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Screenwriter Beau DeMayo is best known for his work onX-Men ‘97, which he created and wrote before he was fired from his role. The writer has been quite active on social media, revealing trivia about the making of the series and his intentions with certain characters, while he has also been vocal about his opinion on various other media.
He recently criticized Marvel for race-swapping traditionally white characters in the comics to Black actors in the film. He took the example of characters Electro, High Evolutionary, and Kang for his statement. However, fans called out his hypocrisy, pointing out how he chose actor Gui Augustini, a white actor to voice Sunspot, a canonically Afro-Brazilian character.
Beau DeMayo criticizes Disney for race-swapping white villains in the MCU
The latest trailer ofMarvel Animation’sYour Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Manrevealed that actor Colman Domingo will be voicing the role of Norman Osborn in the show. While Willem Dafoe has owned the role since Sam Raimi’sSpider-Mantrilogy and even reprised the role in the MCU’sSpider-Man: No Way Home, he was sent away to his own universe by the end.
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Domingo’s Osborne a.k.a Green Goblin is reportedly set in an alternate timeline in the MCU. However, the casting proved to be controversial as many seemed to have criticized Marvel for race-swapping the traditionally white character. While the alternative timeline setting may be a good reason, the decision has been criticized nonetheless.
X-Men ‘97creator Beau DeMayo called out Marvel for the decision with another angle. He called them out for race-swapping villainous characters who are canonically white in the comics with Black actors. He posted on his X (formerly Twitter) profile,
Here let me rephraseHey@MarvelStudiosplease stop race-swapping white villains to black people. It reads “funny.”Kang. High Evolutionary. Norman Osborn. Electro. Mordo.
DeMayo cited examples of Kang, who was played by Jonathan Majors, Electro, who was played by Jamie Foxx, Mordo played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, and the High Evolutionary played by Chukwudi Iwuji.
Beau DeMayo gets called out for hiring a white actor to voice canonically Afro-Brazilian Sunspot inX-Men ‘97
Beau DeMayocreated and wrote the Disney+ seriesX-Men ‘97, which received rave reviews upon release. While he had already finished work on the second season and was pitching potential storylines for a third, DeMayo was fired by Marvel due to unspecified reasons only a few weeks before the premiere (viaTHR).
While the show was a continuation ofX-Men: The Animated Series, DeMayo introduced several new characters before he was replaced. One such character was Sunspot, the mutant with the power to harness and absorb solar energy. The character was voiced by Gui Augustini in the series.
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Though Augustini has Brazilian roots, the casting has now been criticized by fans as Sunspot is canonical Afro-Brazilian. In light of Beau DeMayo criticizing Marvel for race-swapping characters in the films, fans called out the writer for his own hypocrisy in hiring a white actor to voice an Afro-Brazilian character.
@BeauDemayoHow are any of them different from Sunspot being portrayed only as brazilian and not as a black man as he originally was in the comics?
You race swap Sunspot in x-men 97, had a white actor play him and forgot the character was Afro-Brazilian. So how you are you different?pic.twitter.com/dCgMU3uXCZ
And yet you erased Sunspots origin as a black boy in X Men 97 & kept the erasure going.. IT READS FUNNY!Look at your own plate first before you look at other plates smhpic.twitter.com/XZnKdC1E3r
Why didn’t you make sunspot dark then
Lame take. I love seeing anyone but the same cookie cutter white actors as the main protagonists and antagonists in any of the genre movies/tv shows I like. Sometimes it’s a home run and sometimes not. Just enjoy the ride.
Despite Augustini being Brazilian, the fans have been criticizing the move now. With the second season ofX-Men ‘97in development, it is still unclear whether Augustini will keep his job or be replaced by someone of the same race and ethnicity.
X-Men ‘97is available to stream on Disney+.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2416
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
