No matter how you feel about whether or not Marvelâs star is waning at present, few can deny the reality that it is still one of the biggest studios in Hollywood. But with that presence comes the very real fact that everything about it is newsâespecially when itâs mess.
Marvel found itself once again in this specific flavor of news this week when the Hollywood Reporter broke the news that X-Men â97 head writer Beau DeMayo had been allegedly fired by the studio, just a week before the continuation of the legendary X-Men: The Animated Series was set to hit Disney+. While further details about DeMayoâs departure are still vague, the news was enough to see X-Men â97 trend across social mediaâfor all the wrong reasons, just as Marvel was preparing to screen the premiere of the series to fans and critics.
But that kind of Marvel story has become more and more commonplace the more titanic the studio has grownâbefore DeMayoâs departure, there was the news about Marvelâs realignment of its TV plans, in particular Daredevil: Born Again, and it feels like every other week thereâs a new story about the uncertain future of the studio as it tries to chase the highs of the Infinity Saga. Now to Marvelâs fans, news of hirings and firings and project realignments is just as debatable as a trailer breakdown or their favorite characters. So how does Marvel itself approach that level of publicity?
âAs a storyteller, youâve got to be careful of pulling back the curtain too much,â Brad Winderbaum, Marvelâs head of TV, animation, and streamingâand co-producer on X-Men â97, told io9 over video chat. âI grew up in MarvelâIâve been working with Kevin [Feige] for 17 years now, and we very rarely [used to] show behind-the-scenes before we released a film. That was just it, so that people could meet the project where itâs at. Does the thing speak to you emotionally? Does it try to move you on its own terms? The goal is to try to kind of limit the external factors so that you can enjoy it as it stands, as it was made. But we are popular and this is part of that.â
Whether it wants to be or not, Marvel finds itself as much at the center of culture war debatesâas X-Men â97 did with the news that returning shapeshifting mutant Morph would be non-binary in the new seriesâas it does legitimate news about its behind-the-scenes comings and goings and future plans as an incredibly influential studio in the industry. Sometimes, those disparate strands of discussion intermingle, as has been the case in the recent days since DeMayoâs departure. âThis has to come, you know, these storiesâbehind the scenes drama, playing into a cultural narrative,â Winderbaum continued. âAll I can say is that we had an incredible creative team on X-Men â97, and weâre standing on the shoulders of giants. A 60-year legacy in the comics, the original creators of the showâLarry Houston, Julia Lewald, Eric Lewald came back as consultants, we have incredible directors like Jake Castorena leading the charge.â
âBeau had real passion and respect for these characters. But like everything, it takes a village; every time you make one of these projects itâs controlled chaos. Youâre just trying to keep your mind focused on that guiding light, and that is just to fulfill the the vision of the thing youâre trying to make, and do it as best you can. I just hope that peopleâand this isnât just X-Men â97, itâs for all projects we makeâcan, at the end of the day, sit down on your couch⊠and you can meet the show where itâs at, on its own terms.â
X-Men â97 begins streaming on Disney+ on March 20. Stay tuned to io9 for more from our conversation with Winderbaum next week!
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whatâs next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
