The Marvel Cinematic Universe is vast, but when it comes to employee conduct, executives spare no time cutting ties with writers and actors embroiled in scandal. We saw this as Jonathan Majors was fired from playing Kang the Conqueror amid his domestic violence investigation and, more recently, with X-Men ’97 creator Beau DeMayo.
A lot has transpired via social media since the 41-year-old’s business relationship with Marvel and Disney turned sour in March. While DeMayo’s attorney accuses the film companies of “gaslighting” him, insiders tell Variety that evidence of sexual misconduct led to the writer’s departure from X-Men ’97. Keep reading for everything we know so far about Beau DeMayo’s ongoing feud with his former employers.
March 2024: Beau DeMayo ‘Parts Ways’ With Marvel and ‘X-Men ‘97’
Not long before the Mar. 20 release date of X-Men ’97, it was revealed that DeMayo would “no longer be promoting the show or moving forward with future seasons.” His company email was shut down at the start of the month, and the cast/crew were notified he would no longer be involved. As season one premiered, DeMayo had reportedly finished writing a second season and was preparing his ideas for a third.
Marvel Animation’s Brad Winderbaum addressed these rumors in a conversation with Entertainment Weekly. “I can’t talk about the details,” he said, “but I can say that Beau had real respect and passion for these characters. [He] wrote what I think are excellent scripts that really the rest of the team were able to draw inspiration from [to] build this amazing show that’s on screen.” Winderbaum was reluctant to label DeMayo’s exit as a firing, instead, he describes it as “parting ways.” For his part, DeMayo temporarily deactivated Instagram while headlines about his OnlyFans account circulated.
June 2024: Writer Calls Out Disney’s ‘Troubling Patterns’
By June, the drama between Beau DeMayo and Disney was reignited as he announced he was being stripped of writing credits for season two of X-Men ’97. The Afro-Brazillian shared that the decision was related to a gay pride post on his IG, depicting himself as a member of the X-Men team. “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 wrote in a statement on X.
“On June 13, Marvel sent a letter notifying me that they’d stripped my season two credits due to the post. Sadly, this is the latest in a troubling pattern I suffered through while working on ‘X-Men ’97′ and ‘Blade’. I’ll have more to say soon but must take a step back from social media to find a safer space for me to be out, proud and nerdy. Stay tuned,” he promised his followers.
August 2024: Marvel Studios Denies DeMayo’s Allegations
It would be several weeks before an update came in the saga, but by mid-August, Marvel Studios issued an official response to DeMayo’s allegations. “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 company said. According to Variety, “A source with knowledge of the investigation said evidence was discovered of sexual misconduct, and that DeMayo repeatedly violated his termination agreement, which led to the removal of his credits for season two.”
Though he had returned from his hiatus in June, the superhero fanatic announced another social media break as accusations came rolling in. Before disappearing, he responded to Variety on X, writing, “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.” In another post, DeMayo added, “This is their Disney-Marvel’s usual playbook. Legal letters as well as other items to prove their long-standing pattern to follow. It’s about finding a safe outlet. Thanks for your faith and patience.”
As X-Men ’97 fans wait for more details (and new episodes) of the show, blogger Jeff Sneider has shared some updates on The InSneider. First, he points out that DeMayo was previously fired from Netflix’s The Witcher over similar allegations; according to Sneider, some due diligence from Winderbaum in the hiring process might’ve prevented this situation. Elsewhere, the report accuses DeMayo of “sending nude photos of himself – at the very least, photos of himself in various states of undress – to several young male staffers.”
“Some of these photos allegedly featured DeMayo wearing superhero costumes and striking sexually suggestive ‘hero’ poses that could be used as ‘inspiration’ for the show. DeMayo was asked to stop sending such photos but I’m told that he persisted nonetheless,” Sneider alleges. He also reports that Beau DeMayo will keep his writing credit on season two of X-Men ’97, but will no longer be an executive producer of the animated show.
