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X-Men '97 is set to premiere in a week from now, and fan excitement for the show is high. Continuing the storyline from the classic X-Men: The Animated Series, the show is set to be a continuation and sequel, where brand new storylines will be explored, picking up right from where the previous show ended.
However, before its premiere, X-Men '97 lost a big crew member. It was revealed that the creator and head writer, Beau DeMayo, was fired by Marvel Studios just as he was preparing to launch the show on Disney+. No reason was given for his firing at the time of writing. However, it does come across as a huge shocker given how close to the finish line the show was.
X-Men '97 loses its head writer ahead of its premiere
The firing of Beau DeMayo by Marvel Studios remains a mystery, based on a report by The Hollywood Reporter. This is the first time the company has let go of one of its creators just as a project was gearing up for launch. It was a busy time for DeMayo at the studio, making his firing all the more surprising.
DeMayo was also attached to the second season of X-Men '97, with him already overseeing its development. However, the writer won't be involved with the show's third season. He had his company e-mail deleted, and even went as far as to wipe off his social media.
This marks the end of the professional relationship that Beau DeMayo and Marvel Studios had built up over the years. He was initially a Moon Knight writer and wrote early drafts for Mahershala Ali's upcoming Blade movie.
What do we know about X-Men '97?
X-Men '97 will be the sequel and continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series, which ended in 1997, thereby explaining the '97 in the title. The show will pick up from where the previous series left off and follow the X-Men after Professor X's death.
The trailer for X-Men '97 promises a much darker X-Men tale as the tensions among the mutants are seen rising again. It features all the classic X-Men characters from the show, like Cyclops, Wolverine, Jean Grey, Storm, Rogue, Gambit, Beast, and more. The show will also see Jean pregnant and the X-Men following in the footsteps of Charles Xavier.
The real stinger comes at the end of the trailer, when it's revealed that Magneto owns everything Charles Xavier built. The supervillain can be seen holding Xavier's last will, which mentions this, and the news leaves the X-Men shocked too.
The show will be the first to be released under Marvel Studios' new animation branding
With the show's release, Marvel Studios will launch a new banner, known as Marvel Animation. This will be the first show under it, with future animated Marvel Studios releases also coming under it. This will be the third of its kind, with the Studios previously launching Marvel Studios Special Presentation and Marvel Studios Spotlight.
X-Men '97 premieres on March 20 on Disney+.
