Five months after Marvel Studios mysteriously fired X-Men ’97 creator Beau DeMayo, he claimed Thursday that he will no longer receive a producing credit on the second season of the hit Disney+ show, which was completed before he left. DeMayo made the claim on social media, saying it was part of a “troubling pattern” he endured while working at Marvel.
Marvel fired back shortly after, saying in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that he was fired following an internal investigation that revealed “damning” findings, and detailed the reasons for his dismissal.
“The photo above is a piece of #XMen fan art I posted to Instagram for Gay Pride in June. On June 13th I received a letter from #Marvel informing me that I was stripped of my Season 2 credits due to this post,” DeMayo posted on X on Thursday, along with an illustration of himself shirtless as the superhero Cyclops.
DeMayo, who spent several years at Marvel working on drafts of the long-planned Blade feature film as well as the Moon Knight TV show, added: “Sadly, this is the latest in a troubling pattern that I experienced during my time working on X-Men 97 and Blade.”
Marvel countered, arguing that DeMeo’s actions were grounds for his termination and stripping of his credits.
“Mr. DeMayo was terminated in March 2024 following an internal investigation,” a Marvel spokesperson said in a statement. “Given the egregious nature of the findings, we immediately severed our relationship with him and he will have no further involvement with Marvel.”
Sources said the two sides reached an agreement regarding DeMayo’s tweeting about the show, which he continued to do from time to time. In light of the pants incident, the season two credits were removed. The reasons for his firing and details of the internal investigation have not been released, but sources said it involved sexual misconduct.
DeMeo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
During his time at Marvel, DeMayo was an avid social media user, sharing X-Men tidbits and shirtless photos, and even running a non-explicit OnlyFans account, which led LGBTQ publication Out to call him “Marvel’s sexy, gay writer and showrunner of choice.”
On the surface, the idea that Marvel would strip DeMayo of his credits over his social media posts may seem implausible, since outside observers have noted the gay pride illustrations are similar to numerous posts he made while employed at Marvel, and fired Marvel executive Victoria Alonso retained credits for projects she previously worked on after leaving the company in 2023. But the internal investigation has revealed a deeper cause.
Despite the bad publicity surrounding DeMeo’s firing, X-Men ’97 was a hit with audiences and critics, becoming Marvel Studios’ first series to achieve a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes and earning DeMeo an Emmy nomination for the episode “Remember It.” Marvel teased a second season at D23, and the studio named Matthew Chauncey as writer for season three after DeMeo’s firing.
DeMayo has remained largely silent about his firing from Marvel until now, but he recently said he tried unsuccessfully to secure an Emmy seat from the studio.
DeMayo concluded his initial X post on Thursday with, “I’ll have more to say soon, but I need to take some time off social media and find a safe space where I can come out, be proud, and be a nerd. Stay tuned.”
However, after this article was first published, he responded to Marvel’s statement, writing, “The truth will come out. After the Disney+ debacle, Marvel is attempting to mislead with an alleged breach of contract in a tweet. It’s tragic that this has happened, but not surprising. Please stay tuned.”
