Marvel Studios released an official statement announcing that Beau DeMayo, creator and head writer of “X-Men ’97,” was fired from the series in March 2024 due to “gross” misconduct.
The studio released the statement shortly after DeMayo posted on multiple social media accounts claiming that he had been stripped of his writing credit on the show’s second season due to gay pride posts he shared on social media.
“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 have immediately severed our relationship with him and he will have no further involvement with Marvel.”
On Thursday night, DeMayo posted what appeared to be a photo of himself shirtless and dressed as the mutant superhero Cyclops. “First off, I’m so thrilled to have collaborated with such incredible talent to work on #XMen97,” he wrote. “Making this revival has been a dream come true and the support fans have shown me has been truly moving. However, after leaving the show, I felt I needed to speak out.”
“The image above is a piece of #XMen fan art I posted to Instagram for Gay Pride in June,” he continued. “On June 13th I received a letter from #Marvel informing me that I had been stripped of my Season 2 credits due to this post. Sadly, this is the latest in a pattern of troubling experiences I have experienced during the production of #XMen97 and #Blade.”
Late Thursday night, DeMayo posted a response to Marvel’s statement on social media, linking to the article: “The truth will come out. After the Disney+ debacle, Marvel is trying to mislead with tweets about alleged contract violations. It’s tragic that this has happened, but not surprising. Stay tuned.”
DeMayo was fired in March 2024, prior to the series’ premiere on Disney+. He had completed work on seasons one and two of the animated show before leaving. DeMayo also wrote for the Marvel and Disney+ series “Moon Knight,” and was one of several writers on the studio’s long-in-the-making feature film “Blade,” starring Mahershala Ali.
“X-Men ’97” debuted with some of the best reviews Marvel’s streaming programming has ever received, garnering praise for its bold storytelling and complex characterization as an animated series. Ahead of the premiere, executive producer and Marvel Animation chief Brad Winderbaum told Variety that DeMeo “has done an incredible job writing the first and second seasons, and we can’t wait for fans to see the series.”
The show was nominated for a Primetime Creative Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Animated Program, but on August 12, DeMayo tweeted that the studio had “not reached out to me about attending the Emmys for a show I created.”
During the first season, DeMayo regularly posted lengthy statements on X about specific episodes or storylines. Prior to his firing, he also ran a non-explicit OnlyFans account under the username “Beaunlyfans.” In 2022, Out magazine called DeMayo “the sexy gay Marvel showrunner you need to know.”
Variety has reached out to DeMeo for further comment.
