The widely acclaimed first season of X-Men '97 wrapped up last week with the premiere of its tenth episode, Tolerance is Extinction - Part 3. The Disney+ hit was praised for its writing, voice acting, and how it was authentic to the '90s X-Men: The Animated Series. The second season was already confirmed to be in development at Marvel Studios, but series creator Beau DeMayo, who parted ways with the show just before Season 1 premiered in March, will not be returning.
Interviews with the press were cancelled just a few days before the first season started broadcasting, and no specific reason was revealed for his departure. Brad Winderbaum, the head of streaming, television, and animation at Marvel Studios, then addressed the situation ahead of the two-episode premiere.
"I can't talk about the details," he said, "but I can say that Beau had real respect and passion for these characters and wrote what I think are excellent scripts that really the rest of the team were able to draw inspiration from [to] build this amazing show that's on screen."
When asked if he'd consider DeMayo's departure from X-Men '97 a firing, Winderbaum said "I don't. 'We parted ways' is the best way I could say."
With DeMayo's contributions as Head Writer being a key to the success of X-Men '97 Season 1, fans are wondering what involvement he has had with next season. In recent weeks, he has broken his silence on social media by sharing key insights into X-Men '97 Season 1, although he never directly addressed the reason of his departure from Marvel Studios. Based on his recent social posts, he was the main creative force behind what we've seen in the first season. Now, DeMayo has taken it to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify.
When a fan asked how much he contributed to X-Men '97 Season 2, DeMayo explained, "I did write a lot of Season 2. However, unlike Season 1, I will not be heavily involved or leading production, cast records, design, editorial, post, music, etc., nor doing any production rewrites as it relates to the creative vision of the show."
“This is why I’ve said I can’t really speak to Season 2,” DeMayo said. “But, looking forward to seeing the final product with you all whenever it airs. I have high hopes.” Back in March, The Hollywood Reporter shared that DeMayo had “completed writing duties on season two,” suggesting that he's still involved with the next batch of episodes. With his reduced involvement with Season 2, hopefully the change will not negatively impact the series moving forward.
Thank you. I did write a lot of season 2. However, unlike Season 1, I will not be heavily involved or leading production, cast records, design, editorial, post, music, etc., nor doing any production rewrites as it relates to the creative vision of the show. #xmen97
— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) May 17, 2024
Will Beau DeMayo be back for X-Men '97 Season 3?
During a recent interview, Winterbaum confirmed that the production team "will have a new head writer for season 3".
He said, "We are honoring Beau's ideas for the second season." He also credited Jake Castorena, supervising producer and head director of X-Men '97, as "an amazing architect in his own right."
"So much of the visual storytelling of this show comes from him and our amazing directing team," he told explained to EW with a nod to X-Men '97 episodic directors Emi Yonemura and Chase Conley. "So it does feel like there's a consistent voice. The mantra is the same, the goals are the same, and the source material is the same. As long as that's our guiding principle, that we're honoring the comics and the original show, that's the core to the creative pursuit."
All episodes of X-Men '97 Season 1 are now streaming on Disney+.
