Fired ‘X-Men ’97’ Showrunner Blasts Kevin Feige & Marvel’s X-Men Plans: “It’s Sad”
Beau DeMayo, the former showrunner of X-Men ’97, didn’t hold back when talking about Marvel Studios’ plans for the X-Men. Speaking on X, DeMayo called Marvel’s approach to introducing mutants into the MCU “sad” and criticized how the studio has handled the franchise so far.
Even though Marvel’s first X-Men movie hasn’t started filming yet and there’s no release date, anticipation is huge.
Fans are excited to see the mutants join the MCU with a new cast and creative team. But along with that excitement comes skepticism, even from people who have worked with Marvel before.
DeMayo was fired from Marvel for what the company called “egregious conduct,” but he has stayed vocal about the studio’s plans. He explained that while he believes the X-Men are bigger than any one person, he doesn’t have much faith in how Marvel is introducing them. “First, the X-Men are so much bigger than any one creative, myself included. Would I have loved to write, direct, steer the live action films? Of course. But I have great faith that there are amazing artists out there who have amazing visions and stories to tell with the X-Men. Now, do I have faith in the MCU’s Mutant Saga? Short answer: Not yet, no. And let me walk through why so you don’t think I’m just being a hater.”
DeMayo said the X-Men need careful planning to work properly and connect with fans. He shared details about what Marvel had planned during his time there and criticized the way the studio has been handling the mutants. He didn’t like the decision to make Kamala Khan, a.k.a. Ms. Marvel, a mutant instead of an Inhuman. “A retcon and musical sting in Ms Marvel that she’s now somehow a mutant. Literally, our first intro to the X-Men in the MCU is not one of the decades worth of mutants but a YA retcon that Kevin [Feige] forced onto the franchise to ‘make it his own’ and out the ‘MCU spin.’”
He said it would have made more sense to introduce characters like Jubilee, who could have recruited Ms. Marvel, instead of relying on a retcon. “Even having a newly cast Jubilee show up at the end of ‘Ms. Marvel’ to recruit her would’ve been better than the instantly forgettable tag we got.”
DeMayo also criticized Marvel’s use of old Fox characters and cameos. He didn’t like Patrick Stewart’s return as Professor X in Doctor Strange 2 or Beast appearing with Monica Rambeau in The Marvels. “A weird nostalgia cameo of Professor X in ‘Doctor Strange 2’ that used the animated series sting, where Kevin thought it’d be fresh and cool to see the revered leader and activist visionary of the X-Men’s entire creed get brutally murdered…AGAIN. Add that these two characters have ZERO history or irony to having met one another in the same way that say Nick Fury coming to meet Tony Stark had in Phase 1. All the tags in Phase 1 begged a clear exciting story — the creation of the Avengers. What the hell does Beast and Monica tease? Nothing. It’s just a desperate play to make us care.”
He also slammed Marvel for leaning on Wolverine and Deadpool to generate interest. “Again. And yet again, the MCU being like Fox in this lazy reliance on Wolverine as the face of the X-Men. A contrived MacGuffin plot of adamantium in ‘Captain America Brave New World’ that has amounted to nothing, and begs timeline questions where I guess Ms Marvel is a mutant before Wolverine entered Weapon X. Lastly, all the Fox characters we thought were gone and dead, are being brought out YET AGAIN to manufacture artificial interest and distract from Kevin and Marvel Studios’ decade long flailing of frequent failures.”
DeMayo felt that Marvel’s leadership isn’t showing the X-Men the care and respect they deserve. He criticized Feige and former producer Nate Moore for not attending the X-Men ’97 premiere. He argued that Marvel continues to give credit to Deadpool and Wolverine for keeping the X-Men relevant, instead of recognizing the animated show. “Sorry, that’s ‘X-Men ’97,’ and even Ryan Reynolds has acknowledged it. Sadly, Kevin Feige and his sycophants hated that what I crested with my team was getting all the praise it did.”
He also explained that Marvel seems more interested in celebrity stars than the characters themselves. “During Phase One, Marvel’s Hall H and press releases were so exciting because they were talking about the comics, and the themes and the stories. They talked about the fans and doing right by them and the comics. Now, their Hall H panels and news is just Kevin or one of his lackeys talking about the latest A-list celebrity who’ll be paid 8-figured to cosplay as a Marvel hero. There’s no talk of the actual heroes or characters or story…It’s sad, and these characters deserve to be treated as something more than a PR springboard for Kevin and his celebrity pals’s stardom and careers.”
Ugh, a follower asked me if I had faith in @MarvelStudios Mutant Saga and I clicked away and lost the message so hopefully they see this, but also I get asked this a lot so I wanted to make a larger post that may piss some of you off. I’m sorry in advance.
— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) August 15, 2025
First, the X-Men are…
Currently, Marvel is developing its first X-Men movie for Phase 7 of the MCU. Jake Schreier is set to direct, and Michael Lesslie is writing the script. No release date or cast has been confirmed yet. DeMayo’s criticisms highlight that some fans and former creators are worried Marvel may be prioritizing PR stunts over careful storytelling, and he seems determined to make sure fans know his perspective.
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!
