In the comic book adaptation universe, the past few years have seen a parade of high-profile exits with not only actors but iconic creators getting the boot. Beau DeMayo, the mastermind behind X-Men ‘97, is one such casualty. Fans would think the parting would be amicable after a long and storied collaboration, but DeMayo’s messy divorce from Marvel Studios tells otherwise. Following his abrupt firing amid an internal investigation, the relationship has curdled. DeMayo has now lifted the lid on what went awry with What If…? season 3, and his disdain is palpable. 

With just three words, he delivered a scathing rebuke to the series, pulling no punches after being pushed out of Marvel Studios earlier this year.

Beau DeMayo recently unleashed fury onto Marvel Studios’ third installment of What If…?. The X-Men ‘97 creator took to X to write his three-word review for the new season with, “Yikes, just yikes.” DeMayo’s brutal critique did not simmer down. He poured some more salt in the wound, sarcastically remarking that he would have endured more episodes to glean insights about improvement. However, he had more thrilling pursuits to attend to, like watching the water boil.

While DeMayo has his reasons for bias against the studio, there might be some truth to his non-sugarcoated review since the third and final season of What If…? has largely divided comic geeks and critics. Even on Rotten Tomatoes, the rating has dropped abundantly from the prior installments. Though the Tomatometer score stood at 75% from 12 reviews on writing, the Popcornmeter showed the door with a poorer 57% rating. 

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Disney swapping Beau DeMayo for another head writer for X-Men '97 was met with deep frustration from the fans. While DeMayo’s reasons for rebuke may allude to his bitter equations with Marvel Studios, What If…?’s problems actually lie elsewhere.

What If…? is an animated anthology series by A.C. Bradley for Disney+ based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name. The series explores what-ifs of major moments from the MCU films if and when they unfolded differently. Bradley was the head writer for the first two seasons, with Matthew Chauncey taking over for the third, which mirrors the trajectory of X-Men ‘97 for DeMayo. One of the major complaints was the limitations placed on the third installment.

While fans and critics expected the third season to follow everything in association with Marvel, they felt the creators tried fitting things into the Multiverse saga to continue the story. Although there are chances for critics to make an about-turn given there are two episodes yet to be released from Marvel’s pipeline, it remains to be seen if a what-if is destined for the last laugh?

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What do you think of Beau DeMayo's backlash for What If...? season 3? Let us know in the comments below!