Beau DeMayo, the former showrunner of X-Men ’97, has released a video responding to allegations against him while leveling serious accusations at Marvel Studios, including claims of discrimination and retaliation.
In the nearly half-hour-long video, posted on both his adult subscription page and YouTube (we got it from YouTube…), DeMayo denies the misconduct allegations that led to his firing from X-Men ’97 and threatens to expose Marvel in court.
If DeMayo’s assertions are true, this would certainly be a smack in the face of Marvel and parent company Disney, which is known for virtue signaling in projects regarding race and sexuality. However, DeMayo himself has been a controversial figure among the fandom for some time, injecting gender politics into the character of Morph and claiming that fans were “straight washing” Wolverine and Morph for asserting that their friendship was platonic in nature.
Addressing the Allegations Against Him
DeMayo opened his video by addressing the allegations that he sent inappropriate photos to male staffers, the same accusations that came out following his dismissal from X-Men ’97.
“The allegations being made against me are very serious, and I take them seriously,” he said. “It’s why I took time to myself these last few weeks—one, to sit with my legal team and figure out how best to respond, but more importantly, to sit with those I love… and assure them of what I will assure you now… these allegations of egregious misconduct are false.”
(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
DeMayo claims that the accusations are part of a smear campaign orchestrated by Marvel Studios to discredit him for speaking out against discrimination and unethical behavior within the company.
“The rumors being spread around me online are lies, and they are offensive,” he continued. “But more concerning is that they’re a smear campaign designed to discredit my credibility in order to cover up egregious prejudicial misconduct stretching from select crew members on X-Men ’97 all the way to the top of Marvel Studios.”
Accusations of Racism and Discrimination at Marvel
DeMayo accused Marvel Studios of creating a hostile work environment and using his identity against him.
“The studio looked the other way as my identity was weaponized by Marvel execs and select crew members to undermine me, create a humiliating environment where people felt emboldened to use the same dog-whistling stereotypes favored by bigots for decades,” he said. “He’s big, he’s intimidating, too opinionated, angry, emotional, flamboyant, dramatic—a pervert.”
DeMayo has specifically called out the casting process for Storm on X-Men ’97 in the past, revealing that Marvel executives rejected his input because they didn’t think the actress sounded “African enough”
(L-R): Forge (voiced by Gil Birmingham), Storm (voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith), Beast (voiced by George Buza), and Morph (voiced by JP Karliak) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.
DeMayo has already filed a lawsuit against Marvel. His attorney, Bryan Freedman, filed the suit in September, seeking to invalidate the non-disparagement clause in DeMayo’s separation agreement. Freedman argues that the agreement violates California law, which protects whistleblowers and allows employees to disclose “information about unlawful acts in the workplace, such as harassment or discrimination.”
According to DeMayo, Marvel retaliated against him for reporting misconduct on the set of Blade.
“The last straw for me was when I got to Atlanta to work on Blade, and I saw others being treated like me,” he said. “Being told that someone needed to ‘crack the whip around here.’ Crack the whip—in Atlanta, Georgia, at Tyler Perry Studios, which were formerly barracks during the Civil War.”
DeMayo Calls Out Disney’s Feminist Agenda in X-Men ’97
DeMayo also highlighted a feminist agenda that undermined male characters in X-Men ’97. He claimed that certain individuals on the production team were openly hostile toward male characters, particularly Cyclops, who has traditionally been the team’s leader in the comics and animated adaptations.
“It is wrong for an artist on the show to repeatedly denounce all men as jerks and to accuse me of failing the cause because I’m keeping a ‘jerk’ like Cyclops as leader of the team,” he said.
His comments suggest that some within Marvel sought to diminish Cyclops’ role in favor of a more agenda-driven narrative. This aligns with broader criticisms that Disney and Marvel have deprioritized classic male heroes in favor of female-led stories or ideological messaging. DeMayo’s resistance to these changes appears to have contributed to internal tensions during his time on X-Men ’97.
