Posted in: Disney+, TV | Tagged: Alison Sealy-Smith, disney, storm, X-Men '97

X-Men '97: Alison Sealy-Smith Discusses Breathing New Life Into Storm

With X-Men '97 having debuted, Alison Sealy-Smith discusses what real-world experiences she tapped into to take on the role of Storm.

X-Men '97 is now streaming on Disney+, as the rave reviews pour in for the first two episodes. As you may have heard, many of the original voice cast have returned for this new show, including Alison Sealy-Smith as fan-favorite Storm. I know nobody else has come close to being the weather-controlling mutant in my eyes, so I am ready to see her take the role back again. In a new chat with EW, she talks about doing just that, including how her real-life upbringing added a unique element to her portrayal of the role.

X-Men 97 Is Getting Raves

"I am Afro-Caribbean. We grew up with this existential fear of hurricanes. My island is about a spec in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean," Sealy-Smith says. "The idea of somebody who has this awesome power, and because of it has to exercise the most meticulous self-control, I found that, as a Black woman especially, really interesting to see. This woman had this power and yet could never fall into the trap of the angry Black woman trope because if she allows herself to feel the full extent of her rage and fury against the injustices and inequities of this world, bad stuff is going to happen and people are going to get hurt. She may even hurt her friends."

Storm is set up to be a pretty big part of X-Men '97 as the season continues to play out, but we won't go into spoilers here. Any excuse to get as much Sealy-Smith as possible is all right in our book. Add in that my boy Cyclops is finally getting his due as a badass as well, and the show is a home run.

The first two episodes of X-Men 97 are now streaming on Disney+.

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