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What If…? dropped the trailer for its third and final season, and it looks like Marvel Studios’ first animated series isn’t holding anything back when it comes to exploring alternate universes. But the biggest reveal happens in the trailer’s final moments, which showcase a version of Storm wielding Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir with the appropriate god-like powers.
To top it all off, Alison Sealy-Smith will return to reprise her role as the X-Men’s mistress of the elements. It’s a sign that What If…? isn’t pulling any punches with its final season, and that it once again is turning to Marvel’s comics for inspiration since Storm’s ascension to godhood has a foothold in a X-Men storyline.
The ‘Asgardian Wars’ Saw Storm Become a True Goddess of Thunder
Storm’s first taste of godlike power came during the ‘Asgardian Wars’ storyline by Chris Claremont and Arthur Adams, which stretched into X-Men Annual #9 (1970). Storm, who was powerless at the time, was abducted by Loki and taken to Asgard alongside the New Mutants. When the X-Men traveled to Asgard to rescue their friends, Loki gifted Storm with the hammer Stormcaster. Much like Mjlonir, Stormcaster could control the elements and was forged by the dwarf Etiri – and it was massively tempting for Storm. Ultimately, she rejected Loki and returned to Earth with the rest of the X-Men, eventually regaining her powers.
This wasn’t the last time Stormcaster appeared in the comics. In X-Men Gold (2017) #25by Marc Guggenheim, Jose Luis and Pablo Siqueria, the X-Men found themselves battling Scythian – a raging god that they thought they had trapped in the Negative Zone. Stormcaster appeared to Storm, who using its powers was able to subdue Scythian. Throughout the rest of X-Men Gold, she’d use its godlike powers until a battle with the death god Uovu expended Stormcaster’s powers, turning it to dust. But this isn’t the only time Storm has been shown to be a true goddess of thunder.
Storm Has a History With the ‘Thor Corps’
The What If…? comics would return to Storm’s god-powered form in What If…? (1987) #12, appropriately titled “What if the X-Men had stayed in Asgard?” Rather than returning to Earth, Storm keeps Stormcaster and lives on Asgard, eventually becoming a Goddess of Thunder. This version of Storm also appeared in Jonathan Hickman & Esad Ribic‘s Secret Wars (2015) maxiseries as a member of the “Thor Corps” – a army of Thors from across the multiverse, who were gathered to enforce the will of Doctor Doom. Doom, having pulled together the remains of different realities, fashioned himself the “God Emperor” of this new “Battleworld”; with his immense ego and power, it only seemed fitting that he would summon actual gods to police his new kingdom.
The Thor Corps recently got an upgrade in Al Ewing & Martin Coccolo’s Immortal Thor (2023) #5. To battle the ancient storm god Toranos, Thor summoned Storm, Loki, Jane Foster, and Beta Ray Bill – extending the power he wielded as the God of Thunder to them and making them the new Thor Corps. Prior to this, Storm was shown to be able to lift Mjlonir by herself, a feat that very few characters in the Marvel Universe could achieve. What If…? Season 3 seems to be leaning fully into that notion with its version of Storm.
‘What if…?’ Season 3 Continues To Expand the X-Men’s Presence in the MCU
Storm showing up in What If…? continues a trend of the X-Men playing a major role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Multiverse Saga. This year saw Deadpool & Wolverine, which features different version of the titular antiheroes, and on the horizon is Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Doomsday & Secret Wars will see the return of Joe & Anthony Russo, who will direct both films, and Robert Downey Jr. – who’s swapped Iron Man’s armor for Doctor Doom’s. With Secret Wars poised to potentially adapt Jonathan Hickman & Esad Ribic’s version of the story, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see Doctor Doom wield godlike powers – or different versions of the X-Men, including a god-powered Storm. Storm’s appearance in What If…?, and her having Thor-level powers, isn’t just a bold way to close out the series – it’s also showcasing how the X-Men might play a major role down the line in the MCU.
Season 3 of What If…? premieres on Disney+ on December 22. Previous seasons are available to stream on Disney+.
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