Former X-Men ’97 showrunner Beau DeMayo has responded to allegations of misconduct while alleging poor working conditions at Marvel.
According to Deadline, DeMayo said the “allegations of egregious misconduct” against him “are false.” He went on to claim that Marvel has a “toxic environment” and “near criminal working conditions.” He alleges these conditions “[turn] individuals against one another” and “[stoke] paranoid to ensure compliance.”
“The rumors being spread around me online are lies,” DeMayo said, “and they are offensive, but more concerning is that they’re a smear campaign designed to discredit my credibility in order to cover up the egregious prejudicial misconduct stretching from select crew members on X-Men ’97, all the way all the way to the top at Marvel Studios.”
Although DeMayo did note that personality conflicts happen, and do happen, in creative industries, he asserted his firing was due to him “being gay, Black and open about it at Marvel Studios.” He also says that, following a conversation with HR, he “no longer felt safe at the studio as a gay Black man.”
Additionally, DeMayo’s lawyer is lobbying to have the LA Superior Court remove a non-disparagement provision from the showrunner’s exit package, saying, “Marvel knowingly incorporated an illegal non-disparagement provision designed to muzzle an openly gay Black man and restrict his statutory rights.” DeMayo, for his part, has said that he has “receipts” and “eyewitnesses” that will attest to his side of events.
Earlier this year, DeMayo was let go from Marvel Studios. Initially, it wasn’t clear what happened. However, at the time, DeMayo had already finalized scripts for the second season of X-Men ’97, with progress having already been made on Season 3. Scooper Jeff Sneider went on to claim that DeMayo was fired due to difficulties working with him and behind-the-scenes drama. DeMayo’s OnlyFans account, which does not contain explicit content, is also said to have influenced Marvel’s decision to part ways with him.
DeMayo went on to claim that a racy image of Scott Summers/Cyclops that he shared to Instagram resulted in Marvel removing him. In response, Marvel said DeMayo “was terminated in March 2024 following an internal investigation.” The results of that investigation resulted in findings of an “egregious” nature that resulted in the studio severing ties and removing his credits for X-Men ’97 Season 2.
DeMayo in his lawyer are also seeking the return of “his bonus and writing credits” following his removal from X-Men ’97.