Earlier today, we shared comments from former X-Men '97 Head Writer Beau DeMayo in which he strongly hinted that homophobia might have been the reason for his dismissal from the critically acclaimed Disney+ series.
Alluding to continued issues he'd encountered behind the scenes, DeMayo claimed he'd been stripped of his season 2 credits mere days after posing some Gay Pride Month fan art of himself in a skimpy, but largely harmless, Cyclops costume.
Now, Marvel Studios - a studio that rarely issues statements about what happens behind the scenes - has hit back at DeMayo, pointing to "egregious" misconduct being the reason for his initial March 2024 firing.
"Mr. DeMayo was terminated in March 2024 following an internal investigation," the studio told The Hollywood Reporter. "Given the egregious nature of the findings, we severed ties with him immediately and he has no further affiliation with Marvel."
The trade has since shared further insights from inside sources, revealing that "following his exit, an agreement was reached between the two parties over the issue of tweeting about the show, something that DeMayo had continued to occasionally do. In light of the breeches, his credit for season two was removed."
"While no details of the cause of the termination or the internal reviews have surfaced, sources say it involved sexual misconduct."
Marvel Studios is no longer holding back and it appears DeMayo's repeated Tweet-alongs were the reason for him losing that season 2 credit. If we had to hazard a guess, that came after a likely agreement about him no longer sharing "unofficial" reveals and insights which saw his name appear in headlines week after week.
As for that alleged sexual misconduct, no further details have been provided about what he did or didn't do. DeMayo has, however, issued a response:
When DeMayo was fired in March, he had already completed work on both seasons 1 and 2 of X-Men '97 (the latter season had only just begun being animated).
The series remains one of Marvel Studios' best-reviewed Disney+ titles and DeMayo, who previously made some pretty bold claims about The Witcher's writing team "hating" the books, also worked on Moon Knight and Blade.
It feels like this is just the beginning and, if DeMayo continues pushing Disney and Marvel Studios, it's highly likely specific will be shared about his alleged sexual misconduct while working on X-Men '97.