Nostalgic fans have been waiting a long time to see X-Men: The Animated Series come back to their screens. Almost 3 decades, to be exact.
X-Men: ‘97 doesn’t disappoint. Picking up where season 5 left off, the X-Men deal with the repercussions of Charles Xavier’s death. Scott (Ray Chase) takes up the mantle as leader as Jean (Jennifer Hale) pressures them to leave the team when their baby is born. Magneto (Matthew Waterson) appears as a shocking way out as Xavier left the X-Mansion to him in his will. This twist isn’t the last one to take the X-Men by surprise. In a devastating cliffhanger, Omega-level mutant, Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith), is resorted to a human when she loses her ability to manipulate the weather.
How does Storm lose her powers in X-Men ’97?
In many X-Men screen adaptations, Storm has not received the respect she deserves. In Marvel Comics, she has long been an authority figure, leading X-Men teams in her own right. Finally, in X-Men ‘97, she is shown at her most powerful. Her Omega status is shown particularly when fighting the Sentinels and Master Mold in episode 1 of the new series. Her powers are so devastating that she can turn sand to glass and whip up tornadoes in no time at all. This scene makes it all the more heartbreaking when she loses them in the following episode to the villain X-Cutioner.
Part of a mutant hate group known as Friends of Humanity, X-Cutioner uses modern technology to destroy mutants. He takes his opportunity during the public trial against Magneto for his various crimes. Friends of Humanity storm the building with a high-powered firearm aimed at Magneto. While the X-Men have doubts about Magneto leading them, Storm wastes no time protecting her fellow mutant. As X-Cutioner fires his weapon at Magneto, Storm dives in front of it.
What follows is a scene no X-Men fan ever wanted to see on screen. Wracked with pain, Storm quickly realizes that she has no connection to the elements or nature anymore. The gun has taken her powers from her. Magneto springs into action, equally devastated to see his mutant brethren attacked and depleted in such a way. A mutant’s powers are part of their identity, and without them, Storm has a crisis of faith, in a sense.
Where does Storm go from here?
In the first 2 episodes that premiered together, Storm spreads affection for her fellow mutants. When Jean laments that her son may be born differently, Storm assures Jean that they will be family no matter what. This thesis is quickly disproven when Storm loses her powers.
Though it was her own decision, Storm no longer feels connected to the people she once called family. Without her powers, she has lost her sense of self and feels distanced from the team. With only a note to explain her actions, she takes her leave of the X-Mansion. As viewers, we all know that the X-Men would continue to embrace Storm as one of their own, but she doesn’t give them the chance. She takes a bus out of town to presumably find a cure.
A powerless Storm may seem incomprehensible, but X-Men ‘97 is drawing this conflict from the comics — as well as Rogue and Magneto’s relationship, for those who are wondering. Similar to the series, Storm loses her powers after being hit with a power-stealing weapon. Instead of X-Cutioner, this occurs at the hands of villainous Henry Gyrich. For 3 years, fans had to endure the reality of seeing Storm without her weather powers. During that time, Storm falls in love with the technology-based mutant Forge, only to learn that he was the one who invented the weapon that stole her powers.
This realization puts a significant wrench in the relationship. Eventually, however, the 2 make amends, and Forge figures out how to reverse the technology. In 1987’s “Uncanny X-Men #225,” Storm finally regains her status as the weather witch once more. While the series deviates somewhat from the comics, we can assume that Storm will eventually regain her powers again. The only question is how. With Storm on the road, the story may follow similar beats as the comics. We can only hope that Storm meets Forge and finds a way to reverse what has been done to her.
Please, X-Men ’97. We need our goddess back.