Cynthia Erivo, Tony and Grammy-winning performer with Wicked to her name, could be considered for the role of Storm by Marvel Studios in the MCU. There you have it. The reactions on the Internet have already started flooding in, well… not all smiles and sunshine.
Firstly, it needs to be broken down for the masses. The on-screen Storm, aka Ororo Munroe, has to be among the most iconic X-Men ever. She is the weather-controlling mutant who carries herself with a majestic dignity, and ever since the bigger-budget Fox X-Men movies, fans have been yearning to see her get the red carpet treatment in the MCU, with Halle Berry and Alexandra Shipp trying but not really nailing the sheer magnitude and presence of the comic book counterpart. Now, with these X-Men finally back home to Marvel proper, it simply HAS to thunk-perfect.
Enter Cynthia Erivo. With her acting Powers, star! She is the lady who was nominated for Oscars, Emmys, and Tonys, and who took the competition to ruins with her performances in Harriet and The Color Purple. Well, the Internet has *a lot* of thoughts.
There are superfans who are seriously hyped. Like, *majors* hype! Another commenter, @tedccomicsfan, screamed, “YES!!!!!!! Get it, girl!!!!” And then, there are some who aren’t as enthusiastic; some of the criticisms have been downright dirty. One person compared her to Nosferatu (ouch), another said she is “not hot enough” (double ouch), and a few just straight-up said she is ugly (triple ouch).
Then comes the dividing question on whether she fits at all. A couple of the fans want Storm to be cast by someone very, very traditionally “regal”: think Angela Bassett back in the day, or maybe Jade Cargill-the WWE superstar who has been fan-cast as Storm for years. Somebody literally tweeted that Erivo would be better suited to playing *Apocalypse.* Brutal.
But remember: Marvel hasn’t put out a word on anything yet. So, just pure rumor and speculation courtesy of scooper @MyTimeToShineH. And, let’s face it: Marvel casting has been hit-or-miss of late. Some social-media users are decidedly side-eyeing the idea of her as Storm (a nickname-wielding one said, “Side eye i hope”), while others begged, “Please No 🙏🏿,” from the depths of their hearts-including @Forward_Focused.)
Then comes the fierce bald versus hair debate. Storm is usually seen as iconic either bald or with her white mohawk, while Erivo is currently known for her cute short natural afro. Would Marvel just ask her to go bald? Or would they dig in and keep her hair and thus ignore the comics? Big arguments are unfolding because of this.
Whichever actor walks away with the Storm gig will face critics who have built up the expectations drastically over decades of comic fans and, no matter who is cast as Storm, the fans’ going to be mad. That is comic book fandom for you.
So, will Cynthia Erivo truly become Storm? Who can say? But one thing we can guarantee: If this ever becomes a reality, for a good two weeks, the Internet will be *off the charts*. Fasten your seat belts!
