Alternative versions of Storm

In addition to her mainstream incarnation, the Marvel Comics character Storm has been depicted in other fictional universes. These alternative representations differ considerably from the details and events of the main "Storm" story, without affecting that story's narrative continuity.

Age of Apocalypse

In the hellish reality known as the Age of Apocalypse, Storm is a member of the X-Men, but more streetwise and tough, and her romantic interest is Quicksilver. Her appearance differs in that she has a black lightning tattoo over her left eye and a bob hair cut.^[1] Years after the fall of Apocalypse, Weapon X, the AoA version of Wolverine whose mind was twisted into making him the heir of Apocalypse, captured and renamed her as Orordius after using the Celestial technology on her to enslave and transform her into a blind seer made of living stone.^[2]

Deadpool Corps

Deadpool visits a world where Professor X runs an orphanage for troubled kids where Storm is the headmistress. Kid versions of Cyclops and Deadpool are sent to her office for causing trouble during Beast's class.^[3]

Marvel Mangaverse

In Marvel Mangaverse Storm is a witch who trained with Abigail Hefton. She is later seen as a mutant. It is implied she was killed by The Hand.

Marvel Zombies

The basic premise of the various Marvel Zombies stories is that almost all super-powered beings on Earth have become flesh-eating zombies after being infected by an alien virus. Alongside Thor, Dr. Strange, Colossus, and Nightcrawler, Storm is one of the last super-humans on her world to become a zombie. Storm dies when a small group of recovered super-heroes gain the powers of the Silver Surfer and attack her. She is one of the many zombies seen attacking Dr. Doom's castle. She is one of the first zombies to get inside along with fellow infected X-Men Nightcrawler and Beast, and is also seen when a group of infected zombies attack Magneto, Reed Richards and other former heroes alongside other infected zombies, though it was the last.

Marriage to Forge

New X-Men posits an alternative future for Storm in which she, under her birth name Ororo, marries Forge and lives a happy married life in his building, Eagle's Plaza in Dallas, Texas. They have two children: a girl, Orora, and a baby boy, Naze. The robot mutant-hunter Nimrod travels from the future towards the New X-Men, but his time-traveling systems are damaged and need repair. He forces Forge to help him, viciously killing Storm and threatening to kill their daughter and son. Forge helps Nimrod, sending him to Earth-616 where he fights the New X-Men.

Amalgam Comics

Amalgam Comics was a brief publishing collaboration between Marvel and DC Comics, enabling characters owned by both companies to interact, and creating characters that were composites of Marvel and DC characters. Here, Ororo is a mutant with superpowers who nearly drowns as a child, but is rescued by Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons. Whereas her mainstream counterpart develops acute claustrophobia, this Ororo develops a fear of drowning. Hippolyta raises young Ororo as an Amazon princess beside her own daughter Diana (see Wonder Woman) on the island of Themiscyra. As Princess Ororo grows up, she displays the ability to control the weather; the Amazons teach her how to focus her powers into a lasso of lightning that compels anyone bound by it to speak the truth. She eventually leaves her island home to enter "Man's World" as Amazon, Amalgam's fusion of Storm and Wonder Woman. She joins the JLX — a cross between the Justice League of DC Comics and Marvel's X-Men, consisting of similarly merged characters — and becomes their leader.^[4]

Days of Future Past

In the dystopian Days of Future Past storyline of Chris Claremont (1981), Storm is one of the last fighters of the mutant resistance and is killed by a horde of robotic, mutant-hunting Sentinels.^[2][5]

Earth X

In a contemporary alternative universe, the Earth X series (started 1999 by Jim Krueger), Storm is known as "Queen Storm" and is married to Black Panther, something that happens in the mainstream universe seven years later.^[2][6]

Exiles

Several versions of Storm have appeared in Exiles.

• A version of Storm that was similar to her mainstream counterpart was killed by the Phoenix in a world where Jean Grey manifested the Phoenix force in a manner reminiscent of The Dark Phoenix Saga.^[7]
• One of the more prominent versions of Storm is a sixteen-year-old version of Ororo Munroe who is a member of the ruthless reality-hopping team Weapon X.^[8]

House of M

When a crazed Scarlet Witch remade the world into the world of the House of M by Brian Michael Bendis (2005), Storm is a Kenyan princess. During the final battle, Rogue absorbs the powers of Ororo, along with Namor and Genis-Vell.

Mutant X

Interior artwork from Mutant X 1 (October 1998). Art by Tom Raney.

Bloodstorm is a fictional mutant vampire from an alternative universe within the Marvel Comics multiverse. She is an alternative reality version of the X-Men's Storm. Though introduced as a supporting character in Mutant X, she quickly became the breakout character of the series. Editors reported that the majority of fan mail to Mutant X was focused on her,^[9] and in response to reader demand, Mutant X #13 and Mutant X 2000 were devoted to Bloodstorm solo stories with no connection to the core series storyline.

