20 Of Our Favorite X-Men Characters

Storm (Image via Marvel)

11. Storm

Storm is such a foundational character that I find it difficult to express in words how important she is. How can you describe the significance of a black woman leading the X-Men, a woman of color who makes no apologies for her strength and intelligence?

Storm, also known as Ororo Munroe, is the descendant of a long line of African priestesses. Though she was born in the United States, her parents moved to Cairo, Egypt with their young daughter. When Ororo was five years old, her parents were killed during the Arab-Israeli conflict. Their daughter managed to make it out of the rubble of their home, though she was left with crippling claustrophobia that followed her into her adult life.

Though Ororo survived, she was left orphaned and adrift. Eventually, a gang of street urchins took her in. She became a master thief who, at one point, even managed to pick the pocket of a tourist by the name of Charles Xavier. Though Professor X managed to stop the theft with his telepathic powers, Ororo fled before the two could speak.

At some point, she becomes disillusioned with her life in Cairo and wanders south through the desert. She soon comes into her mutant powers, which allow her to control the weather. Making it to Kenya, Ororo lives with a tribe of people who come to venerate her as a goddess. She’s eventually recruited to the X-Men and becomes one of its most powerful members.