Fired 'X-Men' writer denies 'egregious' conduct, blames homophobia

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Was his cosplay too gay?

Former "X-Men 97" showrunner Beau DeMayo claims the studio stripped him of his season two credits because of some homoerotic fan art he posted on Instagram for Pride Month.

DeMayo recently reposted the art — a cartoon he drew of himself as an underwear-clad, musclebound Cyclops — along with the comment that "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 X-Men ’97 and Blade."

The "troubling pattern" DeMayo mentions would seem to allude to his mysterious sudden firing from the show in March.

Marvel responded to DeMayo's post by offering its own reasons for this parting of ways. "Mr. DeMayo was terminated in March 2024 following an internal investigation," the studio said in a statement. "Given the egregious nature of the findings, we severed ties with him immediately and he has no further affiliation with Marvel."

The studio further claimed that it stripped DeMayo of his credits after he repeatedly violated his termination agreement.

As for the exact nature of the behavior that led to DeMayo's firing, showbiz journalist Jeffrey Sneider cited unconfirmed rumors that DeMayo groped an assistant and sent male staffers suggestive pics of himself naked and in "superhero" poses.

Although DeMayo has yet to offer his own detailed version of why he was fired, in a recent post on X, he wrote that "the truth will be revealed."

A a popular reboot of the beloved 1990s "X-Men" animated series, "X-Men '97" faced criticism from some fans for taking the previously male character Morph and making him "nonbinary."

DeMayo, who took credit for the change, later confirmed that the character had "romantic feelings" for fan-favorite Wolverine.

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'X-Men' writer 'really happy' that 'X2' was referred to as the 'gayest film' — claims the movie was about 'exclusion'

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Writer David Hayter reacted to the remarks of actor Alan Cumming, who said that the second X-Men movie was the "gayest film" he'd ever worked on.

Hayter cowrote "X2: X-Men United" and was the sole screenwriter for the original "X-Men" movie. He is also known as an iconic video game voice actor, playing the role of Snake in the Metal Gear Solid series.

Cumming, who played the mutant named Nightcrawler in the second X-Men film, told Entertainment Weekly that he thought "X2" was the gayest film he had ever worked on due to the themes and the crew members.

"Oh, I think the X-Men film I'm in is the gayest film that I've ever done, and that's me saying that. It's got a queer director, lots of queer actors in it. I love the fact that something so mainstream and so in the comic book world is so queer," Cumming told the outlet.

'Those sorts of films really help people understand queerness.'

Hayter told TMZ Cumming's comments thrilled him.

"I was thrilled Alan Cumming called ‘X2’ the gayest film he'd ever worked on. It made me really happy," Hayter explained. "I'm so glad we did right by him. He's such an icon for gay rights. Ian McKellen also really recognized the allegory of it from a gay perspective."

Hayter continued and said the X-Men movies were about appealing to "anyone who faced hatred or exclusion or judgement and still felt compelled to do the right thing."

While the beginning of "X-Men" clearly alluded to a Holocaust-like scenario of mutants, Hayter now claims that there was a gay "element" on the filmmakers' minds.

"We had the Holocaust in the opening of [‘X-Men’] and Magneto paraphrases Malcolm X at the end. It's really for anyone who feels exclusion. ... But we had a number of key creatives behind the camera and on camera who were gay, so obviously that element was on our minds. The fact that came through and felt fulfilling for Alan meant a lot to me personally."

Hayter's retcon of the X-Men allegories mirrors that of "The Matrix" creators Andy and Larry Wachowski. The two brothers both came out as transgender and then said the Matrix movies were metaphors for transgenderism.

Cumming did not reprise the role of Nightcrawler but is rumored for possible future appearances.

"I think, in a way, those sorts of films really help people understand queerness, because you can address it in an artistic way, and everyone is less scared of the concept," Cumming added. "It's an allegory about queerness, about people having these great gifts and really great, powerful things that they have to hide to exist. Queer people understand what that's all about."

