Original “X-Men ’97” showrunner Beau DeMayo told Vanity Fair following his firing from that Disney+ animated series that he was made to feel like a “DEI hire” by his Marvel colleagues during his time working with the studio.
DeMayo created and oversaw the first season of “X-Men ’97,” Marvel’s revival of the 1990s animated “X-Men” series, which premiered in 2024 to rave reviews and millions of views within just its first few days on Disney+. He had already finished writing “X-Men ’97” Season 2 by the time the show’s first episodes premiered.
Nonetheless, just 16 days after “X-Men ’97” debuted on March 20, 2024, DeMayo was fired by Disney, following an “internal investigation” by the company that allegedly revealed “egregious” evidence of sexual misconduct.
In September 2024, DeMayo vehemently denied findings of such nature against him, claiming in a video that his firing was done as part of a “smear campaign designed to discredit my credibility in order to cover up egregious prejudicial misconduct stretching from select crew members on ‘X-Men ’97,’ all the way to the top at Marvel Studios.” He additionally accused Marvel of fostering a “toxic environment” characterized by “near criminal working conditions.”
VF reportedly spoke with DeMayo multiple times after his firing, in conversations with one of his attorneys present. During those conversations, DeMayo, who is Black and openly queer, said he felt belittled by his “X-Men ’97” colleagues during the making of the animated series, claiming that they would say things like, “Oh, you don’t look like a showrunner,” or, “You don’t look like a writer.”
“There was that vibe that I was the DEI hire, where, ‘Oh, they just got a gay Black guy because he checks all the marks and it’s X-Men,’” DeMayo alleged.
“It’s been very traumatic,” he added. “I thought I was in a safe space, and then quickly found out that I was not in a safe space.”
DeMayo went on to tell Vanity Fair that he was “very honest” with Marvel from the beginning of his hiring process about his social media accounts, which include numerous thirst traps and an OnlyFans account, the content of which became progressively more explicit for a time in the wake of his firing.
“It was cleared,” DeMayo insisted. “It was like, ‘It is your personal life. As long as you’re not advertising the show on your OnlyFans, as long as you’re keeping it very separate from the content of the show, it’s outside of their purview.’”
Following his work on “X-Men ’97,” DeMayo was reportedly brought on to help Marvel rework its script for its stalled, Mahershala Ali-led “Blade” film. During his time working on that project, DeMayo alleged that he “bore witness to and endured rampant discriminatory and harassing conduct.” After that experience, DeMayo told Vanity Fair, “Some of those racist, sexist, homophobic vibes that I was getting before ‘Blade’ became much more explicit.”
In September 2024, DeMayo sued Marvel, seeking relief from a non-disparagement clause that he argues the company coerced him into signing. His case against Marvel is currently scheduled to go to trial in July 2027. He is still credited on “X-Men ’97” Season 2, which premiered Wednesday on Disney+, as the show’s creator, executive producer and one of its writers.
Matthew Chauncey was hired in July 2024 to replace DeMayo as the series’ head writer for its third season, which has already been greenlit.
Upon his firing, Marvel issued the following statement: “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.”
TheWrap has reached out to Marvel for further comment.
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