Bloodstorm's history branches from her mainstream counterpart during the events of Uncanny X-Men #159, in that she was not saved from the bite of Dracula and was transformed into a vampire. As she still retains her oath not to kill (in mainstream continuity she did not break that oath until Uncanny X-Men #170, after her encounter with Dracula), Bloodstorm employs Forge and Kitty Pryde as food sources, draining from them enough to sustain herself but not to kill them.^[10] She leaves the X-Men and joins the team The Six.^[11]

Publication history

Bloodstorm co-starred in Mutant X #1-32 (Oct. 1998-June 2001) and the Mutant X 2000 Annual. She crossed over into the Earth X alternative universe in the miniseries Paradise X #1-2 (May-Aug. 2000).

Fictional character biography

After being bitten by Dracula, Storm was transformed into a vampire. She quit the X-Men for a time, trying her best not to succumb to bloodlust, and sought help from her lover Forge. He voluntarily became her food source so that she would not have to kill. In addition, she also fed on Kitty Pryde from time to time, destabilizing their previous relationship of parent-figure and child.

On a mission with her to steal from the group the Thieves Guild, teammate Gambit was critically wounded. He begged Bloodstorm to grant him eternal vampiric life; when she reluctantly performed the task, Gambit nonetheless ran away in anger. Around the time Havok had split off from this reality's X-Men to form his own group, Bloodstorm returned and became one of the founding members of The Six.

A despot known as the Goblyn Queen ascends to power, brainwashing the Six into serving her.^[12] However, the team breaks free of her influence and defeats her, choosing to remain with Havok and reform the team with the new goal of saving mutants from this reality's crazed espionage chief Nick Fury and his organization, S.H.I.E.L.D.

On a side mission, Bloodstorm fought the leader of the Outsiders — this reality's version of the Morlocks— to free captive friends. As in main Marvel continuity, she was successful, thus becoming the underground group's leader.

Havok eventually found a means to cure some to the side-effects of Bloodstorm's and Gambit's vampirism, granting the two a serum which helped to satiate their bloodlust and allowed them to walk in sunlight. Later, upon Dracula's reawakening, Bloodstorm battled him and victoriously staked her sire through the heart.

Bloodstorm later appeared in a different parallel universe, helping to save it. In reward, she was given a blood transfusion from her counterpart in that reality, effectively ridding her of her vampirism.

Powers and abilities

Aside from her control over the weather, Bloodstorm is also able to transform into a mist, summon, control, and transform into vermin and other animals such as wolves and bats, and drain blood through her fangs. Also, like any vampire, Ororo has the ability to turn others into vampires. She also has superhuman strength.

Limbo Storm

In Uncanny X-Men #160^[13] and in the Magik (Illyana and Storm) limited series,^[14] an alternative Storm is introduced, who lives the remaining years of her life in the demonic realm of Limbo. This Storm turns to her heritage of sorcery in old age as her power over the elements waned. She tutors Illyana Rasputin in the use of good magics and battles the demon Belasco over control of Limbo. She is killed by a demonically altered version of Kitty Pryde named Cat.^[2]

Ultimate Marvel

In the Ultimate Marvel continuity, Storm is a founding member of the "Ultimate X-Men," created by Mark Millar and Joe Quesada on February 2001. Millar, who wrote for the series until July 2003, established Storm as an illegal immigrant from Morocco who lived in Athens, Texas as a car thief prior joining the X-Men. In contrast to her mainstream counterpart, Ultimate Storm initially has trouble controlling her powers. For example, she once passes out after reluctantly summoning an electrical storm in order to destroy a fleet of Sentinels; her reluctance stemming from a past incident where she nearly electrocuted a playground full of children.^[15] Another notable departure from the mainstream Storm is her troubled relationship with fellow X-Man Beast, whom she has an intellectual attraction to, despite his ape-like appearance. Beast, who because of his appearance, suffers from an inferiority complex, was initially unable to understand why the highly attractive Storm showed an interest in him.

When later writer Brian Michael Bendis seemingly killed Beast off in April 2004,^[16] a grief-stricken Storm drastically alters her appearance. This change parallels the transformation her mainstream counterpart goes through under Claremont and Smith.^[17]

