X-Men '97 Show Director Bo DeMaio has made some major accusations against Marvel Studios and Disney during his tenure reviving the cartoon as well as his own unfulfilled accomplishments. The Code ProjectDi Maio was publicly fired by Marvel Studios two weeks ago. X-Men '97 It aired, and it was later revealed that it was due to his “horrible behavior.” The revelation came after DiMaio said on social media that he was fired and removed from the show’s upcoming second season for posting LGBTQ+ fan art. DiMaio previously said that it was part of a Disney tactic to discredit him and that he would come out with his side of the story. DiMaio recently told fans that he would be revealing secrets about what happened on OnlyFans and VarietyHe reported some of the salient points of what Di Maio said.:
“These allegations of gross misconduct are false. They are offensive, but what is even more disturbing is that they are a smear campaign designed to discredit me in order to cover up the gross misconduct that extends from select cast members of ‘X-Men ’97’ to the top of Marvel Studios.”
Di Maio claims that He witnessed and witnessed misconduct. While working as a show producer on X-Men '97 During his short tenure as a screenwriter at Marvel Studios, codeThis included a racist comment, with DeMaio revealing that an unnamed Marvel executive joked to him that they had hired “Young Wesley Snipes” to write about code“.” In another case, he claims a producer made an inappropriate sexual comment to DiMaio during a barbecue.
DeMaio continues by saying that there was a human resources issue that was ignored after a producer reported it. X-Men '97 This is supposed to be “One of our leaders had a potentially exploitative sexual relationship with a personal assistant.” With DeMaio claiming that the producer buried his report and informed the individual concerned of DeMaio's complaint.
De Maio claims that his identity as a gay black man was “I was used by Marvel executives and select crew members to undermine me.” “And using the same stereotypes that bigots have favored for decades: He’s big, he’s scary, he’s very stubborn, angry, emotional, flashy, dramatic, perverted.” When Di Maio asked to contact him, he said: “He was a great man, he’s a great man, he’s a great man, he’s a great man, he’s a great man.” Propool Drag Race Producers about promotion X-Men '97He was told “It was said by Marvel that they didn't want to alienate some audiences.”
Di Maio also claims that Marvel's PR department listed topics like “homosexuality… school shootings, the Gaza conflict and abortion” as hot-button issues to avoid. You can read more of Di Maio's statement below:
“Ultimately, the abuses that Marvel and other companies have leaked are designed to distract from what really bothered them. Someone like me who dared to speak the truth to people like them. They wanted me to be the black seal of approval for this project, and I refused. They wanted to erase aspects of my character that conflicted or proved inconsistent with the false narratives they wanted to establish. I refused. They tried to intimidate me with explicit and implicit threats. I was not intimidated. Everything they have done since then has been designed not only to silence and discredit me, but to crush me and remind me of my role.”
'Nearly criminal working conditions' for Marvel's visual effects artists and animators
De Maio's take on the story certainly adds a new perspective to things. Some of it lines up with what fans know about Marvel Studios' productions, with De Maio pointing to the company's terrible history with visual effects artists. He claims there's “Working conditions close to criminal conditions” For the Marvel visual effects artists, animators, and people who worked on X-Men '97 It appeared that Di Maio was losing weight and his mental health was suffering, but when Di Maio tried to contact Marvel leadership about this, he was subjected to “retaliation.” However, it was not specified what he meant by that.
But other claims made by Di Maio seem more dubious. He portrays himself as a heroic figure fighting for the fans, such as his claim that he fought Marvel executives over his desire to adapt previous Marvel stories. X-Men He says he would rather create new stories for the series than create entirely new ones, which is what Marvel Studios wanted. He claims they described him as “uncooperative, difficult, and a huge fan,” and says “They were openly upset that I was fighting for the fans.” All of this can be interpreted as a way to rally the masses around him as he faces these ongoing accusations.
This is likely far from the end of the story as far as what went on behind the scenes. X-Men '97Di Maio’s accusations against Marvel and Disney should be taken seriously, as should the accusations against him. Di Maio has received some praise for speaking out, but he has also come in for a fair amount of criticism, with many objecting to his decision to put his revelations behind a paywall. It seems like only a matter of time before more details emerge about what happened, and we await a statement from Marvel and Disney.