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Disney+ 'X-Men' show has 'nonbinary' character turn into woman and confess his love for Wolverine

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The season finale for controversial Disney+ cartoon "X-Men '97" ended with the show's "nonbinary" character professing his love for fan favorite Wolverine. The show's producer had previously stated that the relationship between the two was simply a "buddy" friendship.

The character named Morph, who was confirmed as being portrayed as "nonbinary" before the show's release, stood over an injured Wolverine in the season finale. As the X-Men attempted to stop a world-ending event, Morph chose to stay out of the epic battle in order to stand watch over his wounded compatriot.

Realizing that Wolverine might not overcome his injuries, the character took the opportunity to confess his love to the unconscious hero. In addition, Morph also changed his appearance to that of Jean Grey (the woman Wolverine loves) before making his confession.

"She can’t say it, but I can. I love you, Logan. Stay with me," the gender-transitioning character said, according to Bounding into Comics.

The show's former executive producer Beau DeMayo confirmed following the episode that the scene was meant to be romantic.

"Yes, Morph was confessing romantic feelings for Logan," he wrote on X.

A fan replied to the post and noted that he became suspicious during another scene where Morph changed into Wolverine's brother and brought him beer.

"Yep. That wasn’t an accident," DeMayo responded.

— (@)

'While it's not surprising, it is wrong and proves that Disney is actively engaging in the culture war and wants to warp the minds of its viewers to believe that wrong is right.'

The character appeared to have been misrepresented by show creators before the launch of the series, who said that "nonbinary" was not what people thought it meant.

In February 2015, DeMayo gave an interview where he initially confirmed the character, which was historically portrayed as an average-looking male, would become "nonbinary."

"This is a lighter take on the character, who is nonbinary and has an interesting buddy relationship with Wolverine," DeMayo said at the time.

The uproar from fans over the change of the character was met by explanations from the creators in which they claimed that "nonbinary" was simply another word for "shape shifter."

"For me, the word ‘nonbinary’ is the same as the word ‘shapeshifter,'" director Larry Houston said. "Every character that can change from one gender to another, or from human to animal, that’s just another word for ‘shapeshifter’ for me."

Writer Julia Lewald chose to scold fans who took issue with the change:

"Did we teach you people nothing? Were you not watching?" she asked. "Did we not figure out how to be nice to each other and how to get along? It’s very odd to feel like we are still dealing with the same issues that we were dealing with 30 years ago. It’s painful," she explained.

Despite the justifications, it appeared that the show's intention all along was to use the "nonbinary" character as a homosexual love story for Wolverine.

— (@)

"It's not at all surprising that DeMayo, Disney, and Marvel would put Wolverine and Morph in a sodomitic relationship," said John F. Trent, editor for That Park Place.

"DeMayo made it abundantly clear the show he pitched was about him inserting his 'identity' as a gay black man into the X-Men. While it's not surprising, it is wrong and proves that Disney is actively engaging in the culture war and wants to warp the minds of its viewers to believe that wrong is right," Trent added.

DeMayo was fired a little more than a week before the show premiered, with a series of controversial acts garnering criticism from all sides of the cultural aisle.

In 2023, he reportedly announced he was deleting his Twitter account after coming under fire for allegedly whitewashing a character named Sunspot, a Brazilian who appeared to be tan in earlier versions. DeMayo faced criticism for casting actor Gui Agustini in the role, even though he is Brazilian.

DeMayo, who is also reportedly a gay black man, allegedly posted shirtless photos of himself online and operated what has been described as a non-explicit account on the site OnlyFans, which is known for pornography.

Marvel had no comment on the matter, and DeMayo went silent, taking his Instagram account offline, the Hollywood Reporter noted.

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'Just another word for shapeshifter': X-Men creators scold fans over 'nonbinary' character for Disney+ reboot

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The original creators of "X-Men: The Animated Series" defended a recent change for the Disney+ reboot of the show in which one of the characters has been remodeled as "nonbinary."

As Blaze News previously reported, a shapeshifting character named Morph was reimagined as a "nonbinary" person for the Disney+ iteration of the show called "X-Men '97."

