Opinion: Storm’s Avengers Demotion Is The Wrong Move

Ororo Munroe, otherwise known as Storm. A mutant weather goddess. Former thief. A hero. A leader. An X-Man. An Avenger?

Okay that last one probably draws some double takes. Not because it’s wild that one of the mightiest mutants on the planet is joining a team that calls itself “Earth’s mightiest heroes” regularly. But because Storm is synonymous with the X-Men, being one of its biggest members and truest leaders through the ages.

So then, why is she not going to be leading the way with an X-Team in this new From The Ashes relaunch era? That’s a very good question, and for that answer we’ll go straight to the source. When announcing the move, writer Jed MacKay (I’m a huge fan), said the following:

“When we were putting together thoughts for X-Men, one problem kept coming up — Storm needed to have a presence in a book befitting her status, but it would be weird for her to be on an X-Men team if she wasn’t the leader. The solution was simple — she needed to be on the global stage, among equals, and what better place for that than the Avengers? We’re excited to bring Storm back to the Avengers and show what adventures she’ll get up to as part of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!”

Yes, you read that right.

Storm is such the right person to lead the X-Men, the true leader, that she is being moved to the Avengers because putting her on an X-team would mean she had to be the leader. And? Not seeing the issue here at all. Other than the fact that her being there would mean that the four white people chosen instead to lead the three flagship teams would be put out of place by the powerful Black woman.

Look, I’m not saying that ever came into anyone’s mind or that anyone behind the books has feelings of that nature. MacKay and Gail Simone worked to bring diverse characters and ideas to comics, and Eve Ewing is not only a successful novelist turned comic writer but is also Black.

But you can see why such a thought would occur, when it’s stated that the architects of this new era couldn’t find a spot for her to be because she’s too much of a bad ass boss, so they shipped her off to the hero cop team. Okay, the Avengers aren’t really ‘cops’ but they’re not really allies either. I mean hell, the press release basically states that the Avengers want a token mutant because they realized how tough mutants had it with the Fall Of X events.

“Krakoa’s tragic fall has made the Avengers realize how vital a mutant voice on the team is, and they’ll settle for nothing less than the most prominent and beloved mutant super hero on the planet! A pop culture icon, Storm has assembled with the Avengers before — in both comics as well as other forms of media — but never like this!”

The Avengers are peak 2020 liberals who ‘realized’ how tough Black people had it after what happened to George Floyd, taking to the streets en masse around the world to show solidarity. Until the pandemic lockdowns and paused flow of TV, movies, and other distractions came back and all the marches and movement just stopped. Again, not to say that people’s hearts weren’t there or that their intentions weren’t noble, but…I’m just saying.

Also, the laugh that came out of me at the “she needed to be on a global stage, among equals” line. In no world are the Avengers Storm’s equal in any measure of the word. Half the people that make up the historied roster are powerless guys running around with metal suits, archery kits, and varieties of medieval style weaponry. They wish they could even stand on the ground that Storm soars above. Hell, I’m a Cyclops ride-or-die but that guy ain’t an equal. A brother and friend, but not even close to an equal.

It’s not the first time she’s joined the Avengers, having done a short stint with them in the final beats of Brian Michael Bendis’ time with the mighty heroes. Her inclusion then can be semi forgiven, everyone (and I mean everyone) was joining the Avengers in the 2000s-2010s. It was a whole thing.

Because I believe in transparency, despite my recently written articles about an X-Related departure/break, I will be covering the recently announced Storm series for this site. As a biracial person (Black and White), I feel compelled often to pick up particular titles to make sure there is some representation or diversity of voice behind reviews of those works.

Not that I “understand” or am better qualified than others to do so — I work with a lot of amazing writers — it’s just something that I like to make sure happens. Especially in light of the token style language being used about her Avengers membership.

A Storm solo book led by a writer from an actual African country, Name is Nigerian, was something that I just had to pounce on. My feelings about the line to come and its status quo remain, the bigots basically won the day, but this title is currently the one that broke through,

Besides, in my break-up piece, I spoke of how my break could end at any point. I even joked in another piece about the new era, that editor Tom Brevoort might pull something out of his hat that would intrigue me. I said it was very unlikely, and less than a week later they announced Storm as a series.

“I’ll never say never because as much as I (rightfully) criticize them, I’m a Marvel zombie and always have been. They find ways to keep me interested even when my favorite characters or books become ones that I don’t want to really read (Hey there Peter Parker). There is a (tiny) chance that some book Tom B pulls out of his constantly worn hat that will pique my interest and make my goodbye to the X-Line seem premature or laughable (not to me though).”

Touché Hat Man, touché.