Beau DeMayo, the former head writer on Marvel’s highly acclaimed animated series “X-Men ’97,” has posted a lengthy statement on social media about Marvel’s live-action “X-Men” attempt.
On The Hot Mic late this past week, co-host Jeff Sneider says, according to his sources, casting is underway on the project, and we could get some announcements relatively soon.
DeMayo then took to X today with a lengthy post explaining why he has no faith in the live-action reboot delivering the goods and claiming Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige resented the success of “X-Men ’97” as fans were “using it as a referendum on what the MCU needs to be doing to fix itself.”
Here’s an excerpt from his posting:
“Under my leadership and vision, my team and I created a project that resonated with the MCU’s core audience in a way that Kevin and his Parliament have so far failed to do in over a decade. Instead of looking at what my team and I did and learning to replicate our focus on canon and deep character work, they smeared me, tactically threatened the crew not to speak out while continuing to still abuse them, and have done everything to act like #xmen97 wasn’t a hit.
Remember, I was told by a TOP exec at Marvel last year that Kevin resented my work and the show because FANS like you were using it as a referendum on how Kevin’s MCU is failing. I was told by several artists on the show that they had wanted to post or include blurbs commending me for my leadership and vision and all I poured into the show, only for Marvel to censor or reprimand them.’
All of this is ego, and the X-men have no room for ego. Their legacy and the investment so many of us made into it is what’s the priority, not making your mark. I have yet to see anything from Kevin and Marvel that shows that they respect how much fans have invested in these characters. Now, will this change? I hope so. “
DeMayo, who also worked on “Blade” at one point and was a supervising producer on “Moon Knight,” was terminated by Marvel in March 2024 following an internal investigation with trade reports alleging misconduct.
The studio issued a statement saying: “Given the egregious nature of the findings, we severed ties with him immediately and he has no further affiliation with Marvel.”
DeMayo was also a staff writer on “The Witcher,” and his comments about other writers on the show expressing disdain for the source material generated major reaction from the franchise’s fan community back in late 2022.
“X-Men ’97” was a hit with audiences and critics, earning Marvel Studios its first perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score and DeMayo an Emmy nomination.
