X-Men ’97 remains one of Marvel Studios’ most critically acclaimed projects and, as we’re sure you’re aware, Beau DeMayo was the man in charge of the Disney+ series.
He was fired shortly before the show’s launch and, several months later, suggested it was because he’d shared some LGBTQ fan art. Marvel Studios quickly fired back and we soon started hearing about alleged inappropriate behaviour and sexual misconduct. Now, DeMayo is locked in a legal battle with Disney, the outcome of which is uncertain.
DeMayo recently shared a 30-minute video on his OnlyFans account – where he posts suggestive, non-nude images – revealing his side of the story…for the low, low price of $9.99. It’s a strange move, especially when one of the allegations laid at his feet was sharing unsolicited photos with other creatives.
He denies all those claims, of course, and we’ve already shared a few insights from the writer (including what led to him parting ways with Marvel Studios over Blade). However, in this feature, you’ll find some more huge revelations from DeMayo.
To check them out, simply click on the “Next”/”View List” buttons below.
5. “Too Much Of A Fanboy”
Despite initially remaining silent on social media, DeMayo soon started taking to X to answer questions about X-Men ’97. Revealing behind-the-scenes secrets and fascinating insights into the show, the creative soon struck up a strong rapport with fans.
Making it clear he’s on their side, the writer now claims he had to fight Marvel Studios executives over his desire to adapt certain storylines from specific comic books rather than creating brand new stories (which is what they supposedly wanted).
Apparently, he was called “uncollaborative, too difficult and too much of a fanboy.” DeMayo added, “They openly resented me fighting for the fans.” In fact, he argues that he was “painted” as “abusive” when he refused to have Jubilee “make gang signs or paint the sky with plasmoids in the shape of middle fingers.”
4. A Toxic Work Environment
We’ve very rarely heard anything bad about life at Marvel Studios, though recent years have seen an increase in complaints from VFX artists faced with tough deadlines and long hours.
According to DeMayo, there were “near criminal working conditions” for VFX and animation artists working on X-Men ’97; he even goes so far as to claim that some people “rapidly [lost] weight [and] [had] mental breakdowns.”
The writer also states he had to notify a producer that “one of our leads is having a potentially exploitative sexual relationship with a PA.” That producer supposedly buried the complaint and “repeatedly” joked to the crew that he’d shown DeMayo’s “thirst traps on Instagram to his underage son, and his kid is wondering, ‘Do they need to buy me shirts for Christmas?'”
3. No Love For Cyclops
One of the weirder declarations in DeMayo’s video is that an artist who worked on X-Men ’97 “repeatedly denounce[d] all men as jerks” and accused the writer of “failing the cause” because he’d kept Cyclops, a male character, as the team’s leader.
It gets stranger because another lead artist on the show is alleged to have told him in a 2021 company barbecue “that her husband felt that I must get a lot of dick based upon how I look.”
This is presumably meant to highlight some of the adverse conditions DeMayo faced as a gay, Black man working at Marvel Studios. However, we’re sure you’ll all have different opinions on how serious what he’s talking about here actually is.
2. “A Hot Button Issue”
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige got his start in Hollywood working on 20th Century Fox’s X-Men movies. In those, Bryan Singer used being a mutant as an allegory for homosexuality, an approach which made those first two instalments groundbreaking in the early 2000s.
Now, though, DeMayo insists the culture at Marvel Studios is vastly different. When he suggested contacting producers of RuPaul’s Drag Race to help promote X-Men ’97, the showrunner claims to have been told “by Marvel that they wouldn’t want to alienate certain audiences.”
In fact, Marvel Studios’ PR department is said to have listed “homosexuality as a hot-button issue to avoid alongside school shootings, the Gaza conflict and abortion.”
1. Disney’s Alleged Retaliation
It’s important to note that Marvel Studios has not responded to any of DeMayo’s claims as we write this. They are just allegations at this time and his side of the story; that’s something worth bearing in mind. Whether the full truth is ever revealed remains to be seen.
Elaborating on the “breaches” in his exit agreement that cost him his season 2 credit on X-Men ’97 season 2, DeMayo says those included posting fan art, speaking at a screening in a bar, talking about specific cast and crew members, and explaining how the massacre at the LGBTQ nightclub Pulse in 2016 inspired that critically acclaimed Genosha episode.
The writer also believes Disney blacklisted him from “third party, non-Disney Comic-Con panels” and ensured he would be unable to attend the Emmys where X-Men ’97 is nominated for Best Animated Series.
The whole situation is pretty complicated and likely to only become more messy in the weeks and months ahead…
h/t Variety
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