Marvel Showrunner Claims 'New Warriors' TV Series Was Cancelled For Being 'Too Gay'

In 2017, superhero sitcom New Warriors, based on the Marvel comic (prior to its 2020 reboot) was greenlit on Freeform and generated a considerable amount of hype after casting Milana Vayntrub as Squirrel Girl. Then, the show quietly fizzled out of existence. So what happened?

According to a series of since-deleted tweets from show-runner Kevin Biegel yesterday, the show was cancelled by "A SINGULAR power…a rich, straight, Brentwood turd" because it was "too gay." He also shared some behind-the-scenes photos of Vayntrub as Squirrel Girl.

There was a #NewWarriors show.@kbiegel says the show was canceled before airing: "A singular power that be killed the show. Because it was too gay. A rich, straight, Brentwood turd."

That exec has since been fired.

Biegel shared these pics from the show. pic.twitter.com/c6WzUD3UpD

— Phase Zero – MCU (@PhaseZeroCB) September 9, 2021

It's unclear who Biegel was talking about, but he did clarify it was not Marvel producer Jeph Loeb, who was accused of racism on Netflix's Iron Fist. Vayntrub quote-tweeted Biegel's thread, evidently echoing Biegel's claim that the show was cancelled because of a skittish exec.

THAT'S who's behind this?! https://t.co/GWS2j9wS8q

— Milana Vayntrub (@MintMilana) September 9, 2021

Marvel has been flirting with queerness recently: in June, Loki admitted he had dabbled with men and women in an episode of Loki, though the show didn't do much with that aspect of his character in later episodes. New Warriors sounds like it would have put queer characters at the forefront of the series, which, at least according to Biegel, may have been a bridge too far.