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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.
The Independent has reached out to DeMayo for comment.
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.
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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.
