Following the Disney/Fox merger, the rights to the X-Men characters have reverted back to Marvel Studios, and in due time, they’ll be appearing in the MCU. Storm was made iconic when Halle Berry played her in the original X-Men trilogy (and then in Days of Future Past), so she’s left some pretty big boots to fill when Marvel recasts the role.
It’s unfortunate that Alexandra Shipp didn’t really get a chance to shine. She only got to appear in a couple of Fox’s X-Men prequels, and even then, she was robbed of a lot of screen time. Now, here's another chance to bring Storm to the big screen. Who's up to the task of portraying her? Here are our picks!
Updated on July 25th, 2020: It’s been over a year since Disney acquired 21st Century Fox and the X-Men’s introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe became possible. Since Avengers: Endgame dealt with Earth’s other mightiest heroes and the Phase Four slate hasn’t even begun, Kevin Feige still has yet to announce anything official about the MCU’s X-Men movies. It’ll probably be a while before a release date is announced, let alone anything about casting. So, we’ve updated this list with a few new entries.
Freema Agyeman
The role of Martha Jones in Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood made Freema Agyeman royalty among fans of science fiction. With other roles in TV, in shows like Sense8 and New Amsterdam, Agyeman has shown that she’s great at settling into a role for the long haul.
Playing Storm in the MCU would require a strong command of a long-running arc, and Agyeman’s TV career has proven that she’s more than capable of anchoring a character arc. Plus, she has a ferocity to play this particular character beautifully.
Ruth Negga
It might not be possible to get Ruth Negga into the MCU after appearing in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but she’d be a great choice for Storm, and if Mahershala Ali can play Blade after appearing in Luke Cage, then Negga’s casting is possible.
She can nail both nuanced emotional acting, exemplified by her performance in Loving, and reveling in the fun of a comic book world, exemplified by her portrayal of Tulip in Preacher.
Kerry Washington
If the MCU’s mutants are going to be more experienced than the young cast seen in the recent Fox movies – possibly introduced via the multiverse – then Kerry Washington would be a brilliant choice to play Storm.
She was an utterly compelling lead in Scandal, while her emotionally charged performance in Django Unchained elevated the movie above its genre-based fairy tale revenge fantasy to feel absolutely real. Washington previously played Alicia Masters in the old Fantastic Four movies, but she deserves a Marvel role with some superpowers.
Keke Palmer
Keke Palmer has been a popular fan casting for Storm. Some fans have suggested that Palmer is too young to play the role, but if Marvel is planning to make the MCU’s X-Men young and inexperienced (at least at first), then Palmer could be a great choice.
Palmer has been focusing more on television in recent years, but she gave a terrific performance in Hustlers and a role in the MCU could give her a comeback on the big screen.
Thandie Newton
After being cast in the worst Mission: Impossible movie and then being underused in Solo: A Star Wars Story, Thandie Newton deserves to finally get her due in the realm of blockbuster cinema with a superhero role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Storm would be the perfect part for her to play.
Newton’s performance as sentient A.I. Maeve in HBO’s Westworld has proven (as if it still needed to be proven) that she’s an immensely gifted actor, while portrayals of real-life figures like Condoleezza Rice have shown the depth of her talent.
Sonequa Martin-Green
Sonequa Martin-Green is a favorite among comic book and sci-fi fans at the moment, because she’s consistently knocked it out of the park in genre roles big and small. When she debuted as Sasha on The Walking Dead, she was a small, almost inconsequential role. Over five seasons, Martin-Green developed Sasha into one of the most significant characters on the show, bowing out in the most incredible way possible.
From there, she has led Star Trek: Discovery in the role of Michael Burnham, and won over fans and critics alike. Perhaps her next move should be to play Storm in the MCU?
Janelle Monáe
Although she was previously known for her music career, eight-time Grammy nominee Janelle Monáe has been making a name for herself as an actor in the past couple of years. She gave tremendous performances in the critically acclaimed dramas Hidden Figures and Moonlight, which were rightly showered with awards and addressed social issues in America.
The X-Men movies aren’t as insightful as those movies, but they are allegories for the treatment of marginalized social groups, using mutants as a proxy for oppressed communities. Monáe is also a noted lover of science fiction, using sci-fi imagery and concepts in her music.
