There is a large, nostalgic fanbase that has been waiting breathlessly for the return of the “animated” X-Men. The original “X-Men: The Animated Series” ran from 1992-1997 on Fox’s Fox Kids programming block on Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons. When Disney+ launched it included a mandate for more Marvel Studios programming and that meant that cult revivals like the relatively inexpensive and beloved “X-Men” series were possible. That led to “X-Men ’97,” a continuation of the series (set in the same era) that was the creative vision of creator and head writer, Beau DeMayo. Today, in a move with almost little historical precedence, it was revealed that DeMayo has been fired from his position less than two weeks from its global premiere, and planning for a third season was tentatively in the works.
READ MORE: ‘X-Men ‘97’ Trailer: New revitalized animated series returns March 20 on Disney+
As reported first by THR, DeMayo and Marvel Studios parted ways early last week. His company E-mail was deactivated and members of the cast and crew were told he was no longer part of the project. Moreover, the company did not give a reason for DeMayo’s departure (a common practice with a Human Resources issue). Additionally, all of DeMayo’s social media accounts have been scrubbed which was shocking considering how active he was on both Twitter and Instagram.
This news is breaking a day before “X-Men ’97” is set to premiere at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. DeMayo will obviously, not be attending and it’s now unclear if talent will be talking to the media beforehand.
As an out, gay, black man, DeMayo’s hiring as the visionary for “X-Men ’97” was considered a smart move. The franchise has an inherent and long history chronicling marginalized and minority communities both on screen and in comic books. DeMayo was known for posting lots of tidbits about the X-Men online as well as many shirtless pics. He also ran a free OnlyFans account with non-sexual additional content. This was well-known and never seemed to be an issue. Any speculation on his departure could go in many different directions.
DeMayo was also a Hollywood veteran having written for “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” “The Witcher,” and 23 episodes of The CW cult series, “The Originals.” He was also not new to Marvel Studios having written an episode of “Moon Knight” and been one of the many people to try and fashion a script to get the long-awaited “Blade” revival in front of cameras.
“X-Men ’97” is still set to launch on Disney+ worldwide on March 20.