Beau DeMayo, the creator behind X-Men ’97, has voiced strong criticisms regarding the portrayal of the X-Men in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), particularly targeting the decisions made by studio president Kevin Feige.
X-Men ’97 Creator Critiques MCU’s Handling of Mutants
The creator of X-Men ’97, Beau DeMayo, who was dismissed by Marvel Studios in March 2024, has openly criticized studio president Kevin Feige regarding the portrayal of the X-Men within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
What Did Beau DeMayo Say About X-Men in the MCU?
In a series of posts on X, DeMayo expressed disappointment over Feige’s approach to the X-Men. He emphasized the need for careful planning when adapting the X-Men for film and television, stating, “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.”
DeMayo pointed out several failures on Marvel’s part, starting with the MCU’s initial introduction of the X-Men through a “retcon and musical sting” in Ms. Marvel, which he criticized as a forced narrative twist. He lamented that this introduction did not honor the rich history of the X-Men, instead opting for a young adult retcon.
He also criticized the return of Patrick Stewart’s Professor X in a “nostalgia cameo” in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, where the character met a brutal end, and Kelsey Grammer’s Beast appearing in The Marvels, where he had no established connection with Monica Rambeau.
“What the hell does Beast and Monica tease? Nothing. It’s just a desperate play to make us care,” DeMayo remarked, suggesting a more meaningful connection could have been established by introducing Anna Paquin’s Rogue instead.
DeMayo criticized Deadpool & Wolverine as a lackluster farewell to Fox’s X-Men Universe and voiced concerns about Captain America: Brave New World’s introduction of adamantium, calling it a “contrived MacGuffin plot” that raises timeline questions.
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While a reboot featuring Jake Schreier as director is underway, DeMayo highlighted Marvel’s decision to bring back original actors from Fox’s X-Men trilogy for Avengers: Doomsday as a tactic to generate artificial interest amidst a decade of failures.
He expressed frustration over Marvel’s mixed messaging, stating, “Kevin is introducing new concepts like adamantium and mutant Ms. Marvel while simultaneously recycling old Fox characters all before telling us they’re going to reboot everything anyways? Like, what the fuck?”
In his defense against accusations of bitterness following his firing, DeMayo asserted that his team had created a project that resonated with the MCU’s audience, contrasting it with Marvel’s perceived failures in character development and respect for the source material.
“I have yet to see anything from Kevin and Marvel that shows that they respect how much fans have invested in these characters. Now, will this change? I hope so. As I said, I have no faith…yet [in the MCU’s Mutant Saga].”
The 20th Century Fox X-Men movies and X-Men ’97 are available to stream on Disney+.
Originally reported by Lee Freitag on SuperHeroHype.
