When the news broke this week that Marvel Studios had fired X-Men '97 showrunner Beau DeMayo, speculation immediately started running rampant about what led to him being dismissed days before the show's press tour began.
Contrary to social media scuttlebutt, his dismissal had nothing to do with the fact he's Black or gay. Instead, Jeff Sneider reports that he was "an absolute nightmare to deal with on a daily basis," with the suggestion being he was a difficult presence behind the scenes of this X-Men: The Animated Series revival.
DeMayo is also said to have "raised concerns" with Disney higher-ups regarding his non-nude OnlyFans account. It's said they found his conduct on the platform "unsettling" and "creepy."
The creative has yet to comment but deleted his Instagram account earlier this month. He left X some time ago after frequently clashing with fans about the show.
In other news, Variety recently spoke with X-Men '97's creative team about the return of Morph and the fact the character is now nonbinary and rocking a different look to the version seen in X-Men: The Animated Series. The decision has been deemed "woke," but his creators have now hit back at fans.
"For me, the word 'nonbinary' is the same as the word 'shapeshifter,'" Larry Houston says. "Every character that can change from one gender to another, or from human to animal, that’s just another word for 'shapeshifter' for me."
Eric Lewald believes the first signs of this change were made appearance during X-Men: The Animated Series' second season. "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. 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."
Julia Lewald adds, "Did we teach you people nothing? Were you not watching? 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."
Morph is expected to play a key role in X-Men '97 and it's hard to disagree with any of the points these creatives are making about the character. Regardless, we'll get to what the mutant brings to the table when the show debuts on March 20.