New rumored details have emerged regarding the firing of X-Men ’97 showrunner Beau DeMayo.
(L-R): Jean Grey (voiced by Jennifer Hale), Gambit (voiced by AJ LoCascio), Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase), Rogue (voiced by Lenore Zann), Magneto (voiced by Matthew Waterson), Beast (voiced by George Buza), Bishop (voiced by Isaac Robinson-Smith), Wolverine (voiced by Cal Dodd), Storm (voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith), and Jubilee (voiced by Holly Chou) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.
It was reported in March that DeMayo was fired and he would “no longer be promoting the show or moving forward with future seasons.
The report detailed that DeMayo’s company email was shut down at the beginning of March and cast and crew for the series were notified he would no longer be working on the project. DeMayo also shut down his Instagram account at the time.
The firing came after DeMayo had reportedly completed writing a second season and was preparing a third season.
Beau DeMayo via Cool YouTube Guy YouTube
READ: Marvel Animation’s Brad Winderbaum Rejects Claim ‘X-Men ’97’ Showrunner Beau DeMayo Was Fired
However, Marvel Animation’s Brad Winderbaum rejected these claims telling Entertainment Weekly, “I can’t talk about the details, but I can say that Beau had real respect and passion for these characters and wrote what I think are excellent scripts that really the rest of the team were able to draw inspiration from [to] build this amazing show that’s on screen.”
He then specifically rejected the claim that DeMayo was fired. When asked if he would describe DeMayo’s departure as a firing, Winderbaum responded, “I don’t. ‘We parted ways’ is the best way I could say.”
(L-R): Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase), Jean Grey (voiced by Jennifer Hale), Wolverine (voiced by Cal Dodd), Morph (voiced by JP Karliak), Beast (voiced by George Buza), Jubilee (voiced by Holly Chou), and Roberto Da Costa (voiced by Gui Agustini) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.
DeMayo recently indicated that Marvel was stripping him of his writing credits for Season 2 over a gay pride post that he posted to Instagram depicting himself as a member of the X-Men team.
He wrote, “Firstly, 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…”
Beau DeMayo on X
He continued, “Above is X-Men 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. Sadly, this is the latest in a troubling pattern I suffered through while on working on X-Men ’97 and Blade.”
“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,” he concluded.
Beau DeMayo on X
Marvel Studios responded to this accusation from DeMayo telling Variety, “Mr. DeMayo was terminated in March 2024 following an internal investigation. Given the egregious nature of the findings, we severed ties with him immediately and he has no further affiliation with Marvel.”
Furthermore, Variety’s Adam B. Vary and Katcy Stephan shared, “A source with knowledge of the investigation said evidence was discovered of sexual misconduct, and that DeMayo repeatedly violated his termination agreement, which led to the removal of his credits for Season 2.”
(L-R): Wolverine (voiced by Cal Dodd), Storm (voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith), Beast (voiced by George Buza), Jubilee (voiced by Holly Chou), Bishop (voiced by Isaac Robinson-Smith), Morph (voiced by JP Karliak), Gambit (voiced by AJ LoCascio), Rogue (voiced by Lenore Zann), Jean Grey (voiced by Jennifer Hale), and Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.
Despite claiming he was taking a step back from social media, DeMayo responded to this report from Variety writing on X, “‘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.’”
Beau DeMayo on X
He also added in another post, “This is their Disney-Marvel’s usual playbook. 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.”
Beau DeMayo on X
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DeMayo’s claim that he was fired over a gay pride Instagram seems ridiculous on the surface given The Walt Disney Company and Marvel’s embrace of the pride.
As an example, Marvel celebrated pride at the end of May promoting its Marvel Voices: Pride comic book.
As Mystique and Destiny renew their marriage vows, prepare for drama, secrets, and surprises! Celebrate #MarvelComics’ first woman-to-woman wedding in this year’s ‘Marvel’s Voices: Pride’ one-shot ‘X-Men: The Wedding Special’ #1 on sale now. pic.twitter.com/UcAcqLMCCz
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) May 29, 2024
Furthermore, The Walt Disney Company puts on pride parades in its theme parks. Disneyland Resort’s Public Relations Director Kelsey Lynch announced on the Disney Parks website that Disneyland was going to host a Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite on June 18 and 20th.
Lynch wrote on the website, “Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite returns to the Disneyland Resort for its second year with colorful celebrations, joyful photo opportunities, event merchandise, fabulous food and divine drinks.”
She added, “Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community, bringing allies and community members together as Disneyland park is illuminated with rainbow projections.”
Disneyland Pride Nite via Patrick Dougall YouTube
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Now, new details have emerged regarding exactly why DeMayo was fired. Jeff Sneider at The InSneider reports, “I’m told that DeMayo sent nude photos of himself — or at the very least, photos of himself in various states of undress — to several young male staffers. Some of these photos allegedly featured DeMayo wearing superhero costumes and striking sexually suggestive ‘hero’ poses that could be used as ‘inspiration’ for the show. DeMayo was asked to stop sending such photos but I’m told that he persisted nonetheless.”
One anonymous individual told Sneider, “If you were a guy who looked like they could be under 30 on that show [X-Men ’97], you have his nudes whether you wanted them or not.”
Sneider also shared that “DeMayo allegedly groped an assistant on multiple occasions and that he was both emotionally and physically abusive to staffers, though I don’t have any specific incidents to share on that front.”
(L-R): Beast (voiced by George Buza), Wolverine (voiced by Cal Dodd), Morph (voiced by JP Karliak), Bishop (voiced by Isaac Robinson-Smith), Rogue (voiced by Lenore Zann), Gambit (voiced by AJ LoCascio), Storm (voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith), Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.
Sneider went on to detail that the reason why DeMayo was let go from Netflix’s The Witcher property was for similar reasons to the above. He goes on to note that Marvel Animation’s Brad Winderbaum did not do his due diligence when hiring DeMayo.
Finally, Sneider shared that DeMayo is losing his Executive Producer credit for Season 2, but he will still retain a writing albeit Marvel is apparently “rewriting most of Season 2.”
Gambit voiced by AJ LaCascio, Wolverine voiced by Cal Dodd, Rogue voiced by Lenore Zann, Jubilee voiced by Holly Chou, and Cyclops voiced by Ray Chase in X-Men ’97 (2024), Marvel Animation
What do you make of these new rumored details regarding why Marvel fired Beau DeMayo?
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