Marvel issues statement on X-Men '97 showrunner's firing and "egregious" findings of internal investigation

Marvel has addressed X-Men '97 showrunner Beau DeMayo's firing in a new statement. 

DeMayo and Marvel parted ways just one week before the animated show released on Disney Plus, with no reason given by either party for the split. 

"Above is #XMen fan-art I posted on Instagram for Gay Pride in June. On June 13, #Marvel sent a letter notifying me that they’d stripped my Season 2 credits due to the post. Sadly, this is the latest in a troubling pattern I suffered through while on working on #XMen97 and #Blade," DeMayo wrote recently on Twitter. 

Marvel responded in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "Mr. DeMayo was terminated in March 2024 following an internal investigation," a Marvel spokesperson told the publication. "Given the egregious nature of the findings, we severed ties with him immediately, and he has no further affiliation with Marvel." 

DeMayo wrote on Twitter: "The truth will be revealed. After their Disney Plus disaster, Marvel wants to mislead with alleged contract breaches over tweets. It's tragic it's come to this but unsurprising. Stay tuned."

He added: "This is their Disney-Marvel's usual playbook. Legal letters as well as other items to prove their long-standing pattern to follow. It's about finding a safe outlet. Thanks for your faith and patience."

X-Men '97 is returning for both season 2 and 3, with Matthew Chancey, writer and producer on What If, penning the third season. 

"It's still an animatic phase. Animation takes so long to make as I'm sure you know. There was a great bit about this in Invincible season 2," Marvel streaming boss Brad Winderbaum said recently of X-Men '97 season 2. "They just nailed it so hard, it is the greatest. And it takes a long time. Because the studio wants to see how successful the first season is before they greenlight the second season there's a lag. We were lucky enough to get the greenlight before we aired so there's maybe less of a lag. People are just going to have to be patient with us."