'X-Men '97' Creator Beau DeMayo Says Marvel Yanked His Season 2 Credit for Posting Fan Art with a Gay Spin

Out "X-Men '97" creator Beau DeMayo was suddenly dismissed last spring. Then he was dealt a further blow when Marvel took away his credit for the show's second season. DeMayo points to a post of gay-themed fan art, but Marvel cites "egregious... findings" of an internal investigation.

The Hollywood Reporter detailed that "the writer claimed Thursday [Aug. 15] he no longer will get credit on the second season of the hit Disney+ show, which he completed work on before his exit," claiming in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that he's being punished for sharing a Pride-themed image of one of the animated series' superheroes.

"Above is #XMen fan-art I posted on Instagram for Gay Pride in June," DeMayo said in a followup post. "On June 13, #Marvel sent a letter notifying me that they'd stripped my Season 2 credits due to the post."

"Sadly, this is the latest in a troubling pattern I suffered through while on working on #XMen97 and #Blade," DeMayo continued.

In another followup, DeMayo – who also worked on "Moon Knight" for Disney+ – went on to add, "I'll have more to say soon but must take a step back from social media to find a safer space for me to be out, proud, and nerdy. Stay tuned."

Not so, Marvel responded.

"Mr. DeMayo was terminated in March 2024 following an internal investigation," the entertainment publication quoted a company spokesperson saying in a statement.

"Given the egregious nature of the findings, we severed ties with him immediately," the spokesperson went on to say, "and he has no further affiliation with Marvel."

"On the surface, the notion that Marvel would strip DeMayo of a credit due to a social media post would stretch credulity," THR noted after recalling that DeMayo had been "an avid social media user during his tenure at Marvel, sharing X-Men tidbits as well as shirtless pics of himself, and even running a non-explicit OnlyFans account."

Moreover, the publication relayed, "outside observers note the gay Pride illustration is similar to any number of posts he made while employed at Marvel."

"But the reveal of an internal investigation points to deeper causes," THR said.

The article gave a hint about those "deeper causes," claiming that "While no details of the cause of the termination or the internal reviews have surfaced, sources say it involved sexual misconduct."

"Before his exit, DeMayo had completed writing seasons 1 and 2 of the animated series, which premiered on Disney+ on March 20," Deadline detailed.

As previously reported, it was only a week prior to the show's premiere that DeMayo was abruptly dismissed. THR noted at the time that in short order DeMayo's "company email was deactivated and cast and crew were informed he was no longer on the project."

Moreover, "DeMayo's Instagram account, once a source for X-Men updates, was deleted" – and, along with it, "shirtless pictures of himself at the gym" that his fans had thrilled to.

In an update, THR relayed that DeMayo had offered a rejoinder to the company's claim of "egregious... findings" in its internal investigation.

"After their Disney Plus disaster, Marvel wants to mislead with alleged contract breaches over tweets," DeMayo declared. "It's tragic it's come to this but unsurprising."