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Marvel Studios has made a formal statement regarding their shock decision to fire X-Men ’97 creator Beau DeMayo in March just weeks before the show’s premiere.
DeMayo, who also worked as a writer on The Witcher and Moon Knight, had just wrapped on writing X-Men ’97 season two when he was fired from the series. No reason for his sudden axing was given at the time.
Then, on Thursday (August 16), DeMayo took to X (formerly Twitter), claiming that he had been stripped of his season two credits over a Gay Pride post.
“Above is #XMen fan-art I posted on Instagram for Gay Pride in June,” he tweeted, alongside an illustration of himself as the superhero Cyclops. “On June 13, #Marvel sent a letter notifying me that they’d stripped my Season 2 credits due to the post.”
He added: “Sadly, this is the latest in a troubling pattern I suffered through while on working on #XMen97 and #Blade.”
Marvel has since hit back at DeMayo’s accusations, sharing an official statement on Friday (August 16) that said: “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,” the studio said, according to Variety.
Sources with knowledge of the investigation told Variety that the evidence discovered had to do with sexual misconduct, while DeMayo’s repeated violation of his termination agreement is what led to his credits being removed.
DeMayo didn’t immediately respond to The Independent’s request for comment; however, his lawyer shared a statement with Variety accusing Marvel Studios of “gaslighting” and plating “illegal unconscionable items in contracts.”
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“Having much experience with Disney, the playbook is always the same,” DeMayo’s attorney Bryan Freedman said. “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.”
During his time working on X-Men ’97, DeMayo had regularly posted tidbits about the show on social media, in addition to topless photos of himself. He also ran a non-explicit OnlyFans account.
Before he was fired in March, DeMayo had reportedly already begun loose discussions about season three’s storylines with his team. He had also been scheduling press appearances and was preparing to attend the show’s Los Angeles premiere.
It isn’t unusual for Marvel, or any studio, to part ways with writers. However, it is rarer for top creatives on a Marvel project to cancel press and miss a premiere so suddenly, per The Hollywood Reporter.
DeMayo was first hired by Marvel in November 2021. His hiring was celebrated by fans and others in the industry as several of the X-Men ’97 characters and storylines he wrote were influenced by his identity as a Black gay man.
