X-Men ’97 served as a fresh breath of air for Marvel fans who have been dealing with less satisfying projects since a while. Despite its glaring reviews, the animated series has been linked with its fair share of off-screen controversies. Recently, ousted X-Men ‘97 showrunner Beau DeMayo has come out to share some contentious allegations against Disney about the characters Professor X and Magneto.
X-Men ‘97’s Beau DeMayo alleges Disney’s demand for Professor X and Magneto
As per Beau DeMayo, higher officials instructed him to make the characters of Professor X and Magneto ‘less gay.’
The renowned writer and producer disclosed these claims on X, while sharing a similar report involving Inside Out 2. DeMayo stated, “Heard the same words ‘less gay on #xmen97 when it came to Magnus and Xavier, as well as marketing.”
This update comes after several sources reported that Disney adopted a likened approach with the Inside Out 2 characters, Riley and Val. They reportedly took extra care to make their relationship seem as platonic as possible. This even required edits to the lighting and tone of certain scenes to remove any trace of romantic chemistry. (via IGN)
According to ComicBookMovie, this viewpoint came into action after the box-office disappointment of 2022’s Lightyear. Interestingly, the animated Toy Story spin-off showcased a same-sex kiss in the film. Following its failure, Disney’s leadership seemingly deduced the inclusion of homosexual romance to be the major reason.
The entertainment juggernauts are reportedly concerned about alienating much of their audiences by pandering to LGBTQ+ narratives in their projects. Per Beau DeMayo, Disney attempted to follow a similar methodology with the X-Men ‘97 series. As highlighted by IGN, this approach also influenced the production of their blockbuster summer hit, Inside Out 2.
Beau DeMayo was fired from X-Men ‘97 in March 2024. Disney cited his ‘egregious misconduct‘ as the reason behind his termination.