"This is a lighter take on the character, who is nonbinary and has an interesting buddy relationship with Wolverine. The character's past with Mister Sinister, the show's villain, could also come into play," former Executive Producer Beau DeMayo stated.

This caused an uproar from fans as Morph's entire look was changed for the new, nonbinary direction, looking rather alien-like in the latest version of the show compared to how he was originally portrayed as a generic male character in the 1990s cartoon.

Creator Eric Lewald, his wife and writer Julia Lewald, and director Larry Houston spoke about the controversy, largely defending the change by claiming being nonbinary is the same as being a shapeshifter.

"For me, the word ‘nonbinary’ is the same as the word ‘shapeshifter,'" Houston said. "Every character that can change from one gender to another, or from human to animal, that’s just another word for ‘shapeshifter’ for me," he told Variety.

"He attacks Wolverine, his closest friend, in the most dramatic way by turning into Jean Grey and putting his hand on Wolverine’s neck and leaning in for a kiss," Eric Lewald said. "That’s as nonbinary as you can get. It’s Morph turning into a woman and coming onto Wolverine to freak him out. It was all there in Morph’s character. Now it’s become such a social thing that I think people will be more sensitive to how it’s used. That’s the only difference. We didn’t see a problem in reading him and didn’t feel he was any different," he added.

Julia Lewald chose to scold fans who took issue with the change:

"Did we teach you people nothing? Were you not watching?" she asked. "Did we not figure out how to be nice to each other and how to get along? It’s very odd to feel like we are still dealing with the same issues that we were dealing with 30 years ago. It’s painful," she explained.

Voice actor Lenore Zann took a similar tone and stated that the "message needs to be spread throughout the world right now."

"I hope we can bring hope to people and to children so they can look to the future and go, 'I have a place in this world. I belong, and it’s OK to be different.'"

If X-Men '97 is the "next day" - then really why does Morph look radically different? Look, he's right here, not looking odd at all:
— (@)

Aside from fan controversy, the show has dealt with internal issues leading up to the reboot's launch. DeMayo, the aforementioned former executive producer, was fired a bit more than a week before his project premiered.

Marvel had no comment on the matter and DeMayo went silent taking his Instagram account offline, the Hollywood Reporter noted.

While no official reason for his departure was known, speculation swirled around his consistent controversies. In 2023, he reportedly announced he was deleting his Twitter account after coming under fire for allegedly whitewashing a character named Sunspot, a Brazilian who appeared to be tan in earlier versions.

DeMayo faced criticism for casting actor Gui Agustini in the role, even though he is Brazilian.

DeMayo, who is also reportedly a gay black man, allegedly posted shirtless photos of himself online and operated what has been described as a non-explicit account on the site OnlyFans, which is known for pornography.

Morph's character design for 'X-MEN '97' by Amelia Vidal.
— (@)

Nonetheless, Morph was an iconic character as he appeared in the very first episode of the original cartoon and is the only character to undergo such a drastic reimagining.

In addition to complaints of other character-model tweaks, the show has likely had far more controversial moments before its launch than it should; however, this could, of course, translate to a greater number of eyeballs.

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'90s X-Men reboot confirms 'nonbinary' character for Disney+ animated series

'90s X-Men reboot confirms 'nonbinary' character for Disney+ animated series

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A highly anticipated reboot of popular 1990s cartoon "X-Men: The Animated Series" will change an existing character to be "nonbinary" for the new episodes, the showrunner has confirmed.

More than a month before the series' launch on Disney+, Marvel's "X-Men '97" executive producer, Beau DeMayo, revealed that a pivotal character will be presented as nonbinary, meaning they do not identify with either gender.

The original series aired from 1992-1997 and has since been heralded as one of the greatest cartoons of its era. The reboot has also had fans clamoring for nostalgia, with the trailer receiving just over 3 million views in its first six hours.

As reported by Bounding into Comics however, the character Morph — who appears in the very first episode of the original — is adapted with a "lighter" approach, despite his apparent gender confusion.

The change was confirmed by DeMayo in an interview with Empire Magazine set to appear in the April 2024 issue.

