X-Men ’97 Showrunner Addresses Disney’s Claims in Video Statement

In the previous year, I found myself deeply appreciating Beau DeMayo’s work as the showrunner for X-Men ’97. However, unfortunate events unfolded when Disney and Marvel parted ways with him following an internal investigation. They announced that his termination was due to the seriousness of the findings from this investigation.

DeMayo has occasionally addressed these allegations on social media, but today he shared a more comprehensive and detailed account on YouTube. This statement covers his time working on X-Men ’97 as well as his contributions to the Blade film. Below, you’ll find some highlights from the video, and for a complete understanding, I recommend watching the full video here.

I consider the accusations against me as grave and I treat them accordingly. To do so effectively, I spent some time recently with my legal team discussing our response strategy. However, what mattered most to me during this period was being with those dear to me, confirming to them – as I will now assure you – that the charges of severe misconduct are untrue.” – DeMayo

He went on, “The stories circulating about me online are false and harmful, but what’s even more worrying is that a smear campaign could be orchestrated to undermine my reputation. This campaign allegedly targets not only me, but extends from certain crew members on X-Men ’97, reaching as high as Marvel Studios’ top brass. They aren’t just trying to tarnish my name through misleading press releases and coordinated leaks, but also bot attacks, anonymous tips to tabloid sites, and podcasts.

In an account DeMayo shared, he mentioned that when he accepted the job with the X-Men team, they emphasized valuing his unique perspective as a queer, Black man. He made it clear that he wouldn’t serve as a mere endorsement for the project. Instead, it was decided that due to the X-Men’s themes and his experience, as well as the enthusiasm surrounding his proposal, he would oversee every aspect and phase of production.

1997’s X-Men series was eagerly awaited as the follow-up to Fox’s ’90s television show, X-Men: The Animated Series. This program played a crucial role in introducing countless viewers to these cherished characters, long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe came into being. Many filmmakers looked to this series as a model for crafting stories around MCU characters. The announcement of a sequel series generated immense excitement for Disney and Marvel.

Audience members were taken aback when they learned that DeMayo was let go prior to the show’s debut, and things became even more puzzling as the series went on to garner praise. Disney and Marvel didn’t reveal much about the matter, but DeMayo hinted he would eventually speak out about the situation.

In this scenario, DeMayo expresses that he expected Marvel Studios to shield him from prejudice due to his unique background and leadership role. This was crucial to him because it’s frequently the case for minority leaders to face skepticism and have their qualifications scrutinized by both higher-ups and subordinates. Instead, DeMayo claims that Marvel chose to ignore these issues as some of its executives and crew members exploited his identity to discredit him. They fostered an uncomfortable environment where people felt empowered to employ harmful stereotypes for years, labeling him as aggressive, emotional, flamboyant, dramatic, a pervert, and intimidating.

DeMayo stated, “When I pointed out certain issues, they countered by criticizing my abilities and labeling me as a fanatic. They openly resented me advocating for fans and comic books. They accused me of merely imitating the comics, and these individuals repeatedly suggested that we should create our own X-Men stories instead of adapting those written by previous authors, who I believe they were implying were predominantly white men like Stan Lee and Chris Claremont. In response, I calmly tried to explain that fans don’t want our version of the X-Men; they want the characters they’ve cherished for years to be accurately portrayed on screen.

Following some social media posts by DeMayo hinting at a deeper truth, a Marvel spokesperson released a statement saying that DeMayo was let go in March 2024 after an internal probe. Due to the seriousness of the findings, ties with him were cut off promptly, and he no longer has any connection to Marvel.

In response, these people would try to undermine me and my work, portraying me as abusive when I refused to make drastic changes to the characters. Specifically, this included refusing to have Jubilee shoot plasma from her mouth, make gang signs, or create sky art with plasmoids in the shape of middle fingers. What made it even more painful was that, while I was advocating for what I believed fans and viewers wanted, I was labeled as uncooperative. Difficult. Too much of a comic book fanatic. One executive’s favorite phrase to throw at me was, “Beau, you need to learn to switch off your comic book collector mindset.” They treated me as if I were a child who needed to be reprimanded, even though I was drawing on over four decades of experience dealing with similar ignorance. Having endured traumas that they can barely fathom, let alone empathize or sympathize with, this was especially hurtful. (DeMayo)

In simple terms, I believe what I observed during my time at Marvel was far from right and unacceptable. It is inappropriate for a crew producer to explain away his actions as being due to his race when his boss raises concerns about his behavior, as happened on January 9th of this year with the statement ‘this has Jack to do with me being white.’ It is also unacceptable for that same producer to repeatedly make light of sharing inappropriate content from my Instagram account with his underage son and joke about it. Furthermore, it is wrong for this producer to ignore a report I made about one of our leads engaging in a potentially exploitative sexual relationship with a PA, then inform the individual I reported about my actions so they can work together to undermine me.” (DeMayo stated.)

It’s not right for Marvel executives to react dismissively when I express concerns about being bullied and discriminated against due to my identity, telling me to tough it out because these individuals are exceptionally gifted. It’s inappropriate for an artist on the show to continually label all men as jerks and accuse me of betraying the cause for keeping a jerk like Cyclops in a leadership role. It’s not acceptable to question my intelligence because I don’t physically resemble a typical writer, or to discuss my body shape using inappropriate terms. It’s wrong for Marvel management to boast about their achievements while providing me with feedback on a Blade script, a group of white men laughing as they comment, ‘Look at us, we hired a young Wesley Snipes to write the new Blade movie,’ and one reason I wanted to make this video is so you can see that Wesley Snipes and I bear no resemblance.

It was incorrect when I proposed reaching out to RuPaul’s Drag Race in February for a promotional opportunity, only to be told by Marvel that they wouldn’t want to offend certain groups by associating with a queer franchise. It is wrong for their public relations department to categorize homosexuality as a sensitive topic alongside issues like school shootings, the Gaza conflict, and abortion. It is also wrong for Marvel executives to prioritize unprofessional relationships with artists based on their identities, excluding others from the creative process. Furthermore, it was inappropriate for these same individuals to dismiss an interracial relationship between two characters as strange or fit for adult content, while not raising similar concerns about racier scenes involving white characters. Interestingly, these ‘Anonymous Scoops’ often use the term ‘creepy,’ which I heard frequently from these individuals. According to DeMayo, this term was used multiple times by them.

In summary, the final incident that pushed me over the edge was when I moved to Atlanta for the ‘Blade’ project and noticed others being treated similarly. I was told that strict discipline was necessary there. This strict discipline, in the context of Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, which were once barracks during the Civil War, felt particularly harsh. After experiencing this and other unspecified instances I can’t discuss yet on ‘Blade’, I expressed my concerns to Marvel on September 6, 2022, hoping to collaborate with them to improve. Instead, I was unexpectedly removed from the project while relocating to Atlanta for production, and subsequently, my role in Season 2 of ‘X-Men ’97’ was significantly reduced, despite my strong performance in Season 1. This is according to DeMayo’s statement.

In the video, you’ll find the complete statement. We promise to keep you updated if there’s a response from Disney or Marvel.

2025-02-08 04:41

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