X-Men ’97 creator Beau DeMayo is defending himself after claiming he was fired from Marvel Studios and stripped of Season 2 credits for a gay pride post — a claim denied by the production company.
Months after DeMayo was fired from the show, Marvel Studios released a statement to PEOPLE on Aug. 16 saying the creator and head writer was “fired in March 2024 following an internal investigation.”
“Given the outrageous nature of the revelations, we have immediately cut ties with him and he is no longer affiliated with Marvel,” the statement added.
Diversity and Deadline reported, citing Marvel sources, that DeMayo was also under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct and breached a termination agreement, leading to the removal of his writing credits.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Bryan Freedman, DeMayo’s attorney, said, “Having a lot of experience with Disney, the plan is always the same. Outwardly family-friendly, but secretly trying to plant illegal unconscionable clauses in contracts that hide the truth and stop the employee/customer from exercise of fundamental constitutional rights.”
Image from “X-Men ’97”.
courtesy of Marvel Animation
“As we will explain through detailed examples that we will detail one by one, the Disney model is a very clear and repetitive illegal pattern,” Freedman’s statement said. “Once challenged or exposed, the elucidation and shifting of blame to anyone willing to tell the truth begins through an international well-oiled publicity machine.”
Freedman ended his statement by saying that “Beau DeMayo wants nothing from Marvel/Disney but the truth” and added, “He will boldly tell the truth. So will I. Be prepared.”
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The production company issued a statement shortly after DeMay they claim in a series of posts on Xex-Twitter, on Thursday, August 15, that he was let go from the Disney+ show for the Pride announcement.
“First off, I’m so grateful to have worked on #XMen97, working with some incredibly talented people. Creating this revival has been a dream come true and the support the fans have shown is so touching. However, I felt I had to speak after leaving the show.. .” DeMayo shared next to a picture on X.
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Beau DeMayo attends the special Moon Knight Los Angeles launch event at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, California on March 22, 2022.
Jesse Grant/Getty
“Above is a #XMen fan pic I posted on Instagram for Gay Pride in June. On June 13th, #Marvel sent me a letter informing me that they took credit for Season 2 due to the post. Unfortunately, this is the latest into the troubling pattern I suffered through while working on #XMen97 and #Blade,” his statement read.
“I’ll have more to say soon, but I need to step away from social media to find a safer place to be out there, proud and nerdy. Stay tuned,” he wrote.
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Before DeMayo went offline, he re-shared his series of tweetswriting, “This is their usual Disney-Marvel book. Legal letters as well as other items proving their long-standing pattern to follow. It’s about finding a safe way out. Thanks for your faith and patience.”
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Source: HIS Education