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X-Men '97 Creator Beau DeMayo Claims Marvel Fired Him for Posting Gay Fan Art, Marvel Responds

Entertainment News | TV & Film

The Emmy nominated series "X-Men '97" found itself in the midst of controversy this year after the abrupt firing of Beau DeMayo who was released a mere 8 days before the premiere of the show on Disney+. (Here's What We Know So Far)


Fans have been speculating ever since about the possible cause of the firing, which Brad Winderbaum, Head of Marvel Animation, said "We parted ways." Neither Marvel nor DeMayo has made any comment regarding the separation. DeMayo was first brought on by Marvel in November of 2020 after having previously worked on the writing staff for another Disney+ show "MoonKnight," and a draft for the upcoming "Blade" movie.



Before his separation DeMayo's profile was on the rise and he was featured in "Out Magazine" in an article titled "Meet Beau DeMayo, the Sexy, Gay Marvel Writer & Showrunner to Know." So what happened?


Well six days ago on August 15, 2024 DeMayo released a statement on his twitter (X) profile showcasing a fan art made drawing of him as a shirtless version of the X-Men character Cyclops in a yellow speedo and said "Firstly, I’m so grateful to have worked on #XMen97, collaborating with some amazingly talented folks. 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…Above is #XMen fan-art I posted on Instagram for Gay Pride in June.


"On June 13, #Marvel sent a letter notifying me that they’d stripped my Season 2 credits due to the post. Sadly, this is the latest in a troubling pattern I suffered through while on working on #XMen97 and #Blade. Above is #XMen fan-art I posted on Instagram for Gay Pride in June. On June 13, #Marvel sent a letter notifying me that they’d stripped my Season 2 credits due to the post. Sadly, this is the latest in a troubling pattern I suffered through while on working on #XMen97 and #Blade."



This is the first time DeMayo has spoken on anything regarding his firing despite being pretty active on Twitter (X) about the behind the scenes making of the show. Marvel have seen been trying to distance themselves from DeMayo by praising his work on Season 1, but not referencing him in the behind the scene featurette that is currently on Disney+. And with the shows recent Emmy nomination they did not reach out to DeMayo to extend an invitation, which is what allegedly promoted DeMayo to finally speak out.


However, his post only references why he was removed from Season 2's writing credits and not why he was officially let go from Season 1. Despite that, his statement promoted Marvel to release a statement shortly after to The Hollywood Reporter:


“Mr. DeMayo was terminated in March 2024 following an internal investigation,” said a Marvel spokesperson in a statement. “Given the egregious nature of the findings, we severed ties with him immediately, and he has no further affiliation with Marvel.”


Prior to these statements many have been speculating as to why DeMayo was released as rumors circulating that it may have been because he had a non explicit OnlyFans account, there were also rumors that he was difficult to work with, but this is Marvel's first official statement that it was his "egregious" behavior that caused his firing.



In that same Hollywood Report article it says that DeMayo and Marvel reached an agreement where it reads: "Sources say that following his exit, an agreement was reached between the two parties over the issue of tweeting about the show, something that DeMayo had continue to occasionally do. In light of the breeches, his credit for season two was removed. While no details of the cause of the termination or the internal reviews have surfaced, sources say it involved sexual misconduct."


DeMayo then followed Disney's statement by saying on Twitter (X) "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."



The next day on August 16, DeMayo's attorney, Bryan Freedman, released a statement saying "Having much experience with Disney, the playbook is always the same. Family friendly on the outside, but secretly attempting to plant illegal unconscionable items in the contracts that silence the truth and stop the employee/customer from asserting basic constitutional rights."


Freedman then goes on to say, "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."


Also during that time Hollywood scooper Jeff Schneider said, "Beau DeMayo allegedly sent nude photos of himself in sexually suggestive 'hero' poses to several young male staffers working on X-Men 97 saying they could be used as 'inspiration.' DeMayo was asked to stop sending such photos but continued to do so."


Keep in mind these statements from Scneider are unconfirmed, but what he is reporting is in line with Marvel's Hollywood Reporter statement of him being fired for sexual misconduct.



DeMayo's lawyer did release a statement denying the charges saying, "No one who reported Beau to HR received an inappropriate photo or video. That is simply untrue. As a proud gay black man, Disney knew exactly who he was and what he stood up for. That's why they did not tell him to stop his OnlyFans page. They let him be himself which allowed his creativity to thrive. When they objected to his free speech rights and not complying with illegal NDA's a certain person over there tried to replace him because he was becoming more successful than other creators. Ask Disney if his separation agreement illegally silence him. Let me know what they say. Don't print this crap (referring to sexual misconduct allegations). It's wrong and defamatory."


That is all we know for now and despite DeMayo's claim Marvel executives are emphasizing his removal had nothing to do with the fan art DeMayo posted. The situation has cast a shadow over the revival of the beloved animation series and Marvel has already announced Matthew Chauncey as the new showrunner for X-Men 97. Despite this, the first season of X-Men 97 continue to remain a flagship success for Disney+, but the fallout from this dispute continues to generate a lot of buzz. The story is still developing.



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