Marvel Says That Beau DeMayo Was Fired From ‘X-Men ’97’ For “Egregious” Misconduct
While X-Men ’97 would eventually be a triumph for both Disney+ and Marvel Studios, the show got off to an auspicious start when series creator and head writer Beau DeMayo was fired just days before the show debuted.
At the time, Marvel did not give any reason for the termination, and DeMayo, too, stayed silent on the matter.
As X-Men ’97 was slowly released to the public (to acclaim from critics and fans alike), however, DeMayo re-emerged, engaging with fans and giving behind-the-scenes anecdotes about each episode.
(L-R): Morph (voiced by JP Karliak), Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase) and Jean Grey (voiced by Jennifer Hale) in Marvel Animation’s X-MEN ’97. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.
While it initially seemed that both Marvel and DeMayo were determined to move forward amicably, the tone of DeMayo’s social media posts has changed in recent weeks.
DeMayo Was Not Invited to the Creative Arts Emmy Awards
The trouble seemed to begin when Marvel did not invite DeMayo to the upcoming Create Arts Emmy Awards. On X, DeMayo publically complained about the slight.
Photo: The Hollywood Reporter
Marvel, he said, “has not reached out to arrange my attendance to the Emmy’s for the show I created.”
At the time, Marvel did not respond.
To those asking, Marvel-Disney has not reached out to arrange my attendance to the Emmy’s for the show I created #xmen97
— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) August 12, 2024
DeMayo Accused Marvel of Stripping His Credits Over Gay Pride Post
Yesterday, DeMayo once again posted on X, claiming that Marvel was stripping him of any credits on Season 2 of X-Men ’97 after he posted an image of himself as 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
“Firstly, I’m so grateful to have worked on #XMen97, collaborating with some amazingly talented folks,” he wrote. “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.”
DeMayo also alluded to a “troubling pattern” he suffered while working for Marvel.
Photo: Marvel
“Above is #XMen fan-art I posted on Instagram for Gay Pride in June,” he continued. “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.”
Marvel Says DeMayo Was Fired Following an Internal Investigation
In response to DeMayo’s social media posts, Marvel quickly released a statement revealing that the writer had been fired in March following an internal investigation.
Photo: MSN
“Mr. DeMayo was terminated in March 2024 following an internal investigation,” the studio said in a statement. “Given the egregious nature of the findings, we severed ties with him immediately and he has no further affiliation with Marvel.”
According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel and DeMayo reached an agreement over the creator tweeting about the show. When DeMayo breached that agreement, his credit for season two of the series was removed.
“The Truth Will Be Revealed”
While DeMayo initially said that he would be stepping away from social media, he quickly posted a message following Marvel’s statement.
“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.” https://t.co/D4d5tXfPP0
— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) August 16, 2024
“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.”
Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL.
By the sound of things, DeMayo still has more to say.
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