As with many of the X-Men, the portrayal of Storm in the Fox X-movies has often come under criticism from Marvel fans who feel that the iconic mutant heroine has been poorly handled in her cinematic outings so far. There’s hope, then, that the character will finally be done justice when the Children of the Atom are rebooted within the MCU in the coming few years. But who should play the next Ororo Munroe?
Recently, a rumor flared up claiming that Beyoncé was in the running to play Storm in Black Panther 2. While some like the idea, others feel that hiring the global superstar would just be stunt casting and that another actress should be found for the job. A new Change.org petition champions trans activist and actress Dominque Jackson for the role. At the time of writing, the petition is just a handful of signatures away from reaching its goal of 7,500, with it looking likely that it’s on its way to many more, so that just shows you how many fans are on board with the idea.
“Fans of the X-Men’s Storm finally deserve to see an on-screen version of her that matches the strong black woman leader we grew up with from the comic books,” creator Javier Enriquez writes in the petition’s description, in response to Halle Berry and Alexandra Shipp’s previous depictions. As for why Jackson is the perfect candidate, they go on to say: “Ms. Jackson knows what it’s like to feel to be an outcast only to find strength in community. Ms. Jackson’s journey has all the makings of a true X-men, compassion, nerve, and leadership.”
Jackson, most known for FX’s acclaimed drama Pose, has responded to the petition on Instagram. thanking all the fans who’ve signed it for “making [her] day” as well as noting that Storm has always been an inspiration to her.
Marvel is committed to diversifying its pantheon of heroes in Phase 4. The Eternals, for instance, will feature the franchise’s first openly gay lead, in the form of Brian Tyree Henry’s Phastos. Meanwhile, Spider-Man: Far From Home starred Marvel’s first trans actor, Zach Barack, but as far as we know there’s no trans lead coming up in the next few films or TV shows. So, casting a trans person as one of the X-Men, whether it be Jackson as Storm or someone else in another role, would definitely be a significant move for the studio that would mean a lot to countless people.
Published: Jun 19, 2020 03:30 pm