Last week, Marvel fans were shocked to hear the news about Marvel Studios confirming that X-Men '97 showrunner Beau DeMayo had been fired from the revival series just days ahead of its two-episode premiere on Disney+. Details on why he was fired was unclear in the report, and still remains that way as of this writing, but DeMayo had previously written scripts for X-Men '97 Season 2 and had plans for the show's third season. He was also on board to participate in interviews for the premiere of the revival series, but he's been absent in recent promotions for the show.
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Brad Winderbaum, the executive producer of X-Men '97, and Head of Streaming, Television and Animation at Marvel Studios, broke his silence on DeMayo's firing. Although he didn't reveal the exact reason, Winderbaum has positive words for DeMayo's work on the series.
"I can't talk about the details," Winderbaum 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 would consider what happened with the X-Men '97 showrunner as "firing" as the press worded it, Winderbaum replied, "I don't. 'We parted ways' is the best way I could say."
When is X-Men '97 coming to Disney Plus?
The two-episode premiere of X-Men '97 is set to premiere on Disney Plus on March 20, 2024. You can check out the complete schedule and episode titles for the animated show's first season below:
Episode 1 To Me, My X-Men: March 20
Episode 2 Mutant Liberation Begins: March 20
Episode 3 Fire Made Flesh: March 27
Episode 4 Motendo / Lifedeath - PT 1: April 3
Episode 5 Remember It: April 10
Episode 6 Lifedeath - PT 2: April 17
Episode 7 Bright Eyes: April 24
Episode 8 Tolerance is Extinction - PT 1: May 1
Episode 9 Tolerance is Extinction - PT 2: May 8
Episode 10 Tolerance is Extinction - PT 3: May 15
Note that this schedule is subject to change, but there are currently no schedule delays announced for the series.
X-Men '97's official synopsis reads:
The revival revisits the iconic era of the 1990s as The X-Men, a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them, are challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future". The show will explore new sotries in the iconic 90s timeline of the original X-Men: The Animated Series .
For the latest updates on X-Men '97, follow the X-Men News Source Facebook page.
