Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics | Tagged: black panther, jonathan hickman, storm, x-men

Marvel's Plans For Storm To Have Black Panther's Baby In X-Men

Published Thu, 06 Jan 2022 07:57:11 -0600

Last updated Sat, 08 Jan 2022 19:46:28 -0600

Jonathan Hickman was talking to the Xplain The X-Men podcast on the occasional of their 150th podcast, and the publication of his final X-Men comic book with Inferno #4. And he had lots to say – including his plans at Marvel Comics for Storm. And the Giant-Sized X-Men: Storm special drawn by Russell Dauterman that was delayed for unknown reasons. Well, we know the reasons now.

The first one was going to be when Storm is screwed up and injured and when Jean and Emma come out of the psychic rescue, you were going to find out that what was wrong with her was she was just pregnant. And she was pregnant with her and T'Challa's kid. And then the next couple issues would have been her having to go into The World, and having the kid and the kid would be raised in The World, so it would be this heir to two kingdoms, who didn't know the mother or the father. But you would have gotten a whole bunch of stuff coming out of the world that would have crashed into all of that. And the reason why we didn't do that is because Marvel had other Black Panther plans that got pushed in, and also they didn't want to go in that direction, but it was too late to change it. Russell was already halfway through drawing the book, so all of that stuff in those Giant-Sized books, all of those changed on the fly which is why it's a little bit of a mess.

But that was actually going to be a really cool thing for some stuff that was going to happen later. We were going to get the Avengers Next kid, their kid from the future cartoony thing and there was some stuff that was going to happen much later on that that kid would be a really big part of. Because he would be able to unify, he'd be a" leader" of two different societies which would have mattered a lot later on, so that added so much context to those Giant Size specials.

Okay, I mean, wow. The Jean Grey and Emma Frost X-Men Giant-Size Special saw the two enter Storm's mind to save her, with all sorts of symbolism by Hickman and Dauterman… especially that of fertility.

That Storm's mindscape was similar to that of T'Challa's in the Black Panther movie was criticised at the time. Given the original plan, that might excuse it more. There is plenty of other life blossomomhg imagery to accompany it as well.

And ended thus:

I mean, a pregnancy is a bit like a machine virus, right? Originally, we would have just learned she was pregnant. Then the Giant-Size Storm special be the same creative team saw them dealing with the repercussions. And entering The World, a high-tech, self-contained research facility built by Weapon Plus somewhere in rural England, and produced several weapons with the assistance of A.I.M. The rate at which time flows within The World can be controlled so that several generations can pass in a matter of days.

Did they just take the original pages, rewrite the dialogue and cover the background in circuitry?

With other plans as to what Ororo might do going forward?

Originally… Emma was to suggest that Storm commit suicide and be resurrected by the Krakoan protocols – but no longer pregnant? Emma Frost, that is an extreme example of abortion, and this was the original plan. And then they head to The World…

…otherwise known as Krakoan kindergarten. In the Giant-Size Special, the techno-organic virus is absorbed by The World. In the original, that would have been Storm's foetus.

And as they leave, it is noted by Doug Ramsey, that this is an independent life form they are leaving behind.

As to the Next Avengers, Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow was the Marvel animated movie released in 2008, featuring the children of the Avengers, James Rogers, son of Captain America and Black Widow, Torunn daughter of Thor and Sif, Henry Pym Jr, son of Giant Man and Wasp and Azari, son of Black Panther and Storm. and well as Francis Barton, son of Hawkeye and Mockingbird.

As the son of Black Panther and Storm, Azari inherited the powers and abilities of Heart-shaped Herb from his father: enhanced speed, agility, strength, endurance, healing and senses. He also inherited the powers and abilities of electrokinesis from his mother.