X-Men ’97: The Conflict Between Marvel Studios And Beau DeMayo, Explained

Marvel Studios’ X-Men ’97 has received plenty of critical acclaim since it debuted. However, the series has been the subject of behind-the-scenes drama since the season finale. Earlier this year, it was revealed that showrunner Beau DeMayo was fired from his position, although he had already completed his work on the second season of the hit series. At the time, details regarding his firing were not known, but in recent weeks, allegations have surfaced suggesting DeMayo was inappropriate with staff members.

The former X-Men ’97 showrunner, who continues to be very active on social media, has secured a lawyer and appears to be going after Disney for his firing. So, what exactly transpired between DeMayo and Disney/Marvel?

Beau DeMayo’s History With Marvel

DeMayo, who is still relatively new to Hollywood, first teamed up with Marvel Studios to write an episode of the Disney+ series, Moon Knight. The writer penned the third episode of Moon Knight‘s first season, titled “The Friendly Type.” His work on the episode seemed to please Marvel Studios enough for them to ultimately bring DeMayo on board as a writer and showrunner for its X-Men ’97 series, a sequel to the hit animated series from the ’90s. DeMayo would go on to write four episodes of X-Men ’97, including the pilot episode, “To Me, My X-Men.” He would also serve as the showrunner and executive producer on the series, heading the writers room for both Season 1 and Season 2, which has already been written. While his behavior on X-Men ’97 was said to be a problem, it’s unclear when it was first brought to Marvel Studios’ attention, as the studio brought DeMayo on to try and do another pass on the Blade reboot’s troubled screenplay. At some point in time, DeMayo did deliver his take on the Blade screenplay, but Marvel Studios seems to have ultimately moved forward with yet another writer to try and get the screenplay ready for production.

It wasn’t until mid-way through X-Men ’97‘s first season that news surfaced that Marvel Studios had parted ways with DeMayo. At the time, both Marvel and the showrunner didn’t comment on the news, but DeMayo did continue to tweet about the series as it aired the final episodes of the season. He even continued to interact with fans as they expressed their excitement over the series. Recently, however, DeMayo took to social media to address his firing and seemingly hinted at exposing the truth, to which Disney simply explained his inappropriate behavior was the reasoning behind his firing and that many people had approached Human Resources regarding their issues with the showrunner. Since then, DeMayo has continued to release statements through his lawyer, suggesting there’s more to come regarding the “truth.”

The Allegations Being Made Against DeMayo

Earlier this month, DeMayo took to social media to state that his credit on Season 2 of X-Men ’97 had been removed due to a social media post he made for gay pride in June. The showrunner stated, “Marvel sent a letter notifying me that they’d stripped my Season 2 credits due to the post.” The post was a shirtless photo of DeMayo as the Marvel superhero Cyclops. Marvel wasted little time in responding, revealing that the studio parted ways with DeMayo in March of this year, and that the post had nothing to do with them parting ways. Rather, it was his egregious behavior, as noted by The Hollywood Reporter, that led to the parting following an internal investigation. Apparently, the two parties were said to have reached an agreement, which DeMayo reportedly breached by continuing to tweet about the series. This is said to be what cost him his credit on Season 2 of X-Men ’97. DeMayo fought back with his lawyer. However, by the time his lawyer released a statement, reports of why DeMayo was fired began to surface with rumors suggesting the showrunner was let go over sexual misconduct. While Disney hasn’t outright confirmed the allegations being made against DeMayo, some industry reporters have come forward with what they’ve heard through their sources.

Initial reports suggested DeMayo was simply difficult to work with. However, the latest rumors, courtesy of The InSneider, have alleged that DeMayo sent nude photos of himself in suggestive “superhero” poses to some of the male staffers on the series. DeMayo is also accused of having groped an assistant, as well as having been emotionally and physically abusive, although none of these claims have been confirmed. It is important to note that this isn’t the first project DeMayo was removed from. In fact, he was removed from working on Netflix’s The Witcher, although details regarding his firing from that project remain unknown. As it stands, DeMayo has hired a lawyer and looks ready to “expose Disney” and ensure the truth is told once and for all.

X-Men ’97 is currently streaming exclusively on Disney+.

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