Topline
Beau DeMayo, the creator of the animated Disney+ series “X-Men ’97,” is in a heated disagreement online with Marvel after the studio rejected his claims he was fired from his show for sharing a post in support of gay pride on social media.
Beau DeMayo speaks onstage at the Marvel Studios animation panel on July 22, 2022 in San Diego, … [+]
Key Facts
DeMayo, who was the head writer and executive producer on “X-Men ’97” in its first season, earlier this week claimed his credits were removed from the second season of the show after he shared a piece of X-Men fan art on Instagram in support of Pride month in June.
DeMayo said Marvel cited the post in a letter notifying him his credits would not appear, and called the incident the “latest in a troubled pattern he suffered through” while working for the studio.
Hours later, however, Disney responded and called DeMayo’s claims completely false, saying in a statement to Forbes that DeMayo was actually fired from Marvel back in March after an internal investigation revealed “egregious” findings.
Marvel said it immediately “severed ties” with DeMayo, representatives for whom did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment Friday.
After Marvel’s statement, DeMayo posted again to X, formerly known as Twitter, saying the “truth will be revealed” and accusing Marvel of incorrectly claiming a breach of contract amid their dispute, equating it to a recent case involving a Disney+ contract and a wrongful death lawsuit.
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Key Background
The first season of “X-Men ’97,” which revisits the iconic mutants of the 1990s comics, was released in March 2024 and was the second animated Marvel show to be released on Disney+. DeMayo played a key role in the creation of the show and also worked on Blade, an upcoming Marvel film set to be released next year. Before he split from the studio, DeMayo had already finished writing the second season of “X-Men ’97,” according to Deadline.
Tangent
DeMayo’s reference to a “Disney Plus disaster” in his most recent statement is referring to an ongoing lawsuit between Disney and plaintiff Jeffrey Piccolo, whose wife died of an allergic reaction after eating at a Disney World restaurant. Piccolo sued Disney for wrongful death, claiming he and his wife made her allergy known to restaurant workers who promised her food was safe to eat. In response, Disney says Piccolo is not able to sue the company because he agreed to never pursue legal action against Disney when he agreed to the terms of service required to sign up for a Disney+ subscription years earlier. The claim has sparked a fierce debate over the limits and use of contract law, and the suit is ongoing.
Further Reading
Mary Roeloffs is a Forbes reporter who covers breaking news with a frequent focus on the entertainment industry, streaming, sports news, publishing, pop culture and climate change. She joined Forbes in 2023 and lives in Dallas. She’s covered Netflix’s hottest documentaries, a surge of assaults reported on social media, the most popular books of the year and how climate change stands to impact the way we eat. Roeloffs was included on Editor & Publisher Magazine’s “ 25 Under 30” list in 2023 and worked covering local news in the greater Boston area from 2017 to 2023. She graduated with a double major in political science and journalism from Northeastern University. Follow Roeloffs for continued coverage of streaming wars, pop culture news and trending topics.
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