Beau DeMayo, the former showrunner of the animated series X-Men ’97, recently disclosed that his original plans for the second season finale involved the introduction of the powerful villain Onslaught and the iconic Age of Apocalypse storyline. However, he claims that changes required rewrites and reduced episode count.
DeMayo’s vision for the finale included the resolution of a season-long mystery culminating in Onslaught’s debut. Additionally, he planned a cliffhanger ending featuring Gambit rescuing Bishop from an alternate-timeline prison in the Age of Apocalypse while being pursued by a villainous Cyclops. According to DeMayo, the removal of this finale episode has necessitated extensive rewrites for the entire season, leading to a reported delay in its release until 2026.
But Marvel loves shooting themselves in the foot, especially with certain directors and execs pushing their backwards ‘we know better than the comics’ agenda.
Beau DeMayo
He was reportedly dismissed from his position ahead of the first season’s premiere, despite having completed scripts for the second season. The show’s third season is now being developed by Matthew Chauncey, a writer known for his work on What If…?
This news comes amidst reports of substantial delays in the release of X-Men ’97 Season 2, with the premiere potentially pushed back to 2026. While the exact reasons for these delays remain unclear, DeMayo claims that the extensive rewrites played a significant role.
DeMayo’s departure and the subsequent changes to the series have undoubtedly been the cause of some disruption, but that doesn’t mean the changes won’t be good. All we know is that there is a delay; nothing is concrete.
We also don’t know what the execs were thinking or why certain decisions needed to be made, but changes from execs often lead to a better show or movie. We just keep focusing on the ideas that don’t work. Some things work, and others don’t, but it’s too early to argue either way.
Published: Sep 25, 2024 06:00 pm