Marvel Studios removed a big-time Mutant baddie from X-Men '97 according to axed creator Beau DeMayo.
To put it lightly, Beau DeMayo, showrunner of the popular Disney+ animated series X-Men '97, has found himself in hot water as of late. He was fired by Marvel in March under, at-the-time-mysterious circumstances. The studio claimed it was more of a parting of ways, but that was seemingly far from the truth.
Long story short: An internal investigation of DeMayo’s time on X-Men reportedly revealed several instances of sexual misconduct perpetrated by the writer. He was stripped of his credit on the upcoming Season 2 of the series. Now, DeMayo has been lighting up social media, disclosing previously unknown details regarding X-Men ‘97.
DeMayo Says Marvel Cut Onslaught and Age of Apocalypse
According to a post from now-fired X-Men '97 showrunner Beau DeMayo on X (formerly Twitter), Marvel Studios - under its Marvel Animation division - scrapped an appearance of the supervillain Onslaught in the Season 2 finale of the animated program.
DeMayo’s tweet blasted Marvel for "shooting themselves in the foot" for removing Onslaught’s role.
Moreover, he admitted that X-Men ‘97’s second season capper originally revolved around the character and an Age of Apocalypse-inspired storyline, and since that arc was excised, Season 2 shrank from 10 episodes to nine:
"Yep, pretty sad. Season 2 is also only 9 episodes because of this and them canning my Onslaught/'AoA' finale. But Marvel loves shooting themselves in the foot, especially with certain directors and execs pushing their backwards 'we know better than the comics' agenda.”
It is not currently known if Season 2 has been changed in other ways beyond the cutting of Onslaught. The second season of X-Men '97 is also not expected to hit until 2026 at the earliest.
Onslaught’s Role and DeMayo’s Endgame
For the uninitiated, Onslaught is a merging of the X-Men team’s mentor Professor Charles Xavier, and their greatest foe, Erik Lehnsherr aka, Magneto.
When Magneto crossed the line by using his powers to pull all of the adamantium out of Wolverine’s body, Xavier decided enough was enough and used his telepathic powers to put Erik into a catatonic state. But through this act, Magneto’s anger and aggression became part of Charles’ psyche. Thus, Onslaught was born.
It took practically Marvel’s roster of heroes to defeat him and, in the end, Reed and Sue Richards' young son Franklin halted Onslaught’s threat by trapping the villain in a pocket dimension.
Based on Beau DeMayo’s comments, it can be assumed that X-Men '97 was set to adapt elements of the comic book storyline while also incorporating beats from the alternate timeline dubbed the Age of Apocalypse, to which Onslaught has close ties. It appears that most/all of this is no longer happening.
But what of Beau DeMayo himself? Although his complaints can probably be dismissed as sour grapes as he tries to “get back” at his former employer for letting him go, does he have bigger plans in mind?
Although it’s completely unconfirmed, could DeMayo’s leaking of confidential X-Men ‘97 details on social media be a part of a larger ploy on the part of the terminated showrunner? He hasn’t stopped with X-Men either; DeMayo has openly discussed script changes for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Perhaps he is trying to squeeze payment out of Disney by forcing their hand to silence him with money. But this remains entirely in the realm of speculation.
Whatever the case may be, X-Men '97 fans might want to keep an eye on Beau DeMayo’s X feed, as he seems poised to continue dropping details about the series.
Marvel Television’s X-Men ‘97 Season 1 is streaming on Disney+.
