Storm is one of the most important X-Men of all time. Joining the team’s second incarnation, Storm would prove that she was one of the team’s most powerful and skilled members, eventually taking over as the team leader. Under her leadership, the team got through some of its most desperate hours, defeating some of its most dangerous foes.
Storm has had a storied history with the X-Men but as great as a hero as she is, does the team really need her? The team has been able to operate without her pretty well even though she’s one of the most powerful mutants in the world.
10 Integral To The X-Men: She Has The Best Costumes
This might seem like a superficial thing but it’s actually pretty important. Storm is probably one of the most stylish members of the X-Men and her on-point costume game makes everyone else up their games. Costumes are an important part of any superhero and Storm’s amazing costumes are next level.
Beyond that, her great looks work to intimidate the team’s foes as well- when Storm walks onto the battlefield, looking like a million bucks, the X-Men’s enemies know that things are about to get real. Storm’s keen fashion sense is just as much a superpower as her weather powers.
9 Isn’t Integral To The Team: She Doesn’t Always Make The Best Decisions
One of the things about Storm is that for every triumph that makes her an amazing X-Men member, there is a botched situation that is all her fault. Being a team leader is hard and while Storm has more than proven herself as a leader over the years, she’s made a lot of mistakes. These mistakes have cost the team on several occasions.
Everyone makes mistakes but Storm’s mistakes have been pretty bad at times. The X-Men have enough working against them and Storm’s proclivities to mess up big isn’t something that makes their lives any easier.
8 Is Integral To The Team: She’ll Do Whatever It Takes
A lot of superheroes adhere to a moral code that prohibits them from killing. While this is noble, it doesn’t always fit the situations that heroes find themselves. Storm is a moral woman and doesn’t believe in killing willy nilly but she also knows that hard decisions have to be made and is willing to make them.
On more than one occasion, Storm has had to kill foes in order to save the day. It’s never a decision that she takes lightly and it always affects her but that doesn’t stop her from doing it. Sometimes, the only way to save the most lives is to kill and Storm will do it if she needs to.
7 Isn’t Integral To The Team: Her Claustrophobia Has Put The Team In Danger
As an Omega-class mutant, Storm is usually clutch on the battlefield. However, she does have some weaknesses and one of those has almost spelled doom for both her and the X-Men. Because of an event when she was a child, Storm is extremely claustrophobic. This has caused her to freeze up and lose control of her powers, endangering her teammates.
While she’s been able to master it over the years, it still pops up and telepathic foes can still use it against her. It’s too much of an Achilles heel for the mutant, one that any villain who knows about it can use against her. Seeing as how the X-Men constantly fight the same foes, the chances of that happening are pretty good.
6 Is Integral To The Team: She’s The Team’s Rock
One of the great things about Storm is how much she cares about her fellow X-Men. There are few members of the team who are as beloved as Storm and there have been plenty of times when Storm was able to defuse situations that would have torn the team apart just by being there. Storm is the team’s rock and that makes her extremely valuable to the group.
It doesn’t matter which X-Men it is- they all love and listen to Storm. On top of that, they all know they can come to her with their problems and she’ll always help. This makes her an integral part of the X-Men’s support system, one they miss when it’s not around.
5 Isn’t Integral To The Group: When She Isn’t Leader, She’s Sort Of Wasted By The Team
Storm may be powerful but her best use to the team is as a leader. There are few heroes in the Marvel Universe as suited to being in command as Storm is and while she’s powerful and skilled enough to always make a difference, that’s not her best use as an X-Man.
When it comes right down to it, Storm is wasted in any other position than leader. Her powers can make a difference but the X-Men is full of powerful members. She’s best used in a planning and strategy capacity and having her just be there to throw hurricanes and lightning at bad guys misuses her and holds the team back.
4 Is Integral To The Team: She’s One Of The Most Powerful Mutants On The Planet
Storm’s mastery of the elements makes her one of the most powerful mutants on the planet. Being able to control the weather makes her able to literally destroy cities if she felt like, making her an integral part of the team in battle. While she’s most useful as a leader, the X-Men face some very powerful enemies and Storm’s amazing powers can make a huge difference.
Storm’s powers aren’t just useful in combat either, as she proved in her younger days as a goddess- she can help drought blighted regions and do all kinds of things to help the world. Mutants have a hard time in the world and with someone like Storm on the team, the X-Men can help in ways that go beyond just beating on the bad guys, unlike other teams.
3 Isn’t Integral To The Team: They’ve Done Fine Without Her
Storm has often left the X-Men, especially in recent years. Whether it be leaving the group to be with Black Panther, becoming an Avenger, or for a variety of reasons, the X-Men have proven that they don’t always need Storm.
There are a lot of reasons for that- as great as her powers are, they aren’t always needed or most of her skills can be replicated or they’ve just learned to get along without her. Storm brings a lot to the group but that doesn’t mean that she’s required for the X-Men’s success.
2 Is Integral To The Team: She’s One Of The Best Leaders Ever
It’s hard to argue with anyone being a better leader than Cyclops- he even gives Captain America a run for his money. However, if anyone could rival him, it’s Storm. Storm was able to wrest leadership from Cyclops while she had no powers and went on to lead the team through some hard times, like the Mutant Massacre and Inferno.
In fact, while Storm was leading the group, they were divorced from the resources they had at the Xavier School. She was able to keep the team together and triumphant through some lean times, a major achievement. Her skills as a leader are just about second to none.
1 Isn’t Integral To The Team: She Doesn’t Need The Team And They Know It
When Storm first joined the X-Men, she was worshiped as a goddess and already a leader. Becoming the X-Men’s leader after Cyclops was almost natural for her. Storm’s regal bearing set her apart from her teammates as well- they all secretly knew she was too good for them. She proved it by marrying Black Panther and becoming Queen of Wakanda– it was a role she was perfectly suited for.
Deep down, the rest of the team knows that she doesn’t need them. She can do so much more and in recent years, they’ve worked to make it easier for her to do those things, whether it be joining the Avengers or taking long leaves of absence from the group.
About The Author
