Marvel Hits Back At Fired X-Men '97 Creator Beau DeMayo Amid Season 2 Credit Drama

Nothing seems to come easy for Marvel these days, does it folks? The House of Ideas is back to ruling the box office thanks to "Deadpool & Wolverine," a billion-dollar hit that cheerily ridicules the Marvel Cinematic Universe for its many failures since "Avengers: Endgame." Meanwhile, the animated series "X-Men '97" (a continuation of the beloved '90s "X-Men" cartoon) has become one of the best-reviewed Marvel projects ever — an achievement that is somewhat dampened by the ongoing feud between the company and the series' creator and former showrunner, Beau DeMayo.

The news broke that DeMayo had been fired from "X-Men '97" a mere week before the show premiered, with the enthusiastic response to season 1 only raising further questions about why Marvel cut ties with him in such an abrupt and dramatic fashion. The creative, for his part, had avoided discussing the issue publicly until Thursday, August 15, when he posted a message to Twitter (or, as the anti-mutant hate group Friends of Humanity calls it, "X"). 

"Firstly, I'm so grateful to have worked on #XMen97, collaborating with some amazingly talented folks," wrote DeMayo. "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..." He also posted a picture of "X-Men" fan-art featuring an illustrated shirtless version of himself as the mutant Scott Summers/Cyclops.

Firstly, I'm so grateful to have worked on #XMen97, 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... pic.twitter.com/kbOTL3IQJj

— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) August 16, 2024

"Above is #XMen fan-art I posted on Instagram for Gay Pride in June. On June 13, #Marvel sent a letter notifying me that they'd stripped my Season 2 credits due to the post," DeMayo added in a thread, describing this as part of a "troubling pattern I suffered" while working on not just "X-Men '97," but also the MCU's seemingly cursed "Blade" reboot. "I'll 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. Stay tuned."

Rest assured, the PR-savvy Marvel was quick to respond to DeMayo's allegations. "Mr. DeMayo was terminated in March 2024 following an internal investigation," said a Marvel spokesperson in an official statement published by The Hollywood Reporter. "Given the egregious nature of the findings, we severed ties with him immediately, and he has no further affiliation with Marvel."

THR added that its sources have indicated DeMayo's firing "involved sexual misconduct." This aligns with a separate report from journalist Jeff Sneider alleging that DeMayo sent naked photos of himself in sexually suggestive "hero" poses as "inspiration" to young male staffers working on "X-Men '97." Sneider's sources further allege that DeMayo groped an assistant on several occasions and was emotionally or physically abusive to other staff members.

Meanwhile, DeMayo's attorney Bryan Freedman issued a statement blasting Marvel's parent company Disney (via Deadline). "Having much experience with Disney, the playbook is always the same," said Freedman. "Family friendly on the outside, but secretly attempting to plant illegal unconscionable items in contracts that silence the truth and stop the employee/customer from asserting basic constitutional rights." He continued:

"As we will explain through detailed examples which we will roll out in detail one by one, Disney's model is very clear and a repetitive illegal pattern. Once it gets challenged or exposed, the gaslighting and redirection of the blame toward anyone willing to tell the truth starts through an international well oiled publicity machine."

He added: "Beau DeMayo wants nothing from Marvel/Disney except the truth. He will bravely tell the truth. So will I. Stand by."

It's worth noting this isn't the first time DeMayo has made claims disparaging those behind a project he'd previously been involved with creatively, only for his former co-workers to swiftly fire back. Responding to his followers on Instagram stories, DeMayo said that when he served as a writer and co-producer on Netflix's "The Witcher," he had to work with writers who "actively disliked the books and games" and even went about "actively mocking the source material," calling it "a recipe for disaster and bad morale" (via FandomWire). In a since-deleted Twitter post, "The Witcher" staff writer, executive story editor, and script coordinator Matthew D'Ambrosio seemingly responded to DeMayo directly, writing: 

"It's pretty Cool™️ and Fun™️ to try and talk about how much you love your job and then get replies like this cause some a**hole you used to work with made up a bunch of lies to your fanbase to cover up how he got fired for being an a**hole and now that's the narrative."

Allegations and various scuttlebutt notwithstanding, Marvel Studios has yet to detail the exact nature of DeMayo's alleged "egregious" conduct that led to his firing. Nevertheless, with "X-Men '97" season 2 in active development and season 1 up for Outstanding Animated Program at the 2024 Emmys ceremony in September, this almost certainly won't be the last we hear from either party. /Film will keep you up to speed as more details come our way.