Marvel Comics previously teased fans with the announcement that one of the X-Men would soon join the Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Today, it's confirmed that the mystery X-Man is Ororo Munroe, a.k.a. Storm. Starting in August 2024's Avengers #17, Storm, an Omega-level mutant and one of the most powerful and beloved X-Men, will be the latest member of the Avengers.
Marvel's press release shared a description for Avengers #17: "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!"
"Not only will the Avengers need her Omega-level power for the battles ahead, but they’ll need to rely on her unique expertise and leadership skills as MacKay’s overarching plots involving Kang, the Twilight Court, and more kick into high gear"
As the announcement noted, this actually won't be Ororo's first stint on the Avengers. She joined the team for just a short time back in 2012 on a recommendation from her ex-husband, Black Panther. But her involvement with the Earth's Mightiest Heroes ended after only a few issues, and she returned to the X-Men for the Avengers Vs. X-Men crossover in 2012.
This time, she's rejoining, and her recruitment to the Avengers team will also mark a reunion with T'Challa, who is one of the current core members of the Avengers. Since their break-up, Storm and Black Panther's relationship has been complicated. They are not the only pair of ex-spouses on the team, as Vision and Scarlet Witch, who were once married, are also core Avengers in the new series.
The creative team on bringing Storm into the Avengers series
Avengers writer Jed MacKay, who will also be penning the main X-Men title beginning in July, explains that Storm's move from the X-Men to the Avengers is meant to reveal her power level and status as a superhero in the Marvel Universe.
"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," MacKay said about the decision to include Storm in the lineup. "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!"
Valerio Schiti, who will be joining as the new series artist, has drawn multiple X-Men and Avengers titles in his lengthy career at Marvel, making him a fitting choice for featuring Storm in the Avengers series.
On being the new Avengers artist, Schiti stated: "As a reader, I am a great fan of Jed's run, and I really love the way he writes the team: not just as fellow soldiers, but as a group of friends with a shared past. At the same time he doesn't hold back on action and fight scenes! The balance between these two moods is exactly what excites me the most when I have to start a new gig!"
"I have a soft spot for the mutants, so you can imagine my happiness when I knew that Storm was joining the team," Schiti added. "It's always fun to draw her powers, her body language, and her outfits. There's just one challenge: you always have to remember that she's not just a mutant, she's a goddess!"
Storm will also be featured in the new X-Men solo spin-off series. Avengers #17 is set to hit comic book shelves on August 7, 2024, with cover art illustrated by
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