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Days ahead of the X-Men ‘97 premiere earlier this year, the animated series was shrouded in a “woke” controversy, with a certain section of the fandom enraged at certain characters of the classic hit walking down the LGBTQ path. While those infuriating claims were still up in the air, another earth-shaking announcement took precedence, revealing the show’s creator and head writer Beau DeMayo was fired.
Months later, DeMayo has finally broken the radio silence on his social media, shedding light on what was possibly the reason for Disney stripping him of his Season 2 credits as well.
On Thursday night, the show’s original creator, who’s no longer attached to the series, alleged that his writing credits for X-Men ’97 Season 2 were dropped over an LGBTQ Pride Month fan art post on social media. However, shortly after that, Marvel Studios issued an official statement, saying that DeMayo was let go in March for “egregious” misconduct.
Why was the original X-Men 97 showrunner fired: Disney’s version
“Mr. DeMayo was terminated in March 2024 following an internal investigation,” Marvel’s statement read. “Given the egregious nature of the findings, we severed ties with him immediately and he has no further affiliation with Marvel.”
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Variety also reported that a source privy to the ongoing investigation said DeMayo repeatedly violated his termination agreement and the evidence uncovered against him pointed towards sexual misconduct.
Why was the X-Men 97 creator fired: Beau DeMayo’s version
However, the original showrunner’s claims walked a different walk as he took to his social media platforms to share a shirtless fan art of himself, drawn in the image of the beloved mutant superhero Cyclops. “Firstly I’m so grateful to have worked on #XMen97, collaborating with some amazingly talented folks,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “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.”
“Above is #XMen fan-art I posted on Instagram for Gay Pride in June,” he added, while sharing a screenshot of a June 4 Instagram post, captioned, “Happy Pride! (rainbow emoji) Thank you @natz.print for this. So Cool!”
“On June 13, #Marvel sent a letter notifying me that they’d stripped my Season 2 credits due to the post. Sadly, this is the latest in a troubling pattern I suffered through while on working on #XMen97 and #Blade.”
Soon after Marvel Studio’s statement caught his attention, he responded on social media. Linking the Variety article, he wrote, “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. Stay tuned.”
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Contextualising Beau DeMayo’s exit from X-Men 97
As is evidently visible, discrepancies have arisen in both Disney and DeMayo’s account of the case. While executive producer and Marvel Animatiom chief Brad Winderbaum was all Team DeMayo ahead of the X-Men ‘97 debut on Disney Plus, telling Variety that he “did excellent work writing Seasons 1 and 2, and I can’t wait for fans to see the series,” the conversation has gone haywire.
Already nominated for several trophies at this year’s award functions, including the Gotham TV Awards, Astra TV Awards, TCA Awards and Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, X-Men 97 Season 1 has also won the Best Animated Show and Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series titles at Dorian TV Awards and Black Reel TV Awards, respectively.
Adding on to his side of the narrative, DeMayo lambasted “Disney-Marvel’s usual playbook” in reference to his time working with Marvel. “Legal letters as well as other items to prove their long-standing pattern to follow . It’s about finding a safe outlet. Thanks for your faith and patience,” he continued.
As a follow-up to his initial statement about the fan art, Beau also affirmed that he will “have more to say soon but must take a step back from social media to find a safer space for me to be out, proud and nerdy.” Whatever the case, DeMayo clearly has a lot more to get off his chest, as he’s asked his followers to “Stay tuned” for more.
Some fans were again outraged by the Marvel’s supposedly out of pocket decision to fire him over the alleged claims, considering the X-Men saga has always been about inclusion and diversity.
In March, the reasons for DeMayo’s termination eluded public knowledge. No other precise details about the investigation surrounding the show creator have emerged yet. DeMayo also mostly remained silent about his firing from the studio, as opposed to his occasional retaliation on X, as seen on his recent post about failed to secure a seat at the Emmys.
Considering that an investigation is in place, it appears far-fetched that DeMayo was fired over a mere LGBTQ post. Even during his Marvel tenure, he was an avid social media user and continued sharing other X-Men details and shirtless pictures of himself. Prior to being fired in March 2024, DeMayo also had a “non-explicit” OnlyFans account called “Beaunlyfans.”
