WOMEN OF MARVEL: STORM
Storm was worshipped as a goddess across the African continent and her influence on the real world is just as powerful! Examine Ororo Munroe’s hurricane-force impact on the Marvel Universe—and on popular culture—with some of our favorite comic stories starring this X-Men leader and regent.
STORM: 101
The Making of a Hero
In Uncanny X-Men (1981) #102
Storm’s origin. Learn about the catalyzing event behind her claustrophobia and get a glimpse at her life pre-X-Men.
"Lifedeath: A Love Story"
In Uncanny X-Men (1981) #186
Powerless and depressed, Storm is taken in by the mutant Forge, who tries to alleviate her anguish. What happens next is romance. Read this issue alone for Barry Windsor-Smith’s art and its dreamy colors by Christie Scheele and Glynis Oliver.
"Lifedeath" Arc
In Uncanny X-Men (1981) #198
A continuation from issue #186, the "Lifedeath" arc is Storm’s definitive, mythic quest. Storm may have been depowered at this stage in the comics (see: UNCANNY X-MEN #185-226), but she has never been more powerful. In a fever dream, Ororo confronts her own death while wandering through a windswept desert. By the end of the issue, she is a literal “Breather of Life.” This is the Goddess Energy we know her for.
Storm and Gambit: Partners in Thievery
In Storm (2014) #9
A rascally Storm/Gambit team-up! Just like her relationship with sneak thief Yukio, Gambit brings out Storm’s mischievous side. Gambit’s comic book origins are intertwined with Storm’s too—he first met her back in UNCANNY X-MEN #266 and rescued her from the Shadow King’s hounds while she was de-aged. Since then, these two friends have kept their thieving skills sharp with a little back and forth.
Regent of Wakanda
In Black Panther (2005) #18
It’s because of this issue that Storm will forever be spiritually connected to Wakanda. Even in the present, Storm plays an active role alongside Shuri, Ramonda, and T’Challa in the governance of Wakanda. In a pre-trial before their big royal wedding, Ororo and T’Challa confront the Panther God Bast, deity of Wakanda. And Bast doesn’t just accept Ororo…Bast is impressed by her.
Voice of Sol
In X-Men Red (2022) #1
Coming off the events of the X-Men’s inaugural Hellfire Gala, Krakoa revealed to a stunned crowd of world leaders that the planet Mars had been terraformed and claimed by mutantkind! It was also announced that Mars would be renamed Planet Arakko in honor of its new residents, the displaced Arakki mutants. With that, Planet Arakko became the capital of the Solar System and introduced Storm as its Regent.