Marvel's X-Men '97 Series Has Fired Its Creator A Week Before Its Premiere

As Marlin the fish once famously put it in "Finding Nemo" when confronted by an unexpected turn for the worse, "Good feelings gone."

Marvel's upcoming animated show "X-Men '97" has come with nothing but good vibes since its announcement, bringing a fresh dose of nostalgia to many a Marvel fan of my generation. I speak for most of us when I say we practically grew up on the original "X-Men" cartoon and developed a Pavlovian response to that absurdly catchy theme song, and the marketing for the revival series has certainly leaned hard into the '90s of it all. Today, however, brings a sobering bit of news on the eve of the project's debut.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, creator, producer, and writer Beau DeMayo has been abruptly fired and will no longer take part in promotion for the series or take a creative role in any future seasons. The report notes that he had already finished work on season 2, informally bandied ideas around for a potential third season, and was even scheduled to attend the Hollywood premiere of "X-Men '97" taking place tomorrow. Additionally, DeMayo was a veteran of a number of other high-profile Marvel productions in recent years (including both "Moon Knight" and the planned "Blade" reboot starring Mahershala Ali), making him someone whom the studio clearly had a close working relationship with. All of these factors only make his sudden departure from "X-Men '97" all the more eyebrow-raising.

Neither Marvel nor DeMayo's camp offered any comment on the development, but you can read more details on the shocker below.

There's "trouble in paradise" and then there's ... this. Whatever happened behind the scenes between Marvel and "X-Men '97" creator Beau DeMayo, it can't be good. There doesn't seem to be much industry precedent for a firing on such short notice quite like this one, which suggests something much more serious than simple creative differences or even the recent upheaval seen in projects like "Blade" or other Marvel Cinematic Universe productions. But there's absolutely no sense speculating recklessly about what could've gone down that led to such an unexpected turn of events.

What we do know, however, is that THR reports that this parting of ways occurred sometime last week, leading to the deactivation of DeMayo's company email account, an announcement sent to the cast and crew acknowledging his exit, and even the deletion of his Instagram account, which he had previously used to provide constant updates on the production. No official reason has been provided as to his firing, nor is there any word on creatives who may replace him moving forward. Frankly, there's a chance we may never get the full story. Whatever the case may be, it's not likely that such a major studio would make a decision like this lightly. This post will be updated following any further information.

"X-Men '97" is still scheduled to debut on Disney+ on March 20, 2024.