is an odd claim, considering that the writer often shared similar art, memes, and insights about the show’s progress during its long production run before its release. When DeMayo first left the series, it was thought that part of the reason was due to his use of an obscure OnlyFans account. Although the account has since been closed, it remained active during his tenure on the series despite public reporting of it.

Later last night, DeMayo released another statement on social media, citing Variety’s report. “The truth will come out. In the wake of their Disney Plus debacle, Marvel is looking to mislead with alleged breach of contract tweets. It’s sad that it’s come to this but it’s not surprising,” the author wrote, before adding “This is their Disney-Marvel. [sic] a standard playbook. Law books and other evidence of their ancient pattern to be followed. It’s about finding a safe place.”

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