What If What If…?’s Matthew Chauncey wrote X-Men ’97? Marvel wants to find out

To Matthew Chauncey, my X-Men ‘97.

Per Deadline, What If…? writer Matthew Chauncey will reportedly succeed Beau DeMayo for the third season of the animated X-Men revival, X-Men ‘97. DeMayo exited the Mouse House under cryptic circumstances earlier this year but completed work on the first two seasons before departing. The second season, Deadline reports, is already in production.

Chauncey is no slouch in the animated Marvel universe. A veteran of What If…?’s expansive anthological storytelling, Chauncey has basically spent his entire career at Marvel. Before What If…?, Chauncey wrote for Ms. Marvel and got a script doctor credit on Thor: Love And Thunder. However, we’re still waiting on that third season of What If…?, which Marvel announced nearly two years ago.

We never did get an answer as to why DeMayo left the show. Neither Disney nor DeMayo have commented on the situation. Brad Winderbaum, Marvel Studios’ head of streaming, television, and animation, praised DeMayo’s “respect and passion for these characters,” saying he wrote “excellent scripts that really the rest of the team were able to draw inspiration from [to] build this amazing show that’s on screen.” Ultimately, Winderbaum did not characterize the situation as a firing. “‘We parted ways’ is the best I could say.” We’d like a What If…? episode on what the hell happened there.

Regardless, X-Men ’97 deserves much credit for giving Marvel a much-needed shot in the arm. Arriving on the heels of several commercial and critical disappointments, including The Marvels and Secret Wars, X-Men ’97 was a hit with audiences and critics. Disney reported that it was the most-watched full-length animated series on Disney+ since the premiere of What If…? Our own William Hughes called the show “the greatest X-Men adaptation of all time.” So, yeah, no pressure, Matthew Chauncey. We’re confident he’ll pull through. With a name like Matthew, the sky’s the limit. Right, true believers?