Why was the creator of X-Men 97 fired? He and Disney issue new statements

This week, X-Men 97 creator Beau De Mayo lamented that he was not invited to the Emmys by Disney, even though his show was nominated there. Now, he and Disney are giving different accounts of why he was fired and had his Season 2 credits pulled.

Disney issued the following statement about De Mayo’s firing, offering few specifics but suggesting it was for something significant in terms of his behavior:

“Mr. DeMayo was terminated in March 2024 following an internal investigation. Given the egregious nature of the findings, we immediately cut ties with him and he no longer has any affiliation with Marvel.”

Both THR and Variety separately report that he had something to do with sexual misconduct, and that he also violated his termination agreement, which resulted in his credits being pulled from Season 2. De Mayo did not could not be reached for comment and said he was taking a break from social media.

But before he left, he gave a much different account, claiming it was because of a tweet he made about art depicting himself as a Cyclops wearing vitezo, which he posted for Pride month, which made him take his Season 2 credit:

“Above is the #XMen fan art I posted on Instagram for Gay Pride in June. On June 13th, #Marvel sent a letter letting me know they pulled my season 2 credits due to the post. Unfortunately, this is just the latest in a troubling pattern I’ve suffered through while working on #XMen97 and #Blade.

I’ll have more to say soon, but I need to take a step back from social media to find a safer space to be out and proud and nerdy. Stay tuned.”

Notably, he didn’t directly address the actual reason for the firing, just the piece of art that led to his Season 2 credits being removed and a “disturbing pattern” while working for Marvel. He then suggested that more would come later:

“The truth will be revealed. After their Disney Plus debacle, Marvel wants to mislead with alleged contract violations due to tweets. It is tragic that it has come to this, but it is not surprising. Stay tuned.”

This is their usual Disney-Marvel game. Legal letters as well as other articles to prove the long lasting model to follow. It’s about finding a safe outlet. Thank you for your faith and patience.”

The abrupt and total nature of De Mayo’s firing right before the show premiered, plus the fact that he was given the go-ahead to work on Season 2 always implied that something significant happened here, and that’s what Disney is pointing to. A long-standing theory that he had De Mayo having an OnlyFans, also non-explicit, doesn’t seem to be part of Disney’s explanation.

So you have two statements that couldn’t be more different. De Mayo does not offer a clear explanation for his dismissal, saying only that he lost his credits due to an art post. Disney claims it was an internal investigation that led to an “obvious” finding that led to his sudden firing. We’ll really see more substance come out about this from both sides, but this is the most information we’ve had so far.

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