Accusations of Workplace Misconduct and Harassment
DeMayo also detailed multiple incidents of inappropriate behavior from Marvel executives and crew members, including:
A producer showing his Instagram photos to underage family members and making lewd comments:
“The things I witnessed while working at Marvel were Beyond wrong and unethical. It is wrong for a crew producer who repeatedly white-splains to his boss to respond to his boss’s concerns
on January 9th of this year with, ‘This has Jack s&%$ to do with me being white. It is wrong for that same producer to repeatedly joke to the crew about how he showed my thirst traps on Instagram to his underage son and his kid is wondering do they need to buy me shirts for Christmas.”
Beau DeMayo via Cool YouTube Guy YouTube
An executive making racially charged comments while reviewing his Blade script:
“It is wrong for Marvel leadership to pat themselves on the back while giving me notes on a Blade script. A table of white men laughing as they tell me ‘Hey, look at us, we hired a young Wesley
Snipes to write the new blade movie.’”
An executive dismissing his concerns about discrimination:
“It is wrong for Marvel execs to roll her eyes when I raise concerns about being bullied and targeted on account of my identity. To tell me to deal with it because ‘these individuals are amazingly talented.’”
Claims of Professional Sabotage and Retaliation
DeMayo also accused Marvel of erasing his contributions to X-Men ’97 and blacklisting him from events.
“Marvel publicity internally has been actively working to prevent [the crew] from speaking about their positive work experiences with me,” DeMayo alleged. “Going so far as to interrupt interviews they were giving to sites like IGN and forcing them to re-record answers that erase me.”
Beau DeMayo on X
He also says that Marvel blacklisted him from panels and award shows.
“Marvel denied the invites and blocked me from attending award shows like the Emmys,” he continued. “They actively blacklisted me from third-party, non-Disney Comic-Con panels.”
On the Creation of X-Men ’97 and Its Themes
DeMayo expressed pride in X-Men ’97, stating that his personal experiences shaped the show’s themes.
(L-R): Professor X (voiced by Ross Marquand) and Magneto (voiced by Matthew Waterson) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL
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“When Magneto talks about how they still come for you even if you play by their rules… When Storm laments how the more she used her gifts to help humans, the more they hated her… I did not write these lines by accident,” he said, claiming that these lines addressed his experiences dealing with Marvel Studios alleged treatment of him because of his race and sexuality.
Willingness to Cooperate with Disney but Prepared for Court
Despite his accusations, DeMayo says he is willing to resolve the issues privately.
“I would prefer to present this evidence to Disney and Marvel and work with them so that those responsible are able to receive what I was not—a full and fair investigation away from the public eye,” he said. “My team and I have already started your investigation. I have the receipts and the eyewitnesses.”
(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
However, he made it clear that he is prepared for a legal battle, should it come to that.
“You can keep attacking me with lies and misinformation, and we can become the ugliest most annoying version of that back and forth tennis ball meme. Or you can start acting like a studio that is worthy of a show like X-Men 97. This is meally trying to do the right thing and this is Marvel’s chance to do the same.”
The Road Ahead
Beau DeMayo’s explosive statements add another chapter to the growing controversy surrounding his departure from Marvel Studios. His claims paint a damning picture of the company’s internal culture, while his lawsuit promises to bring these disputes into the legal arena. Whether this battle plays out behind closed doors or in court, DeMayo’s accusations are likely to keep Marvel Studios in the spotlight for months to come.
(L-R): Morph (voiced by JP Karliak), Storm (voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith), Gambit (voiced by AJ LoCascio), Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase), Rogue (voiced by Lenore Zann), Wolverine (voiced by Cal Dodd), Bishop (voiced by Isaac Robinson-Smith), Beast (voiced by George Buza) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.
Do you believe Beau DeMayo about mistreatment at Marvel and Disney? Is the Disney company lecturing the world in front of the camera while mistreating people based on race and sexuality behind the scenes? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
