Cynthia Erivo inevitably knows how talented she is, but that doesn’t mean every role she gets from here on out is going to be handed to her on a silver platter.
The Tony Award winner and Oscar nominee became an overnight sensation following her transcendent performance in Wicked, a role that many believe only Wicked: For Good can top when it arrives in theaters Nov. 21. Capitalizing on her much-deserved moment in the spotlight, Erivo has wasted no time setting her sights on another iconic role she’d love to play: Ororo Munroe, aka the weather-controlling X-Woman known as Storm. With Marvel set to bring a new wave of X-Men into the MCU any moment now, it’s the perfect time for her to toss her name into Kevin Feige’s hat.
Unfortunately for Erivo, she’s not the only Grammy winner who wants to hurl lightning and electrocute evil amphibians. A fellow musician has decided to put herself in the running, with a different take on the role than what Erivo might have envisioned. There are so many talented actresses who can play Storm as well as her fellow X-Men and women. If it does come down to Erivo and her new competitor, who will actually achieve liftoff?
Who else wants to play Marvel’s new Storm?
Fellow Grammy winner SZA has revealed that she would love to play electric mutant Storm, too ⏤ and she wants her portrayal to be “gnarly.” During an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, she revealed that while she didn’t necessarily see a future in acting, there’s one reason why on-screen heroism is her calling.
“I would love to be a superhero!” she announced after Hudson told the studio audience she could see SZA playing one. “My dad, he collects first-edition comics, so he has first-edition Thor comics and Silver Surfer just in the basement. So I grew up, like, super being into Marvel and DC.” Although Silver Surfer was the first character she said she’d love to play, she quickly confirmed what she’d want to do if given the chance to play Storm.
“But I was thinking, you know how Storm has an origin story?” she asked Hudson. “Like, she comes from, like, this whole other place where they’re kinda, it’s like the jungle. I think that would be so gnarly if I could be Storm’s origin story.” So there you have it. If Feige wants a Storm origin story wherein young Ororo incites rainforest shenanigans, he knows who to call. But will he?
Could SZA really nab the role over Cynthia Erivo?
Despite SZA’s enthusiasm for playing Storm, it’s unlikely that she’d get it over Erivo. Both have achieved numerous accolades in their own rights, but of the two, Erivo is the two-time Oscar nominee on her way to full-blown EGOT status. If she wants the role like we think she does, there’s an enormous chance she’ll get it. Nothing against SZA’s abilities ⏤ she recently starred opposite Keke Palmer in One of Them Days, marking her acting debut ⏤ but Erivo is also a global phenomenon thanks to Wicked, giving her a major leg up on a role of Storm proportions. We’ve also already seen her fly ⏤ in arguably the most stunning musical finale sequence ever put to screen, no less. Plus her increasing ferocity over the course of Elphaba’s journey has already demonstrated what she’s capable of cinematically.
Still, anything’s possible in Marvel’s current multiverse, which has grown considerably since the MCU first kicked off in 2008. What if…there’s a world in which multiple Storms appear, causing tornadoes and all kinds of other havoc? We can’t rule out that possibility, especially following fans’ renewed interest in the character thanks to X-Men ’97’s wildly successful Disney Plus run. SZA also happens to have 23.1 million Instagram followers compared to Erivo’s 2.5M. If that’s important to Marvel, then perhaps she’ll have a shot after all.
Then again, SZA confidently told Hudson that “Silver Surfer’s a dude,” clearly unaware that the character is actually set to be female in Marvel’s upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps. So how immersed in Marvel are we really, SZA? *cheeky side-eye emoji*
Published: Mar 21, 2025 8:51 PM UTC