Subsequent writer Brian K. Vaughan wrote Storm to act as the team's conscience and started a relationship between her and Wolverine. In the "Ultimate X-Men: Shock and Awe" arc (2005), Vaughan inserted new elements into her back story by establishing Yuriko "Yuri" Oyama as Storm's archenemy. Storm and Yuri were fellow car thieves, but Yuriko eventually grew envious of her colleague. Their friendship ends in a motorcycle chase, which Ororo halts with a sudden rainstorm. Yuri loses control and has a seemingly fatal collision with a truck, but she is rebuilt as a cyborg by Doctor Cornelius of the mutant superweapon project Weapon X^[18] In 2007, UXM writer Robert Kirkman continued to establish the relationship between Storm and Wolverine in Ultimate X-Men: Date Night (2006). With the return of Beast, Storm was confused due to her growing attraction to Wolverine (a feeling that is reciprocated, albeit too late) but eventually rekindles her relationship with Hank. Later, Bishop, who wanted to prepare the team for the coming of Apocalypse, is killed by Wolverine when he tried to prevent Storm from helping a fallen comrade. Professor Xavier returns from the future, as part of what turns out to be a plan by the future version of Wolverine (Cable) to stop Apocalypse (Bishop was part of that plan). After Apocalypse is defeated, Storm moves back into the Xavier Institute as a teacher and X-Man (having moved out to be on Bishop's team when Cyclops disbanded the team).

Following the X-Men's reformation under Professor X, Colossus is revealed by Jean Grey to be using an illegal, mutation-enhancing drug known as Banshee. The X-Men are against this, which causes Colossus to leave the Xavier Institute and convince several other X-Men (Angel, Rogue, Nightcrawler, and Cyclops) to use the drug and come with him. Storm remains with Xavier's X-Men and is elected as their co-leader alongside Jean Grey. The two factions face off against one another, with Xavier's X-Men eventually emerging victorious. Colossus's X-Men agree to go cold turkey and return to the X-Mansion.

Following the Banshee scandal, Magneto attacks the world by hitting New York with the Ultimatum Wave. Several X-Men die in the wave including Nightcrawler, Dazzler, and Beast. Many X-Men (including Charles Xavier and Wolverine) and several other superheroes (such as the Ultimates' Giant Man and Wasp) and supervillains (such as Dr. Doom and Blob) are killed throughout the miniseries, all in graphic ways. Storm is one of the few X-Men to survive alongside Colossus, Jean Grey, Iceman, Shadowcat and Rogue. She is last seen with Colossus, cradling Cyclops' lifeless body after he was assassinated by Quicksilver at an anti-mutant demonstration at the end of Ultimatum #5.

Later, in Ultimate Fallout, Quicksilver mentions a girl with the ability to change the weather with the power of her mind and comments that she's "being lobotomized." At the end of Ultimate X #5, Storm can be seen being held in a government facility along with Colossus and Spiral. It can be inferred from the narration of Karen Grant that the government is using them for testing on how to remove the mutant gene.

X-Men: Forever

In this alternative reality (with a history identical to 616) that begins after Chris Claremont's X-Men #1-3, Storm kills Wolverine for unknown reasons as an agent of the Consortium (as yet unrevealed) and betrays the X-Men. As the X-Men search for her in New York City, an adolescent Storm with short hair appears to Gambit, just as young as she had appeared to him before. When Beast checks for bloodwork, both Storms are identical. The questions are, which one is real, and did Storm just turn on them or has she been fooling them her entire time with the X-Men? The younger version is called Ro, and stays with the X-Men, even wearing the standard blue and gold uniform. It is eventually revealed that the adult Storm is a clone that was created as part of a plan to defeat the Consortium's schemes, only to be driven insane when part of her powers included an energy-absorbing matrix that absorbed part of the twisted psyche of the Shadow King, while the young Storm is the result of a teleportation accident splitting her de-aged body from her adult consciousness, her adult personality manifesting as an energy matrix that requires a suit of armour specially designed by Tony Stark to maintain cohesion. At the series conclusion, with the Storm clone- now calling herself 'Perfect Storm'- having become Wakanda's Queen after killing the Black Panther, the other two Storms merge into another adult Storm, keeping Perfect Storm prisoner while taking her place as Wakanda's Queen to undo the harm she had caused.

What If...?

Marvel's What If comic book series, which imagines alternative realities for Marvel characters, has featured Storm several times. In Issue #12 of the second series, Storm becomes a goddess of Asgard and its ruler in Thor's stead.^[19] Issue #40 sees her refusing to join the X-Men and remaining a thief.^[20] In issue #74, she is a potential X-Men recruit targeted by Mister Sinister, written as the shady leader of the X-Men.^[21] Issue #79 depicts Storm as the wielder of the Phoenix force, calling herself Stormphoenix and being the ruthless tyrant of Earth, freezing every opposition in the atmosphere; this plot ends in Storm's death.^[22] In issue #114, Storm marries her fellow X-Man, the feral Wolverine and bears his daughter Kendall Logan. Kendall becomes the hero known as Torrent, having some of her mother's control over weather as well as her father's feral abilities.^[23] As a side note, a relationship between Wolverine and Storm was also shown in the X-Men animated series episode "X-Men: The Animated Series: 'One Man's Worth'" (1995).^[2][24]

References