2025 Fan Casting: Who Would Make the Best Storm?

First off, I have little complaints about the job Halle Berry and Alexandra Shipp did in their respective turns as the Ororo Munroe of the Fox X-Men movies. And we are expecting Berry to reprise this role for the MCU's continuing foray into the Multiverse. 

That said, it's probably time to cast a new Storm. So ahead of the expected "sacred timeline" version of the X-Men making their debut, and in honor of her "upgrade" let's go over one humble man's choices for one of Marvel's most powerful and famous characters. 

NOTE: Thanks to the wonders of CGI and motion capture, as well as the time-honored tradition of stunt doubles, things like "are they 6 feet?" is less of a concern now than say, the last time I was fan-casting Wonder Woman. So we can focus more on the acting and overall presence here; in other words: if they were to wear the costume (real, CGI or otherwise) would they make us think, "Yo; that is STORM!" or would we say, "close, but they're missing X?" Also, to keep things somewhat consistent, I'm listing the more notable projects they've been in (the ones that I have seen are in bold).

Without Further Ado:

Danielle Deadwyler (Known For: Carry-On, Till, The Harder They Fall)

If you've seen at least two of the three movies mentioned you know that Deadwyler can show us a character dealing with a highly tense and/or uncomfortable situation. In the battle for mutant rights, those situations will be frequent. On top of that, I'm sure that Deadwyler can portray Storm's classic claustrophobia convincingly (which has been downplayed to say the least).  

Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Known For: The Good Place, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, The Sandman)

Howell-Baptiste is one of the two actresses on this list already rumored to be in the running. In her case, it's on her performance in Sandman. She has shown that she can do other accents very well. Storm's intelligence is sadly downplayed outside of comics, but Howell-Baptiste can pull it off. The biggest knock is her lack of star-power. 

Moses Ingram (Known For: The End, Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Queen's Gambit)

I know what some are thinking: "She was in a Star Wars thing (and not a character that was well-liked)!" Yeah, maybe...and? If she went to Lightsaber 101 then pretending to send lightening bolts and whirlwinds won't be that much of a stretch. And as a veteran of Star Wars, she'll know how to deal with a rabid fanbase. I will say this: if MCU Storm is going to be a leader, you should keep Ingram on the short-list. 

Antoinette Robertson (Known For: Atlanta, The Blackening, Dear White People)

Robertson may not be the ideal pick, seeing as (compared to the others) she hasn't had a signature dramatic role to point to. But if anyone can channel Storm's more regal and posh traits, it's Robertson. 

Jodie Turner-Smith (Known For: The Acolyte, The Independent, Queen and Slim)

Uh-oh; another Star Wars alum. But like Ingram, there's more to Turner-Smith than one poorly-reviewed project. Based on her cinematic resume she has the potential to play up Storm's "Goddess" traits very well.

DeWanda Wise (Known For: The Harder They Fall, Jurassic World: Domination, She's Gotta Have It) 

Wise is the other rumored choice for the role, and that's not really a surprise; she's starred in her own show, she's been part of a franchise and she's run through the genre gauntlet. That type of range is key for someone who's been a mother, sister and aunt to a sometimes volatile team. 

So if anything, we see that Storm has many sides to consider. The Mutant Activist. The Royal. The Goddess. The Leader. The Sister/Auntie. Usually in movies you're lucky to have adaptations that bring over one trait, let alone two or three. Any of these actresses would be an excellent choice.