Ever since his shock exit from X-Men ’97 a week before its premiere, former showrunner Beau DeMayo has not hesitated to keep talking about the show and his time on it on social media. But while he’s offered insight on characters and storylines, DeMayo stayed quiet about the reasons behind his exit until last night, prompting a public response from Marvel.
On both Twitter and Instagram last night, DeMayo posted a statement alleging that several months after his dismissal, Marvel decided to strip him of credits on work for the upcoming second season of X-Men ’97, scripts for which had largely been completed by the time of his exit from the show in March 2024. DeMayo, who has previously spoken about the intersection of his own queerness with the “mutant metaphor” of the X-Men, said that a piece of fan art he posted to celebrate Pride Month in early June, depicting him as a shirtless take on Cyclops, was the reason cited for removal of his credit.
“Sadly, this is the latest in a troubling pattern I suffered through while on working on X-Men ’97 and Blade,” DeMayo’s statement read in part. “I’m so grateful to have worked on X-Men ’97, collaborating with some amazingly talented folks. Creating this revival was a dream come true and the support fans have shown is so touching. However, I felt it pressing for me to speak up in the wake of leaving the show.”
Shortly after, The Hollywood Reporter published a statement from Marvel, a rare, swift response for the studio to internal allegations. “Mr. DeMayo was terminated in March 2024 following an internal investigation,” Marvel said in a statement to the outlet. “Given the egregious nature of the findings, we severed ties with him immediately, and he has no further affiliation with Marvel.”
Both The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, citing undisclosed sources, alleged that DeMayo had been removed from X-Men ’97 following an internal investigation into sexual misconduct. Both DeMayo and the Studio had purportedly agreed to limit what DeMayo could discuss about the series on social media after his exit, which DeMayo regularly continued to do as the series began airing to critical and fan acclaim, even up to as recently as earlier this week, when DeMayo complained that Disney and Marvel had not reached out about sending him to the 2024 Emmys, where X-Men ’97 was nominated for Best Animated Program. It was breaches of this agreement that allegedly saw DeMayo’s writing credits on season 2 stripped.
A request for further comment by io9 saw a Disney spokesperson direct us to The Hollywood Reporter piece.
That Marvel would strip credit from DeMayo for posting fan art of himself is a peculiar claim, considering the writer regularly shared similar art, memes, and insight about the show’s progress during the long production period before its release. When DeMayo first left the series, it was speculated that part of the reason could’ve been due to his running of a non-explicit OnlyFans account. Although the account has since been closed, it had remained active during his time working on the series with no reprisal from the studio despite regular public reporting on it.
Later last night, DeMayo released a further statement on social media, citing Variety’s reporting. “The truth will be revealed. After their Disney Plus disaster, Marvel wants to mislead with alleged contract breaches over tweets. It’s tragic it’s come to this but unsurprising,” the writer wrote, before adding “This is their Disney-Marvel’s [sic] usual playbook. Legal letters as well as other items to prove their long-standing pattern to follow . It’s about finding a safe outlet.”
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