After another iconic Marvel villain was shown being race-swapped, the former X-Men '97 showrunner did not hold back.
Beau DeMayo served as the head writer for X-Men '97, overseeing its revival and earning critical acclaim for the series following its March 2024 premiere.
Despite his creative contributions, Disney fired DeMayo in March 2024, citing allegations of "egregious" misconduct, reportedly involving sexual misconduct and separation agreement violations.
Following his dismissal, DeMayo's credits are set to be removed from Season 2 (expected to release in 2026), and Matthew Chauncey is taking over as head writer for Season 3.
Beau DeMayo Puts Marvel on Blast for Race-Swapping of 'White Villains'
Former X-Men '97 showrunner Beau DeMayo took to social media to criticize Marvel Studios for its recurring practice of race-swapping traditionally white villains to Black characters.
This was sparked by Norman Osborn being a Black man in the upcoming animated series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), DeMayo called out Marvel Studios, asking them to stop "race-swapping white villains to black people:"
"Here let me rephrase
Hey Marvel Studios please stop race-swapping white villains to black people. It reads 'funny.'
Kang. High Evolutionary. Norman Osborn. Electro. Mordo."
DeMayo, a Black writer and producer himself, elaborated in a few follow-up posts, stating that such casting choices perpetuate problematic narratives, "it is a visual story of white good guys beating up black bad guys:"
"Much of what we consume — especially kids — visually influences how we see the world. When the heroic good guy is nearly always white and canon white bad guys are made black for 'representation' it is a visual story of white good guys beating up black bad guys.
Especially when their library of black heroes are so radically underserved. It reveals a strong bias or ignorance."
DeMayo also addressed his involvement with changing the skin tone of Sunspot in X-Men '97, clarifying that it was "a Marvel directive:"
"Asked and answered. This was a Marvel directive. Crew members and I brought up his Afro heritage multiple times. They wanted 'Latino representation' on the team since Storm and Bishop were already black."
These statements add to the ongoing discourse surrounding Marvel's casting and representation practices. DeMayo has been openly critical of Marvel since he was fired, recently critiquing Season 3 of What If...?
Does Marvel Have a Representation Problem?
It is impossible to argue that Marvel has taken strides toward diversity but at the same time faced criticism (like DeMayo's recent comments) in its approach to representation.
Recent films have shown a trend of casting Black actors as villains, raising questions about how these portrayals align with broader efforts for inclusion.
Filmmaker Brandon David Wilson coined this the "Black Villain Era," reflecting a shift from the historical invisibility of Black characters in film to the opportunity for them to portray a range of complex roles, including many MCU antagonists.
While villains like Michael B. Jordan's Killmonger in Black Panther elevate the narrative by engaging with real-world ideologies, others like Jonathan Majors' Kang in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania lack depth, which could take away from their potential impact on young audiences.
It will be interesting to see if Disney and Marvel Studios make any changes in the future based on some of these responses.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man starts streaming on Disney+ on January 29, 2025.
