Okorafor Writes A Wonderful Storm In ‘Shuri’ Issue 2! Why Aren’t Other Marvel Writers Following Suit?

Back in September, I wrote about how certain Marvel writers have been ignoring the Godhead aspect of Storm’s heritage. After reading this week’s Shuri Issue 2 by Nnedi Okorafor my opinion about something not being handled very well by Marvel has indeed strengthened.

For those of you don’t know, Storm’s backstory involves her being worshipped as a Goddess at a young age. It was Professor Xavier who told Ororo she was a mutant with the ability to control the weather and asked her to join the X-Men.

While Ororo being worshipped as a Goddess has continued to pop up in comic books over the decades, Ta-Nehisi Coates has brought a lot of focus on the mystical aspect of Ororo’s being. He even talked about the gift of Godhead which has been passed down to her from her ancestors. I recommend you check out the YouTube channel Stormitorium to know more about Ororo’s rich heritage.

Unfortunately, even though Coates’ work on Storm began back in 2016 during his Black Panther run, other Marvel writers have failed to talk about it in their stories. Marc Guggenheim decided to focus on Ororo and her Godhood in X-Men: Gold, but the way he handled it came across to some fans as a way to contradict what Coates established. While Guggenheim’s X-Men: Gold series has ended, Tom Taylor hasn’t mentioned anything about Ororo’s Godhead in his X-Men: Red series either.

Furthermore, the current Uncanny X-Men series written by three writers (Ed Brisson, Matthew Rosenberg, and Kelly Thompson) hasn’t touched the topic in the two issues that have been released.

But do you know which writer has gone on to mention Ororo being a Goddess? Nnedi Okorafor in her Shuri solo series.

Now, can you understand where I am coming from? Why are Okorafor and Coates the only ones talking about Storm being a Goddess, with Coates doing his part in fleshing out that aspect of the iconic African-American character?

I don’t want to accuse anyone of anything. I just wanted to share my opinions because it feels weird to see only Okorafor and Coates invested in exploring the Goddess part of Ororo’s heritage while the rest of the writers seem to be ignoring it and are just okay with using her to throw some lightning bolts around as if she is part of a team to check a diversity box.

Also, I have to ask, with the world’s mutants seeing so much trouble in Uncanny X-Men, where the heck is Wiccan? Or are openly gay and very powerful beings not invited to take part in big events and have been forced to live off-panel because certain writers aren’t interested in using them? Sigh!

As for Okorafor’s take on Storm, I have to say it is brilliant. I recommend you pick up her Shuri series. It connects to Coates current Black Panther run as Shuri tries to find her brother.

Feel free to share your thoughts with us.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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