Beau DeMayo, the writer who created X-Men ’97 for Disney+, says colleagues at Marvel Studios Animation treated him as a diversity hire despite his qualifications, and he disclosed the treatment nearly two years after the company fired him.
DeMayo built and ran the first season of the animated revival, a continuation of the 1990s X-Men series that drew strong reviews and heavy viewership within days of its March 2024 premiere. Marvel renewed the show for a second season before that premiere even happened. Sixteen days later, the studio dismissed him, citing an internal investigation into what it called egregious findings. Marvel has not detailed those findings publicly, though sources close to the company have pointed to allegations of sexual misconduct.
Speaking with Vanity Fair, DeMayo, who is Black and openly queer, described colleagues questioning his fitness for the job through comments like “you don’t look like a showrunner.” He said the remarks left him certain that some staff viewed his hiring as a box-checking exercise rather than a merit-based decision. “There was that vibe that I was the DEI hire,” he said, adding that he thought he had entered a supportive workplace and quickly learned otherwise.
DeMayo also addressed the OnlyFans account that surfaced in coverage of his firing, saying Marvel cleared the account early in his tenure as long as he kept it separate from the show. He described the hostility intensifying after he returned from rewriting Marvel’s stalled Blade reboot, starring Mahershala Ali, and said the racist and homophobic undertones he had already sensed grew sharper.
Marvel stripped his Season 2 writing credits later in 2024, a move DeMayo tied to a social media post supporting Pride Month. The studio has said his termination followed proper process and that he has no remaining ties to the company. DeMayo sued in September 2024 to void a non-disparagement clause he says Disney pressured him into signing; the case is set for trial in July 2027. He remains credited as creator and executive producer on Season 2, which began streaming July 1, while writer Matthew Chauncey has taken over as head writer for an already greenlit third season.
