Marvel has reportedly fired X-Men 97's creator just days before the eagerly anticipated animated show's release.
According to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), Beau DeMayo, who was head writer and a producer on the Disney Plus series, has surprisingly parted company with the comic book giant. No reason was given for DeMayo's sudden departure, but TechRadar has reached out to Disney and Marvel for an official comment, and we'll update this article if we receive a response.
The decision to sack DeMayo has raised eyebrows in the Marvel community, not least because X-Men 97 is due to launch on Disney Plus very soon. The animated series, which is a long-overdue sequel to beloved 90s cartoon X-Men: The Animated Series, will debut on the service on Wednesday, March 20. THR claims that DeMayo was preparing to conduct press interviews ahead of its release, had completed work on two seasons (a second X-Men 97 entry hasn't been confirmed yet, but is rumored to be in development), and was even discussing plans for a third installment with his fellow writers. Days before the show's launch, though, DeMayo was abruptly let go by Marvel Studios.
Prominent Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) leaker CanWeGetSomeToast suggests there were problems behind the scenes on X-Men 97's development, but didn't say if this was the sole reason for DeMayo's departure. DeMayo, who regularly interacted with X-Men and MCU fans on instagram, has deleted his social media channels in the wake of his sacking.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for the X-Men's latest animated adventure in the wake of DeMayo's firing, but it isn't the only Marvel Phase 5 project that might be affected by his departure. DeMayo, who also worked on 2022's Moon Knight live-action series for Disney's primary streamer, had contributed to the script for Marvel's Blade movie, which has been trapped in development hell for some time. It's unclear whether any of DeMayo's script treatment for Blade will be retained after he was let go.
New year, same old problems for Marvel
After a year filled with negative press, Marvel Studios had hoped to turn over a new leaf heading into 2024. With a number of big announcements made throughout February, including the reveal of an official release date and trailer for X-Men 97, it appeared that the Disney subsidiary was starting to win back the support it had been losing. After two sizable box-office bombs, a terribly received Disney Plus show in Secret Invasion, and the firing of Kang actor Jonathan Majors among many other issues, Marvel had hoped to put a turbulent 12 months behind it.
Unfortunately, the studio's bad luck has followed it well into the new year. Just three days into 2024, Marvel was engulfed by a new crisis when Invincible star Steven Yeun departed its Thunderbolts movie cast over scheduling conflicts. Yeun was followed by The Bear's Ayo Edebiri, who was set to feature in the same film – one with its own sticky development cycle – but also left its cast due to similar scheduling issues.
Add DeMayo's departure and leaked Daredevil: Born Again footage that teases the potentially huge death of a beloved character to the above, and Marvel's damage limitation team won't be taken off speed dial anytime soon. The release of X-Men 97 on one of the world's best streaming services, and the hotly anticipated arrival of Deadpool and Wolverine in theaters, can't come soon enough for a studio that needs another big win (or two) from somewhere.
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