The writer-producer of “Moon Knight” and “Blade,” in an unprecedented turn of events on the eve of a project’s premiere, has decided not to promote the show any more or continue with future seasons.
Beau DeMayo was having a very busy period at Marvel Studios earlier this month. The writer-producer was getting ready for the premiere of X-Men ’97, the Disney+ series he developed to carry on the legacy of the adored Fox Kids program from the 1990s.
Having finished writing the second season of X-Men ’97, DeMayo—a regular at Marvel who had previously contributed to the live-action series Moon Knight and early drafts of the company’s still-upcoming vampire thriller Blade—was lining up press and preparing to attend the show’s March 13 Hollywood premiere. He was even talking loose with his teammates about possibilities for a third season.
However, Marvel and DeMayo abruptly broke up early last week. The cast and crew were notified that he was no longer working on the film, and his company email was disabled. DeMayo removed his Instagram account, which was formerly a source of X-Men news. The firing had no stated reason.
Marvel remained silent. Representatives for DeMayo did not return calls for comment, and the showrunner’s emails went unanswered.
A startling development occurred on the eve of the show’s March 20 premiere. For Marvel, as for any studio, splitting with writers is a standard aspect of business. Even if they’ve been moved to the side, it is unusual for a top creative on a Marvel production to miss a premiere or abruptly cancel press schedule. At most Marvel premieres, a number of screenwriters, some of whom had their scripts revised by other authors, stroll the red carpet.
November 2021 saw Marvel announce DeMayo’s hiring. There was some excitement surrounding the move because the scribe, who is gay and Black, brought his identity to the project. He also made a point of telling the press that growing up in the South as the adopted son of White parents with a Korean sister made him feel a personal connection to the X-Men characters and their struggles with social acceptance.
His social media absence has been noticeable because he used to be a frequent poster, sharing both shirtless photos of himself at the gym and X-Men anecdotes. He also maintained a non-public Only Fans account for a while, which all contributed to the LGBTQ publication’s inspiration. Heading to call him “the Sexy, Gay” Marvel Showrunner & Writer You Should Know
However, creating the series had occasionally presented a hurdle due of social media. When X-Men ’97 chose Brazilian actor Gui Agustini as Sunspot, DeMayo was accused by fans of whitewashing the character. As a result, DeMayo stated in May 2023 that he would be closing his Twitter account.
The narrative of X-Men ’97 is carried over from X-Men: The Animated Series, which ran from 1992 to 1997 and is recognized for exposing a new generation of kids to the mutant characters and setting the stage for the early 2000s X-Men films. Many of the original show’s voice actors are making a comeback, and the debut trailer’s appeal to nostalgia helped make it the most watched promotional video for a Disney+ animated series.
DeMayo was one of the young viewers who grew up with the program. “Anyone who feels different, we all have a Magneto and a Charles Xavier inside of us,” declared the showrunner in June 2022. Each of us has a portion that wants to destroy everything and a part that wants to find a middle ground and strengthen things. And those comics were a huge help to me in understanding who I am.
