A new report claims that Disney asked the creators of ‘X-Men ’97’ and ‘Inside Out 2’ to make the characters ‘less gay.’
IGN‘s recent report about ‘Inside Out 2’ revealed that changes were made to Riley to make her seem ‘less gay.’ This included ensuring that her relationship with Val appeared as platonic as possible. Edits were made to the lighting and tone of certain scenes to avoid any suggestion of romantic chemistry.
The reason behind these changes seems to be Disney’s concerns about the backlash ‘Lightyear’ faced in 2022. That movie featured a same-sex kiss, and some believe this contributed to its poor box office performance. Disney leadership reportedly blamed the kiss for the movie’s failure.
Former ‘X-Men ’97’ head writer Beau DeMayo said he was also told to make the relationship between Professor X and Magneto ‘less gay’ while working on the series.
DeMayo shared that Disney and Marvel Studios didn’t want the dynamic between the two characters to have any romantic undertones. “Heard the same words ‘less gay’ on ‘X-Men ’97,’ when it came to Magnus and Xavier, as well as marketing,” he wrote.
Heard the same words “less gay” on #xmen97 when it came to Magnus and Xavier, as well as marketing 🤔 https://t.co/dyKunf7HJ8
— Beau DeMayo (@BeauDemayo) September 17, 2024
Professor X and Magneto have never been romantically linked in the comics, ‘X-Men: First Class’ movie previously hinted at a deeper connection between them. DeMayo also mentioned that this change even extended to the show’s marketing.
The working conditions for the animators behind ‘Inside Out 2’ were also criticized. Some animators said they were forced to work long hours, sometimes seven days a week, under intense pressure to finish the film.
‘Inside Out 2’ has been a huge success though. The movie made over $1.6 billion and is now one of the highest-grossing films of all time.
