X-Men ’97 Showrunner Claims Disney & Marvel Toxic In Heated Statement

Former showrunner of the highly loved animated series X-Men ’97, Beau DeMayo, is intensifying his legal battle with Disney and Marvel Studios following his dismissal earlier this year. The dismissal, which occurred just a week before the pilot episode’s planned debut, was attributed by Marvel to “egregious misconduct” by DeMayo. DeMayo, however, vehemently denies these allegations and is fighting back with claims of his own.

In a recent development, DeMayo’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, has filed a complaint in the LA Superior Court seeking the removal of a ‘non-disparagement provision’ from DeMayo’s exit package. This basically keeps him from making any negative comments about Disney and Marvel. Freedman argues that this clause is “illegal” and designed to “muzzle” his client.

It’s hard to say that a non-disparagement provision is illegal when many companies use it and it has become standard. However, it leads to some questions about why a company can limit someone’s freedom of speech. Something like this likely needs to go pretty high in the courts because it could set a precedent to knock out the clause entirely from contracts.

DeMayo, in a video posted behind a paywall on his OnlyFans account (we’re not going to link it), denied rumors of sending inappropriate photos to colleagues as a smear campaign aimed at discrediting him. He also alleged that his dismissal was motivated by his race and sexuality. He claimed that Marvel leaked information about his alleged misconduct to divert attention from their own “blatant racism, sexism, homophobia, and other prejudicial misconduct” (via GiantFreakinRobot).

DeMayo’s lawyer also alleges that Marvel fosters a toxic working environment characterized by “near-criminal working conditions” that encourage paranoia and compliance. DeMayo claims to possess evidence of these “illicit and unsafe employment practices.” The specifics of both Marvel’s allegations against DeMayo and DeMayo’s counter-allegations are pretty vague. However, it’s clear that this is only the beginning of a huge battle if DeMayo can keep strong against the giant.

We imagine the fallout from this dispute could have significant implications for both parties. It will be hard for Marvel and Disney to maintain an image of acceptance when someone claims they were discriminated against. For DeMayo, this will likely impact his future career prospects in the industry, because it’s hard for studios to hire someone who has these allegations but also who sues to be able to say negative things about their former employer.

We’ll see how it plays out.