"X-Men '97" Ex-Showrunner Responds After Fans Call Latest Episode "Marvel's Red Wedding"
Warning: Major spoilers for X-Men '97 episode "Remember It" ahead.
I'm not sure if you've been watching Marvel's X-Men '97, but it's being heralded as a true nostalgic masterpiece, and a return to form for the MCU.
The writing on #XMen97 is so on point. The writers understand the characters, the audience & have me more dialed in than most movies have in the past few years. Y'all even got me liking Cyclops.THIS is how you tell X-Men stories. pic.twitter.com/npdasWNawE
— BruceWayneBrady (@Brucewaynebrady) March 21, 2024
Disney
Since the show has a near-perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, many fans were confused when former X-Men '97 showrunner Beau DeMayo vacated his job days before the premiere.
X-Men ‘97 creator Beau DeMayo has been fired from Marvel Studios. The show is set to premiere next week. pic.twitter.com/SwmxaVcP66
— ComicBook.com (@ComicBook) March 12, 2024
© 2024 MARVEL. Amy Sussman/Getty Images
But more on that later....
This week's episode, titled "Remember It," was a masterclass in storytelling, and reminded the world why the X-Men (sorry Avengers) are Marvel's best superhero team.
"Remember It" is being called "Marvel's Red Wedding" by fans, a stark (like what I did there?) comparison to one of Game of Thrones' most traumatizing episodes.
It’s giving Red Wedding https://t.co/Cn4u7rFBcj
— University of Tampering (@Doc_Texas) April 10, 2024
"Remember It" follows half the team as they head to Genosha, a mutant-populated island of safety and refuge. Genosha is being accepted into the UN, and Magneto is expected to become the leader of the nation.
The first 20 minutes (give or take) of the episode are a beautiful reminder of all the mutants we've seen in the show's original run. We are re-introduced to Nightcrawler, Banshee, the White Queen, Sebastian Shaw, Callisto, Leech, the Morlocks, Dazzler, Moira MacTaggert, and others. The episode also catches up with Cyclops and the other half of the team back at the mansion, and we see Scott and Jean having a relationship crisis. It's all great, another cool episode...at first. Then, the final 10 minutes had me on the edge of my seat.
Things don't go according to plan (of course), and we see the island being attacked by a three-headed sentinel after Madelyne Pryor receives a warning from a future Cable.
This attack leaves several mutants dead, including fan favorites Gambit and Magneto. The love triangle between Rogue, Remy, and Magnus, which fully plays out in this episode, only elevates the sorrow of their demise. Dozens of other characters are also killed off, in what (I'm praying) is some twisted event that will use time traveling to correct it. Because I really don't know if I can sit with these events forever. I'm not the only one, as fans took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to vent about "Remember It."
A full circle moment, proving the writing is just next level.
Gambit saving the Morlocks is more than just an iconic moment, it's also a redemption one and the ultimate reference for, in comics, Gambit was the one responsible for giving Sinister's Marauders access to the Morlocks tunnels, causing the Mutant Massacre#XMen97 #XSpoilers pic.twitter.com/DkBslA67fE
— Uncanny Bruno Mell⊗ (@BrunoMellx) April 10, 2024
Disney
I'm not crying, you're crying!
"Habe keine angst" or "have no fear", A nice touch is that it's in German, as most multilingual folks will default to their first language under stress/fatigue. A great episode all around! https://t.co/Kg6HKXaqC2
— RMX (@RGermanix) April 10, 2024
Disney
Did Beau really put himself in this episode? 'Cause I swear that's him!
Can’t even fathom what Beau DeMayo must have done to get fired because this man’s writing is 🤌🏽He could have taken over the MCU. pic.twitter.com/I2itXQ9THA
— Mehul (@mshah972) April 10, 2024
Disney
Me after finishing this episode:
#XMen97 creator Beau DeMayo says Episode 5 was just “our warm-up”. “Episode 8-10 is my big one ;)” pic.twitter.com/yjbf7OIrk6
— st (@startefacts_) April 10, 2024
Hot Ones
PEAK fiction.
#XMen97 Episode 5Logan rejecting Jean💔Jean finds out about Scott & Maddy's astral 'affair' Genocide in Genosha Rogue going rough on Magneto "I can't feel you, Sugar" - Rogue to Gambit"I'm sorry mom..." - Cable to JeanIt's a damn rollercoaster 💔 pic.twitter.com/hKtzCZP9We pic.twitter.com/c1tV5KY3mV
— 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 (@CapXSid) April 10, 2024
Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images /AMC Studios
After fans rushed to share their reactions, former showrunner Beau took to X to break down why they decided to create such a gut-wrenching episode.
He referenced tragedies like the Tulsa Race Massacre, the Pulse Nightclub Massacre, and 9/11 as inspirations for the direction of the episode. "My plan was the first half of the season is the OG audiences pre-9/11 days, rife with nostalgia and comfort," Beau wrote on X. "Then 9/11 — like Tulsa and other mass tragedies — turned the world upside down and reminded us the whole world unsafe…"
I’m from Orlando. I had friends die there. Pulse was definitely on my mind when writing this.
— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) April 10, 2024
Beau also touched on the strife in Jean and Scott's relationship. "Don’t forget, Jean, who now faces the memory disassociation and identity crisis that many survivors of sexual assault face," he explained, "Sinister’s 'your mind, your body, you have no choice' was deliberate. His violation of, not saying when they’re switched, has turned her mind against itself."
Don’t forget, Jean, who now faces the memory disassociation and identity crisis that many survivors of sexual assault face. Sinister’s “your mind, your body, you have no choice” was deliberate. His violation of, not saying when they’re switched, has turned her mind against itself
— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) April 10, 2024
Beau continued to answer fans on X, giving more insight into his thought process for "Remember It."
Yeah, I wanted to take them to a bit of a different place that is still emotionally in line with the comics but leans into how abandonment and trauma impede intimacy
— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) April 10, 2024
Happy to have made you happy. This was made for the fans
— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) April 10, 2024
Disney
Nope
— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) April 10, 2024
Thank you. I was very fortunate to lead an amazing team of insanely talented collaborators to make real this vision. Be sure to spread that thanks around.
— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) April 10, 2024
Disney
We all have sadly
— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) April 10, 2024
Disney
😈
— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) April 10, 2024
Warner Bros. Television
Same. Everyone’s invited but adults will get a layered story
— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) April 10, 2024
Thank ya
— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) April 10, 2024
Beau DeMayo replying to the #XMen97 tweets pic.twitter.com/A6ZlAdSVeg
— kiyo-boi (@kiyo_boi) April 10, 2024
Sakanaction "Wasurerarenaino"
X-Men '97 is probably the best thing from the MCU since Spider-Man: No Way Home or Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. So why did Beau vacate his position as showrunner right before it premiered? Nobody is entirely sure, and Brad Winderbaum's (the head of streaming, television, and animation at Marvel Studios) response didn't really clarify things.
"I can't talk about the details... 'We parted ways' is the best way I could say," Winderbaum told EW. "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."
X-Men '97 is now streaming on Disney+.
