The Big Picture
Storm loses her powers in X-Men ’97 but finds inner strength and resilience.
Many people admire Storm for her strength. Forge confesses love for Storm, seeking redemption and acceptance.
Magneto deeply respects Storm, considering her powers unparalleled.
X-Men ’97 has proven to be a tremendous revival of the iconic X-Men: The Animated Series. It’s provided a breathtaking return for some of Marvel’s best mutant heroes and characters. But one character who truly shines in the series is none other than Ororo Munroe, aka the weather goddess Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith), who emerges as one of the best standout characters in the early episodes of the first season. In addition, X-Men ’97 exploits a wonderful opportunity to explore the character of Storm in a new ongoing subplot, titled “Lifedeath,” beginning in Episode 3, where the mutant Forge (Gil Birmingham), formerly of X-Factor, works with Storm to find a solution to losing her mutant powers. It’s no wonder why Forge is head over heels for Storm and why the proud Magneto greatly respects the amazing weather goddess.
X-Men ’97
A band of mutants use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them; they’re challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.
Release Date March 20, 2024
Cast Jennifer Hale , Cal Dodd , Chris Potter , Catherine Disher , Adrian Hough , Ray Chase , Lenore Zann
Seasons 2
Number of Episodes 10
Streaming Service(s) Disney+
Franchise(s) X-Men
How Storm Loses Her Powers in ‘X-Men ’97’
In just the first three episodes of the new season, Storm has already experienced some pretty tremendous moments. In the series premiere, “To Me, My X-Men,” she unleashes her lightning, turning a whole desert into glass, and then creates a vortex to almost single-handedly defeat Bolivar Trask’s new Sentinels and Master Mold. In the second episode, “Mutant Liberation Begins,” Storm takes command at the United Nations during Magneto’s trial when the Friends of Humanity and X-Cutioner (Lawrence Bayne) break into the building, causing havoc. Storm not only proves she’s a formidable fighter, but a no-nonsense field leader as well.
Unfortunately, the fight ends with Storm taking a blast from the X-Cutioner meant for Magneto, rendering her powerless. The power loss appears to be permanent, and Storm decides to leave the team. When Storm is unable to command or change the weather, it’s a devastating emotional blow. Initially, Storm’s ordeal created concerns that creators could be writing her out of the series, but that’s not the case. Any worries regarding Storm losing her powers and leaving the team were assuaged in the epilogue in Episode 3, “Fire Made Flesh,” when Storm makes contact with the brilliant mutant inventor, Forge, who seeks to help restore her mutant powers. The showrunners aren’t looking to usher Storm out of the show and instead crafted a long-form arc to offer a deeper examination of the character.
The strength of this character arc for Storm lies in exploring who she is beyond her mutant powers. Due to her powers and ability to control the weather, Storm is viewed as a literal goddess incarnate. Now that she no longer possesses those abilities, the show peels back the layers of Storm as a character, demonstrating her uneasiness with her loss of control. It’s as if Storm has lost a part of herself. Yet, even without her powers, Storm has proven she has not lost her strength and integrity. And while she cannot fly with the winds, she proved with her horse riding skills that she can still “fly.”
Forge’s Love Confession to Storm
Image via Disney+
During the back-issue “Lifedeath” subplot in Episode 4, Forge confesses to Storm that he’s in love with her, adapting their whirlwind romance they famously shared in the original Marvel comics. His wish to help her is not just a goal of redemption for his previous role in helping develop the power-dampening collars used by the Genoshan government and Friends of Humanity, as Forge has, unsurprisingly, fallen head over heels for Ororo.
Storm hardly knows Forge at this point, but he did briefly encounter her in the original animated series, helping free the X-Men from their captivity of the cybernetic aliens, the Phalanx. It’s clear that he’s watched Storm from afar for quite some time, becoming infatuated with her. While Storm is horrified by the revelation of his role in creating the technology that was ultimately responsible for her power loss, that was during a different chapter in Forge’s life when he was a lost and broken man. Not to mention, he did help save the entire planet and the X-Men from the Phalanx, so Storm should probably cut him a little slack. Much like Magneto, Forge seeks to redeem and better himself for the safety and protection of mutant rights.
Magneto’s Deep Respect for Storm
Even Magneto (Matthew Waterson), one of the strongest and proudest mutants on the planet, demonstrates his deep respect and value for Storm in the second episode when he shows up at the X-Men’s mansion, proving that Professor Charles Xavier left his vast fortune and the Xavier Institute to Magneto. While things nearly boil over with Cyclops over the revelation, it’s Storm who acts as a calm voice of reason during the meeting with Magneto. Magneto voices that Storm is “the closest thing to a goddess we will ever see,” opting to prove that his intentions of joining X-Men are genuine.
Storm’s powers are classified as “Omega Level” by the Sentinels. Mutants with Omega class powers essentially mean there is no definable upper limit to their abilities. Considering the feat Storm pulls off in the series premiere, Magneto’s description of Storm is accurate, and his vaunted respect for Storm is well-earned. Magneto rarely shows anyone else that level of respect in the series, other than maybe Professor Xavier or Rogue, so the fact that Magneto thinks so highly of her is impressive.
Storm Faces the Adversary
Image via Disney+
In the latest episode, Storm and Forge are caught in the clutches of a malevolent creature who calls itself The Adversary (Sealy-Smith). The creature takes the form of a bird-like demon, revealing that it feeds on misery and despair, and it finds Storm when her despair is at its highest level. This creates an incredible challenge for a currently powerless Storm to prove that powers or not, she is still an X-Man.
X-Men ’97 is streaming now on Disney+. New episodes debut on Wednesday.
WATCH ON DISNEY+