The beloved Omega-level mutant Ororo Munroe, better known as the X-Men's sometime leader Storm, has been a fan-favorite character for decades, inspiring countless legions of cosplayers. Now, the talented cosplay artist Yoki has revealed a stunning Storm costume for NYCC '22.
Storm debuted in Chris Claremont's acclaimed 1975 reboot of Marvel's Merry Mutants Giant-Size X-Men #1, and since then has become so ingrained in the fabric of pop culture and art that the X-Men's Ororo will forever have in place in the zeitgeist of modern society. At the same time, her power and relevance in the Marvel Universe has expanded, with Storm acting as a superhero alongside the X-Men, but also taking on a leadership role in Wakanda and even acting as a goddess to people the world over. Check out the costume photoshoot below, as shared by photographer @sero.tonin.shots on Instagram.
Storm's Modern Costume Gets a Perfect Cosplay
Yoki, otherwise known as @statuesque_yoki, has done many different Storm cosplays, nut with a longtime character like Ororo there is an almost endless supply of different looks to choose from. The stunning black and gold look seen above is directly inspired by Russel Dauterman's gorgeous new look for Storm, revealed in X-Men Red #1, and finds the mutant leader at her most powerful, now acting as the official representative of the entire Sol System to the rest of the galaxy.
Yoki's Storm Cosplay Honors Marvel's Most Iconic Mutant
Storm has become synonymous with the X-Men, consistently appearing as either a leader or a major Omega-level powerhouse since her 1975 debut, and she has also been an inspiration for thousands of young black girls and women who have lacked comics representation for decades. Ororo was in fact one of the very first major female superheroes of African descent in comics history - an impressive legacy for Storm - and has remained a powerful and important representational figure since she blasted onto the scene in Giant-Size X-Men #1. While Storm's status on the X-Men has fluctuated a lot over the years, becoming one of the mutants' best leaders in the '80s and stepping away from her mutant duties as Queen of Wakanda and wife of Black Panther in the late 2000s, the Krakoan Age has refocused the powerful hero as a major X-Character. Since 2019's soft reboot House of X/Powers of X, Storm has played a pivotal role on the Marauders, as a fighter in the X of Swords, as a leader on Krakoa's Quiet Council, and as an integral part of the mutants' terraforming of Mars into Arakko.
X-Men's Storm Is a Queen, a Goddess and the Voice of the Solar System
Yoki's gorgeous depiction of Storm is inspired by Russel Dauterman's impressive redesign of Storm's look that debuted at the conclusion to X-Men Red #1, a look that Storm has stuck with during her time as Regent of Sol, leader of the Brotherhood of Arakko, and avenger of the red planet after Uranos' brutal assault in Judgment Day. Yoki's costume at NYCC '22 is a brilliant homage to Dauterman's design, with Storm's now signature gold lightning bolt earrings and top, and impressive spiky gold shoulder pads, prominently displayed. The talented cosplay artist reveals their behind-the-scenes process of creating the Storm costume, directly taken from Dauterman's costume design sheets, on their instagram, showing the complex and creative work that goes into turning an on-paper design into one in real life.
From the regal costume to the characteristic clouded eyes, this Storm cosplay pays tribute to a truly beloved X-Men character, and one who rose from an unknown character to one of the most powerful superhumans in Marvel continuity.