Summary
- Storm is joining the Avengers in August's Avengers #17.
- The move comes as Marvel relaunches its X-Men titles for the 'From the Ashes' era.
- Storm will also have her own solo title, Storm, coming this October.
Update: In a surprise press release, Marvel has confirmed the identity of Avengers' new member.
Only a day after teasing that one of the X-Men will join the Avengers, Marvel has spilled the beans as to who will join Earth's Mightiest heroes. This July, Marvel is relaunching its entire X-Men line for the 'From the Ashes' era. However, one hero is so vital to the franchise's new direction that not only are they getting their own solo series, but they're also being invited to join Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
The hero in question is Storm, aka Ororo Monroe, who will join the team in the upcoming Avengers #17. The issue will also see Valerio Schiti join Avengers as its new series artist. An iconic X-Men hero, Storm has the ability to control the weather, with recent years seeing her unlock the full, godlike potential of her abilities. She has also become the ruler of Arakko (formerly Mars) and the Voice of Sol, speaking for the entire galaxy. The tagline for Storm's solo series reads, "Mutants no longer have a homeland, but they still have a queen," showing how influential Storm will be in this new era.
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Avengers #17 |
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Release Date: |
August 7 |
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Writer: |
Jed MacKay |
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Artists: |
Valerio Schiti |
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Cover Artist: |
Joshua Cassara |
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In the aftermath of BLOOD HUNT and FALL OF THE HOUSE OF X, the Avengers are licking their wounds and reassessing their goals. One member takes the initiative by approaching Storm, hoping to add her strength and perspective to the team’s upcoming missions! And the roster won’t be the only thing shaken up when a deadly threat sets its vengeful sights on Earth! |
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Marvel promises a new costume for Storm will be revealed soon, and has confirmed that the star will also get her own solo Storm series coming this October. Currently, the Avengers are fighting to prevent a series of disasters called Tribulation Events - devastating tests which have forced them to ally with Kang the Conqueror, who has unique insights into when and where the Events will manifest. As an Omega-level mutant, Storm is the perfect candidate to join the team. Writer Jed MacKay tells Marvel:
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. 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!
Storm first joined the Avengers in 2012's Avengers #19 from Brian Michael Bendis and Daniel Acuña. Sadly, Ororo was on the team for a very short time, as the Avengers vs X-Men event set the two teams at odds, with Storm siding against Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
You can read our original article in response to Marvel's tease below.
As Marvel's X-Men enter a new era, their most powerful hero is officially joining the Avengers. This July, Marvel is relaunching its entire X-Men line for a new era titled 'From the Ashes.' Heroes including Storm, Wolverine, Phoenix and even Dazzler will be getting their own solo series, while groups including X-Factor and X-Force will get new rosters. At the head of the pack, new volumes of X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, and Exceptional X-Men will follow the franchise's main heroes in teams led by Cyclops, Rogue and Emma Frost.
However, 'From the Ashes' will also seemingly intersect with Jed MacKay's Avengers run, as "Earth's Mightiest Mutant" joins the hero team. The announcement comes from Marvel Entertainment, alongside confirmation of solo Dazzler and Storm series beginning in September and October respectively.
Marvel's post doesn't reveal which of the X-Men will be joining the Avengers, however the qualifier of "Earth's Mightiest Mutant" means there's only a handful of heroes who fit the bill. It's relatively rare that Marvel's main Avengers title includes a mutant recruit, making this particularly exciting news. While details for Avengers #17 haven't been announced yet, it will follow the title's three-issue tie-in to the ongoing Blood Hunt event.
After 35 Years, X-Men Officially Upgrades an Iconic Hero's Powers - Are They Marvel's Next Omega?
As X-Men begins a new era, an iconic mutant is getting a major power upgrade, with an explosive new power level that pays off decades of hints.
The most likely candidates are Jean Grey, Iceman, Storm and Magneto, but there are some more leftfield candidates to consider...