"The death of shapeshifter Morph in the original animated series (it didn't stick, obviously) was shocking for young viewers, and it stuck with DeMayo," the excerpt read. "'He really set the stakes,' [DeMayo] says, 'and he had a very interesting relationship with the team because of trauma.'"

"This is a lighter take on the character, who is nonbinary and has an interesting buddy relationship with Wolverine. The character's past with Mister Sinister, the show's villain, could also come into play."

The character is not typically remembered by casual fans, but had a pivotal role in the original 1990s pilot, in which he saves Wolverine from an attack and is killed. He is later revealed to have been rescued from the attack by a villain who then turns him evil.

Morph later rejoins the X-Men and becomes a mainstay in their group.

Although the mutant's power is shape-shifting from a cellular level, he was never portrayed in either print or the cartoons as "nonbinary," which of course was not in any youngster's vernacular in the 1990s.

Perhaps an argument in favor of the change would be that Morph can change into a woman (or any person he pleases), but his default appearance was always a male. In artwork for the reboot, he now appears alien-like even alongside other characters who generally appear the same as the original drawings.

Official poster for #XMen97
— (@)

During a 2023 Marvel livestream event regarding the series, DeMayo stated that one of his goals for "X-Men '97" was to "really drill down to what I think the X-Men’s always going to be about which is just, you know, we talk a lot about the dream is social acceptance and it’s social justice."

"I think that can sometimes make certain people feel alienated, and for me, it’s always going to come down to, I think, the X-Men and what we’re going to be trying to do with this series is talking about the power of empathy, and how it can kind of heal these wounds that turn people against each other," the creator opined. "That things like racism and bigotry don’t ‘just exist’ – there’s a reason behind it that empathy can kind of help us connect and build those bridges where we can actually say, ‘Hey, we are all different, but we have these little things that can still connect us.'"

Only time will tell whether fans will press play on the new series or whether it will be chalked up as just another woke blunder for Marvel.

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'Homophobia or bigotry or hate speak': Marvel Comics exec responds to fan backlash against upcoming X-Men project

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Marvel Comics executive and editor Tom Brevoort pushed back on fans who predicted an upcoming "X-Men" project would be a disappointment, warning them that he won't interact with anyone who is homophobic, bigoted, or engaging in "hate speak."

The executive also affirmed that the premise behind the upcoming series would also be "the message."

Brevoort posted an image on his X account that simply showed "X-Men from the Ashes" and added "July 2024" as an assumed release window. The image was accompanied by the caption "Start the clock …"

Many of the responses from fans showcased their disdain for the modern works of Marvel.

"Why is Marvel deliberately tanking the comic industry?" one user replied.

"Unless Marvel cleans house...ridding themselves of the current writers, majority of artists and editors...it will be nothing but a countdown to more failure. The industry hasn't admitted the problem yet...until then, nothing will change," another fan theorized.

Others simply said "it'll suck," while another said the writers have already "broken" the characters "for good."

Many comments focused on what has been perceived as a very woke direction for the comics. Predictions like a male character being "too masculine" or the inclusion of pronouns were plentiful. Brevoort later reposted the image and declared that he would not engage with what he determined to be bigotry.

"Well, this X-Men graphic sure brought people out in force," the editor said in response. "One reminder that I thought wouldn’t be necessary: express whatever opinion you like, but if you show up with homophobia or bigotry or hate speak of any sort, it’ll be an instant block," he said.

"How about you tell a good story and stop shoving the message down our throats?" a fan said in response to the new post.

"It’s X-Men. The message is the premise," Brevoort replied.

According to Bounding into Comics, "the message" alludes to the idea that X-Men was created as an allegory for the 1960s American civil rights movement, which the outlet called a popular yet false belief.

Well, this X-Men graphic sure brought people out in force. One reminder that I thought wouldn\xe2\x80\x99t be necessary: express whatever opinion you like, but if you show up with homophobia or bigotry or hate speak of any sort, it\xe2\x80\x99ll be an instant block.
— (@)

Brevoort previously came back at a fan in October 2022 over complaints about comics being too "woke."

