The already messy battle between X-Men '97 creator Beau DeMayo and Marvel is only getting harder to follow
We just can't have nice things in peace.
X-Men '97 was pretty good, ey? Well, you might be sad to learn the behind-the-scenes process was apparently a bit of a clusterfrag, which kind of describes the usual state of affairs at Marvel as of late, unless this time around nobody seems to be interested in burying the hatchet. Season 1 and 2 showrunner Beau DeMayo, who was fired a while back, is now promising to shine more light on what went down after Marvel and Disney talked of "egregious" findings in August.
Via Deadline, DeMayo now has taken to OnlyFans (yes, really) "to call BS on the Kevin Feige-run Marvel and Bob Iger-led Disney." Buckle up, as this saga might be a long one.
"The rumors being spread around me online are lies, and they are offensive, but more concerning is that they’re a smear campaign designed to discredit my credibility in order to cover up the egregious prejudicial misconduct stretching from select crew members on X-Men ’97, all the way all the way to the top at Marvel Studios," DeMayo declared during a nearly 30-minute answers to recent accusations that was uploaded to his OnlyFans account.
This back-and-forth between the creative, whose credits extend to other shows like Moon Knight and Netflix's The Witcher, and Marvel Studios (with the animation arm now dubbed Marvel Animation) has been the talk of town ever since X-Men '97 season 1 dropped in March to great reviews and fan reception. What could've been another untainted big win for the House of M was soon turned into another battleground, and it's been hard to discuss the craft that went into it without dealing with the noise surrounding DeMayo.
At first, DeMayo suggested he was let go partially because of some LGBTQ art he shared online. Later, rumors swirled at Disney about "photos supposedly sent to X-Men ’97 colleagues and accusations of getting too touchy with people on X-Men ’97." DeMayo is now willing to admit that "personality conflicts happen, especially in creative environments like Hollywood" and that he knows he's "not everyone’s cup of tea." The latter might be true, as he also left a trail of drama behind him after his exit from The Witcher's writer's room.
Deadline's article is a good read that goes on for a while explaining what's happening next and where both teams are sitting at the moment. It's not a good look for anyone involved, and with everything bad that's been plaguing Marvel as of late, it's hard to imagine a scenario in which the company can shut the door on this chapter without receiving more criticism (earned or not) and as easily as it did with the Jonathan Majors situation.
X-Men '97 season 2 is expected to arrive in late 2025 at the earliest. Season 3 is in active development too.