A Mystery (But God-Tier) Mutant Is Joining the Avengers
X-Men's New Era Takes a Step Fans Didn't Expect
The title of "Earth's Mightiest Mutant" suggests an incredible power level, with X-Men having long codified its strongest heroes and villains with the 'Omega-Level' designation. Taking Marvel's promise literally, the most likely candidates are Nate Grey's X-Man and Gabriel Summers' Vulcan. Each have been described as beyond Omega level in the past (a status conferred on only half a dozen mutants in Marvel history), and are both related to iconic team leader Cyclops. X-Man is Marvel's supreme reality warper, while Vulcan boasts total control over all forms of energy - from Hulk's gamma radiation to the electrical signals within Tony Stark's mind. However, with both characters being incredibly obscure and Vulcan being an unstable antihero, it's unlikely these two will join the Avengers (Marvel's claim may however still be true, since X-Man is from another reality and Vulcan was born off-world.)
Cyclops' relation to so many powerful mutants is no coincidence. As well as his optic blasts, Cyclops has uniquely stable mutant DNA, as revealed by the evil scientist Mister Sinister. Cyclops' unique DNA often produces incredibly powerful children but is also ideal for cloning and genetic tampering, leading Sinister to stalk Scott Summers for the majority of his life, repeatedly using him as a base for horrific experimentation and cloning.
More likely candidates are Jean Grey, Iceman, Storm and Magneto. In X-Men: Hellfire Gala #1 (Gerry Duggan, Jonathan Hickman, Russell Dauterman, et al) the ultimate Sentinel Nimrod revealed he had codenamed Jean Grey and Iceman 'Omega-One' and 'Omega-Two,' suggesting that the ultimate mutant killer sees them as the biggest mutant threats on the planet. The last five years have also seen Storm and Magneto vastly increase their powers (with Storm being permanently off-world and Magneto dead at the time of Nimrod's attack.) Magneto was recently de-aged and reborn in the Resurrection of Magneto miniseries, gaining a new lease on life, while Storm has spent the last few years becoming the leader of an entire planet and being declared the Voice of Sol - the person who speaks for Earth's solar system to the wider galactic community.
Tony Stark recently married Emma Frost as part of a plan to strike against a mutual enemy. While Emma doesn't quite rise to the level of 'Earth's Mightiest Mutant,' there's an outside chance Tony will want his new ally on the team, and her own Iron Man armor could put her in the running.
X-Men Redefine Their Place in Marvel Continuity with New MIDNIGHT M Symbol
As a new era of X-Men lore begins, the new 'Midnight M' symbol shows how badly Professor Xavier has failed his students, and what comes next.
It's hard to see the Avengers recruiting Magneto, however Captain America has made it clear many times that he sees the Avengers as an ideal tool to help rehabilitate former enemies...
Fans know that 'From the Ashes' will include both a Phoenix and Storm solo series, however this doesn't take them out of the running, since many of the Avengers - Thor, Captain America, Captain Marvel - have their own ongoing series. Iceman also recently had his own solo series in Astonishing Iceman, showing that Marvel sees him as an A-list hero. He certainly has the power level to match, with recent years revealing Iceman's powers essentially make him immortal while also allowing him to create and control multiple bodies. Meanwhile, it's hard to see the Avengers recruiting Magneto of all mutants, given his history as a villain, however Captain America has made it clear many times that he sees the Avengers as an ideal tool to help rehabilitate former enemies - indeed, he invited X-Men's Rogue into their ranks for that exact reason.
Other leftfield choices include Hope Summers and Synch - two power mimics who have had major roles in X-Men comics over the past five years. Synch in particular has seen huge upgrades to his powers, allowing him to duplicate those of any superhuman around him. Synch recently took up a leadership role in the X-Men with the franchise admitting Synch has become equivalent to a god in the powers he can access - among the Avengers, he'd be truly able to live up to that role. Of all these choices, the most probable so far is Jean Grey - a character whose profile Marvel has consistently shown interest in increasing and who has never been on the Avengers before. However, it's still very much anyone's game.
X-Men Officially Redeems a Founding Member After Years of Unforgivable Evil
As a new era begins for the X-Men, a founding member turned disgraced villain is chosen to join the exclusive main team roster.
Adding a mutant means that it will be impossible for Avengers to ignore the plight of mutantkind, who will once again be hunted and feared by humanity in the 'From the Ashes' era.