"Can you please cut all the woke s*** outta your plots? Thanks," a fan wrote on X in response to a new comic.

"I’m curious. Which 'woke s***' would that be?" Brevoort replied.

"Lots of examples…how about homo Superman for starters?" the fan then explained.

Brevoort then noted that he would have pointed out that Superman becoming a gay character was at the hands of DC Comics, not Marvel, but then said he didn't want to engage with blatant "intolerance and homophobia."

@SamuelTrautman_ @DanSlott I might have actually pointed out that that\xe2\x80\x99s the other guys, but this sort of blatant intolerance and homophobia is an automatic block.
— (@)

Marvel has received criticism in a year rife with failures, such as the rumored gender-swap of the beloved Silver Surfer character that surfaced in late November 2023. Meanwhile industry veterans like Chuck Dixon have been particularly critical of the direction of the once-adored medium.

Dixon had previously said that modern comics are "literally shaming the reader" with their messaging and reinforced in December 2023 that the comic book industry has seemed clueless in its attempts to win fans back.

"They think third-wave feminist comic book stories are going to bring girls back to read; no, no they’re not."

Brevoort did not respond to Blaze News' request for comment. This article will be updated with any relevant responses.

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'Literally shaming the reader': Batman writer says comic books weren't always woke; now characters are 'professional victims'

'Literally shaming the reader': Batman writer says comic books weren't always woke; now characters are 'professional victims'

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Celebrated comic book writer Chuck Dixon argued that while comic books haven't always been woke and progressive, many have turned into the personal point of view of writers who shame readers with the political opinions of the author.

Dixon, who has written for Marvel and DC Comics dating back to the 1980s, has worked on iconic characters such as Batman and the Punisher.

While routinely taking fan questions on his own series called "Ask Chuck Dixon," the writer was asked about the idea that comic books have always been "woke/political." The fan added that he thought the X-Men in particular weren't always politically correct and "definitely NOT woke."

"It’s funny, isn’t it? The thing about wokeism, and political correctness, and all the rest of it is the goalposts are always moving," Dixon replied, according to Bounding into Comics.

Dixon then remarked how X-Men comic book writer Chris Claremont turned the characters into "professional victims" but was still criticized by progressives. Claremont came under fire in 2022 after he gave "inflammatory remarks" at a comic book event.

The writer reportedly referred to slavery in a fictional setting and jokingly corrected himself after referring to the movie "Men in Black," saying, "sorry, Persons in Black."

"I don’t know Chris Claremont’s politics, but I’ll bet you he was pretty much in line with the woke crowd until whatever it was he said or did made them turn on him," Dixon said on the podcast. "When you take the X-Men, the original X-Men, in particular, who I saw as a pack of whiners, and now you make them victims, like professional victims," he continued.

After explaining how he felt characters like Superman aren't inherently political but rather work within reasonably objective truths (such as disliking a greedy landlord), he commented that there isn't an excuse for writers to inject their political agenda and point of view into superheroes.

"Maybe politics are part of a story, but that doesn’t excuse you injecting your agenda, your political agenda, your personal point of view into superhero stories and telling the reader what to think or shaming the reader, or literally shaming the reader," he stated.

He then called it "divisive" when writers dictate political stances through comic book characters' mouths.

"Telling readers that if you don’t agree with my political stance or the political stance that I’ve put in the mouth of Wolverine or Batman, then I don’t want you reading my comics, it’s divisive," Dixon continued. "Comics were never meant to be divisive; they have universal themes. And there are characters you agree with and characters you don’t."

Dixon also described the difference between political injections and characters that have always been inherently political. The Daredevil has "always been the bleeding-heart liberal. [The Punisher] has always been the direct opposite," he explained.

The point to comic books, Dixon added, is to create fiction that the reader can escape into.

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‘Jury Duty’ TV Series Transforms Civic Drudgery Into Insightful Comedy

Far from confirming the audience’s cynicism about today’s courts, the show offers reasons to hope justice will be served.