Storm Reportedly Heading to Black Panther 3, With Ryan Coogler Said to Be Casting Her

Storm is reportedly on her way into the MCU through Black Panther 3, and Ryan Coogler is said to be directly involved in casting her.

This comes from industry insider Jeff Sneider, and the specific claim is that Ryan Coogler is said to be involved in the casting of Storm in the MCU, with Storm reportedly appearing in Black Panther 3. I cannot help but point out that this story broke right after the big weekend for Spider-Man Brand New Day, and the common thread across these reports is Marvel apparently weaving an X-Men member's origin story into another major franchise title.

Jeff Sneider's Marvel Scoop Track Record

Sneider is the same insider who nailed Robert Downey Jr returning as Doctor Doom two months before Marvel confirmed it. He was also the first to talk about Sadie Sink joining the MCU and the first to call her as Jean Grey. On top of that, he got a lot of the Spider-Man Brand New Day details right too.

Given that pattern, I said to give what he says a lot of reverence. He has a proven track record, especially recently.

Why This Storm and Black Panther Connection Makes Sense

I think this pairing actually makes more sense than, say, Jean Grey turning up in Spider-Man Brand New Day. Having Ororo Munroe, as she was born, show up in Black Panther 3 lines up with her comic history. In a later comic it was introduced that Storm met T'Challa when they were both in their early teens, and later on T'Challa and Storm actually went on to get married. So there is a natural overlap in the story here.

I like the idea of Marvel taking some of these X-Men and weaving their origin stories into other major franchises. It worked for Jean Grey and Spider-Man as an unlikely duo, and I think it will work for Storm and T'Challa too.

The Comic-Accurate Origin Story Storm Could Get

I wonder if Marvel is not just going to give us the comic-accurate origin for Storm, descending from a line of African priestesses from Kenya. In the comics she is born in Manhattan, then moves to Cairo with her parents. A fighter jet crashes into her house, killing her parents, and she is trapped in the rubble next to her mother's dead body. That trauma is what leads to her claustrophobia.

Eventually she turns into a pickpocket and a master thief, then wanders into the Sahara, eventually making it to her ancestral homeland, where her weather powers fully manifest. Depending on what Marvel is willing to show in flashbacks, they could work in that meeting between young Storm and young T'Challa too, maybe even as the way the film opens.

Ryan Coogler's Casting Track Record Has Me Reassured

What I really like about this report is that Ryan Coogler will reportedly be directly involved in helping cast Storm. As I have said in previous videos, the basic bottom of the pyramid for the success of Coogler's films is how strong his casting is. He is always on point with the actors and actresses he brings in, not just in the MCU but in his other work as well, and that lays the foundation for everything else.

He also has a track record of attracting some of the best actors to want to work with him. I am fully on board with his choice for the new T'Challa, and this is how I read it: with a major actor already confirmed for the film, this is going to be an insane pitch for any actress to come in and take on Storm. Kevin Feige felt fine yielding to Ryan Coogler when he called saying he had found the actor who will play the new T'Challa, and I think that actor is going to do an excellent job.

The Long-Term Stakes, and Why Ghost Rider Might Not Get the Same Treatment

As I have said in all of these X-Men casting videos, the ramifications of who Marvel picks are going to count for the next decade and a half, maybe two decades. They are landing on actors who are either in their early 20s or 30s, with Sadie Sink at 24, Samara Weaving for Emma Frost at 34, and the actor reportedly chosen as the new T'Challa at 32. These are people who can stick around and play these roles for the next 20 years, so Marvel does not want to miss on this.

I do wonder if this same approach might extend to Ghost Rider, but I am not so sure. Spider-Man is already established in his fourth movie, which left room for someone else's origin story to be folded in. Ghost Rider still has to work through his own origin story, so I do not think there is room for an X-Men origin to be woven into that one. This is extremely exciting to me, and I cannot wait to see who Marvel chooses for Storm.

Who do you want to see play Storm in the MCU?