Upon premiering on Disney Plus, X-Men ’97, a continuation of the iconic X-Men: The Animated Series from the ’90s, became a huge success for Marvel, thanks to Beau DeMayo. DeMayo, who previously served as a writer in The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf, hit it out of the park with the animated series, which has been lauded for its impeccable writing and unique art style.
Reasonably, fans have been imploring Disney to rehire Beau DeMayo, who was fired from the show. While the writer hasn’t spoken on the matter yet, he did open up about his input in the acclaimed series.
Beau DeMayo Was More Than Just a Writer on X-Men ‘97
Just days before X-Men ’97 premiered, THR broke the news that showrunner Beau DeMayo had been fired by Marvel, leaving both fans and his co-workers shocked. While no parties have commented on the matter yet, Industry Insider Jeff Sneider reported that it was because DeMayo was “difficult to work with”. Even though nothing can be said for certain about Marvel’s decision to fire the showrunner, DeMayo did succeed in crafting a worthy continuation of the iconic ’90s animated show.
While the showrunner penned the show’s narrative, it wasn’t the lone department he contributed to. DeMayo revealed that being a showrunner, which is the equivalent of a director in a film, he was also the main creative lead for the show.
Beau DeMayo | via Instagram/beau_demayoHe also commended his co-workers for trusting his vision for the animated series, which has been a huge critical success for the industry giant.
So, to answer your question, I did far more than just write the episodes. However, what I did do was only a success because of the highly capable team that trusted me and my vision. For that, I am very grateful.
— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) April 29, 2024
Even though the show has been greenlit for more seasons, fans have been hoping for the original showrunner to get reinstated for future seasons.
Fans Demand Beau DeMayo’s Return as a Third Season of X-Men ‘97 Gets Greenlit
Not long after Beau DeMayo’s firing, the search for his replacement in the sequel began. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, producer Brad Winderbaum revealed that they’ve already started working on the sequel.
He said:
“I’ve now seen versions of animatics for the entire second season… Obviously, when you’re in that stage, there’s a lot of work to do. It’s editorial, but it’s also still iterative because there’s still story to be worked out when you put it on its feet in that way. We’re going to start development on the third season very soon. And, yeah, we’re trying to figure out who is going to be that voice on the page, but luckily — that’s going to come as a surprise — there’s many talented X-Men fans, excellent writers.”
While a release window for the sequel is yet to be released, Winderbaum recently confirmed that a third season is also on the card. However, fans aren’t quite thrilled that the show will move forward without the original showrunner onboard, who was responsible for the show’s impeccable quality in the first place.
The writing on this show is just superb. I got to know why Marvel fired Beau DeMayo when he's been dropping nothing but fire #XMen97
— Yohance Thomas (@jabariT) April 24, 2024
If yall don't get @BeauDemayo back in the writers seat, I swear to you all , you're gonna lose the magic this man brought back from from 92. THIS MAN KNOWS WHAT HES DOING, DONT MAKE THIS MISTAKE @DisneyPlus. WORK IT OUT HOWEVER YALL NEED TO. THIS MANS CAUGHT FIRE! @BeauDemayo pic.twitter.com/L5qWIbnFlk
— MAYHEMMADDNESS (@MAYHEMMADDNESS) April 14, 2024
Marvel finally has something good after many (what year did Infinity War come out?) years and they fire the creative behind it! Figures. Hope shit works out for you.
— Retro Ruins (@retroactiveRuin) April 12, 2024
If they hire anyone other than @BeauDemayo, fire them immediately 🫵🏾🙂 https://t.co/7LfCTZwfBB
— MALACHI (@JXSTMALI) April 25, 2024
They should bring @BeauDemayo back, he's killing with #XMen97
— JV 🎧 🎮 (@Kryptonian_dude) April 25, 2024
With season 2 already deep into production, it seems Disney is persisting with its decision to move forward without Demayo. But with a third season now on the card, fans will hope things eventually work out between him and the House of the Mouse, and The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf writer can go back to creating bangers.
X-Men ’97 is available to stream on Disney Plus.
