Fired ‘X-Men ’97’ Showrunner Slams Marvel’s New X-Men Movie Plans & Kevin Feige: ‘It’s Sad’
The former showrunner of X-Men ’97, Beau DeMayo, did not hold back when talking about Marvel Studios’ plans for the X-Men. According to DeMayo, what Marvel is doing with the mutants is “sad.” Even though fans are excited to see the X-Men finally join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, DeMayo is skeptical about the direction the studio is taking.
DeMayo, who was let go from Marvel for what was called “egregious conduct,” has stayed vocal about his opinions. In a series of posts on X, he criticized Marvel’s strategy for introducing the X-Men to the MCU.
While he admitted he would have loved to be involved in writing or directing the live-action movies, he said, “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.”
DeMayo explained that bringing the X-Men into the MCU requires careful planning. He believes the studio needs to respect the characters and the fans who have invested in them over the years. “X-Men requires planning, deep planning to pull them off and make them resonate. You also have to be very mindful of how you’re laying out their story, and the way in which audiences will experience the story. You also need to suppress your ego to ‘make it your own’ and focus on meeting the mutants on THEIR terms, which means deeply respecting their canon and the emotional investment that fans have in that canon,” he wrote.
He criticized the recent changes Marvel made with Kamala Khan, also known as Ms. Marvel. In the MCU, she was changed from an Inhuman to a mutant. DeMayo called it a “YA retcon that Kevin [Feige] forced onto the franchise” and said it would have been better to introduce classic X-Men characters instead.
He suggested that a newly cast Jubilee showing up at the end of Ms. Marvel to recruit her would have made more sense. “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 forced onto the franchise to ‘make it his own’ and out the ‘MCU spin.’ And it is a tease and retcon that they still have not paid off,” he explained.
DeMayo also criticized some of the cameos Marvel used. He did not like the brief return of Patrick Stewart as Professor X in Doctor Strange 2, calling it a “weird nostalgia cameo” that failed to give the characters meaning. He also thought the mid-credits scene in The Marvels, where Monica Rambeau meets Beast, was a “desperate play to make us care.”
He suggested it would have been better to have Monica meet someone like Anna Paquin’s Rogue, which would have felt more natural to fans. “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. Want a better tag? What if the film ended with Monica or Carol waking up to meet….Anna Paquin’s Rogue? Now THAT does what the MCU’s phase one tags did,” he wrote.
He also had issues with Marvel relying on older Fox characters like Wolverine and Deadpool. DeMayo called it lazy and said it shows Marvel is more interested in pandering to fans than telling a proper story. He also criticized the use of adamantium in Captain America: Brave New World, saying it “amounted to nothing” and caused timeline problems. “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,” he said.
DeMayo felt that Marvel has lost touch with what made X-Men meaningful. He criticized Kevin Feige and former producer Nate Moore for not attending the X-Men ’97 premiere. He also argued that Marvel gives credit to Deadpool and Wolverine for keeping the X-Men relevant, when in reality it was X-Men ’97 that resonated with fans. “Sorry, that was ‘X-Men ’97,’ and even Ryan Reynolds has acknowledged it. Sadly, Kevin Fiege and his sycophants hated that what I crested with my team was getting all the praise it did,” he wrote.
He reflected on the focus of Marvel’s press events, comparing Phase 1 with today. In the early days, Marvel talked about the comics, the stories, and the fans. Now, DeMayo believes the focus is on celebrities and star power rather than the characters themselves. “It’s sad, and these characters deserve to be treated as something more than a PR springboard for Kevin and his celebrity pals’ stardom and careers,” he said.
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 Studios is developing its first X-Men movie for the MCU, likely to release during Phase 7. Jake Schreier is set to direct, with Michael Lesslie writing the script. No cast members or release date have been announced yet, but fans continue to follow the story closely, hoping Marvel will respect the legacy of the X-Men and deliver a story worthy of the characters.
DeMayo’s criticism shows that even people who once worked with Marvel feel that the X-Men deserve more care and attention. His posts make it clear that he believes the studio is putting ego, PR stunts, and nostalgia above thoughtful storytelling and respect for the fans.
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