Rosario Dawson
The casting of Mahershala Ali as Blade in the MCU’s Phase 5 has shown us that Marvel Studios is ignoring the Netflix series and is open to recasting actors from those series in other roles. So, maybe Rosario Dawson – who played Claire Temple in five of the six Netflix/Marvel series – would be a strong choice to play Storm.
She’s no stranger to comic book roles (in addition to Claire, she’s played Wonder Woman in the DC Animated Movie Universe, Batgirl in The Lego Batman Movie, and Gail in the Sin City movies) and she’d provide a fun, lovable take on Storm.
DeWanda Wise
As her lead performance in Spike Lee’s Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It has shown, DeWanda Wise is extremely likable and able to convey a wide range of emotions. Marvel is already on good terms with Wise, as she was their original choice for the role of Maria Rambeau in Captain Marvel before she had to drop out due to scheduling issues.
Casting her as Storm could be a way for the MCU to give Wise a second chance. She’s never appeared in a big-budget blockbuster before, but Marvel tends to cast lesser-known, more talented actors over ones with more experience.
Sydelle Noel
In Netflix’s comedy-drama series GLOW, about the 80s women’s wrestling show of the same name, Sydelle Noel plays Cherry Bang, the ex-stuntwoman who trained up the show’s cast. She’s easily the toughest of the bunch, as she’s proficient in actual fighting styles and doesn’t take any backtalk from anyone.
This would make her a great choice to play a fiercer version of Ororo Munroe than we’ve seen yet. Noel used to be a professional runner before she was an actor, so she’d have no problem getting into superhero shape and keeping up with the physical demands of a comic book role.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw
After her four-episode arc on Doctor Who and her breakout role in the fan-favorite Black Mirror episode “San Junipero,” Gugu Mbatha-Raw has become a popular fan casting choice for Storm. She’d fit right into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having appeared recently in the Wachowskis’ space opera Jupiter Ascending, Netflix’s Twilight Zone-inspired Clover-verse spin-off The Cloverfield Paradox, and Ava DuVernay’s ambitious fantasy adventure A Wrinkle in Time.
The quality of those movies was a little up and down, but the point is, Mbatha-Raw is used to acting in mostly CG environments, which would make her a good fit for the MCU.
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
This might seem like a left-field casting choice, but Beyoncé Knowles-Carter would actually make a fantastic Storm. She’s already on good terms with Disney, after starring in The Lion King remake. Her performances in grounded, dramatic works like Dreamgirls and Cadillac Records have proven she can actually act and isn’t just a self-indulgent singer who wants to be in movies.
Her hilarious portrayal of Foxxy Cleopatra in Austin Powers in Goldmember proved that she has the comedic chops to hold her own alongside the MCU’s incessant quippers. Plus, casting Beyoncé would add a fun meta angle to Doctor Strange’s line, “Try me, Beyoncé.”
Naomie Harris
Naomie Harris (Skyfall) would be a great choice for Storm if the MCU is intending to go the way of the comics and involve her in a romantic relationship with T’Challa, because Harris is around the same age as Chadwick Boseman. In the comics, Storm and Black Panther make up one of the Marvel universe’s most beloved power couples.
Harris has proven her adeptness IN action-oriented roles as a field-agent version of Moneypenny in the last couple of James Bond movies, while her supporting turn as the lead’s ailing mother in the Oscar-winning Moonlight showed a more nuanced side to her acting.
Zoë Kravitz
Zoë Kravitz has actually appeared in an X-Men movie already. She played Angel Salvadore in X-Men: First Class, but the producers didn’t bring her back for any of the sequels, or give her much of a role in the one movie she was in. Suggesting Kravitz for the role of Storm is similar to the way that some fans are suggesting Oscar Isaac for the role of Wolverine after he played Apocalypse in the Fox franchise.
Whether she was playing Leta Lestrange in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald sequel or one of Immortum Joe’s wives in Mad Max: Fury Road, Kravitz has always managed to take roles that seem minor or insignificant and stand out in them.
KiKi Layne
KiKi Layne became one of the most popular and sought-after actors in Hollywood virtually overnight last year, with her breakthrough performance in Barry Jenkins’ powerful romantic drama If Beale Street Could Talk. Her starring role in that movie proved that she's a force to be reckoned with, just like Storm herself. What Layne needs next is a part in a big blockbuster that will get that talent recognized by a wider audience.
She’s about to appear alongside Charlize Theron in action-packed comic book adaptation The Old Guard. Layne has already said that she wants to play Storm in the MCU’s X-Men reboot, and she’d be perfect for the role.