“There’s more to black power than action and violence”: Beau DeMayo Hits Back at Critics Claiming X-Men ‘97 Downplayed Storm Because of Her Skin Color

The season 1 finale of X-Men ‘97 sidelines Storm in favor of other characters such as Jean Grey getting the spotlight, which is not sitting well with some fans.

The first season of X-Men ‘97 recently concluded with the titular team taking down Bastion and putting an end to his nefarious plans. The finale of the animated series delivered several powerful moments, with many mutants getting a chance to shine. However, some fans felt that Storm was unnecessarily sidelined from the final battle.

X-Men ‘97 disappointed after Storm was sidelined in the finale

Fans took to social media to criticize former showrunner Beau DeMayo for leaving out Storm from the battle, implying that the choice was made because of her racial background. However, DeMayo responded to the criticism and provided his own explanation for why Storm did not have a larger role in the finale to X-Men ‘97 season 1. Here is what DeMayo had to say about criticism stemming from downplaying Storm.

Fans Criticize X-Men ‘97 Showrunner Beau DeMayo For Downplaying Storm

The final episode of X-Men ‘97 season 1 sees Jean Grey tapping into the cosmic power of the Phoenix Force, to stop Bastion’s plan from coming to fruition and completely destroying the mutant kind. After the finale, head writer Beau DeMayo took to social media to interact with fans, especially those waiting for Jean’s moment to shine.

Fans call Beau DeMayo racially biased and accuse him of neglecting Storm in the X-Men ‘97 finale

However, DeMayo’s tweet did not receive a positive reaction from fans, who criticized the showrunner for sidelining Storm. Fans on X accused DeMayo of marginalizing Storm from the final episodes because she is a black woman.

One fan tweeted the following, demanding an explanation from DeMayo about Storm’s lack of action in the finale.

The fan continued to criticize DeMayo for sidelining Storm by stating that the showrunner had previously promised she would be a main character only to end up as a glorified wallpaper in the final episodes. Similarly, other fans also criticized the choice by pointing out that there was a disparity between the amount of screen time and action white characters received compared to POC characters.

Beau DeMayo Hits Back at Critics and Defends X-Men ‘97‘s Portryal of Storm

Beau DeMayo defended Storm’s portrayal in the X-Men ‘97 finale

On X, DeMayo responded to the criticism by providing a detailed explanation to the fans. DeMayo tweeted the following in response to the fan backlash over Storm being sidelined from the final episodes and not getting a moment to shine like some of her other teammates.

DeMayo further broke down the arc planned for Storm over the course of the first season. He stated how Storm had initially internalized humanity’s hatred against her, only to later realize that she is more than her gifts. DeMayo added that because of her newfound wisdom, Storm is empathetic towards Bastion, implying that is the reason she did not directly fight the villain in the finale.

Furthermore, when a fan pointed out how Storm did not get a moment to shine like Jean does in the finale, DeMayo highlighted that Storm had several moments to display her strength earlier in the season. Ultimately, DeMayo was firm in his belief that Storm’s absence from the final battle had more to do with the progression of her character arc and less with her racial background.