Summary

• In X-Men '97 episode 2, the X-Cutioner shoots Storm with an inhibitor laser, removing all of her powers.
• Storm loses her abilities the same way in the comics, where she spends a long time coming to with her vulnerability and fighting alongside the X-Men as a regular human.
• Similar to the comics, Storm may regain her powers in X-Men '97 with the help of Hank McCoy or Forge, who could reverse-engineer the X-Cutioner's weapon.

Marvel's animated show All of X-Men '97's characters continue their journeys after Professor X's apparent death, and previous villains like Bolivar Trask and Magneto react accordingly. Trask insists on developing automated systems to exterminate mutants, while Magneto suddenly appears to have a change of heart and succeeds Charles Xavier as the X-Men's leader.

X-Men '97's first two episodes make it easy for viewers to follow the plot threads left open by X-Men: The Animated Series. However, X-Men '97 episodes 1 and 2 also plant the seeds for a complex storyline with Jean Grey's clone appearance and Storm's lost powers. Now, the X-Men will not only have to deal with Professor X's absence, but they will also have to make a bigger effort to protect two of their colleagues' well-being and ensure that they're comfortable staying in the team despite an unexpected turn of events.

How Storm Lost Her Powers In X-Men ‘97

In X-Men '97 episode 2, Storm and Magneto team up at a United Nations conference when protesters break in. Unfortunately for Storm, the X-Cutioner lands a shot on her when she attempts to save Magneto from the assassin. As Beast later explains, the X-Cutioner's weapon uses "a concentrated dose of the same radiation" that inhibitor collars employ to temporarily deactivate mutant powers. Since it "affects genetics on a cellular level" without the need for an inhibitor collar, it seems like the X-Cutioner's attack has neutralized Storm's weather-controlling abilities permanently.

In Marvel Comics's Uncanny X-Men #185, it's none other than federal agent Henry Gyrich who removes Storm's powers. Set on depowering Rogue by any means necessary, Gyrich steals a power-neutralizing weapon designed by Forge and personally tracks her down after she runs away from Xavier's school. Storm finds Rogue and allows her to absorb part of her powers just so Rogue can learn how to harness other heroes' abilities. However, they're interrupted by Gyrich. Similarly to X-Men '97, Storm jumps in front of the beam when Gyrich shoots Rogue, losing her own powers when struck.

How Storm Can Get Her Powers Back

In the comics, Storm abandons the X-Men and leaves for Africa, where she engages in deep introspection. Storm doubts she can ever be a hero once again, but saving a woman and her newborn child reawakens her heroism, which motivates her to return with the X-Men and participate in various epic battles despite her lack of superpowers. After a couple of brief attempts at regaining her mutation, Uncanny X-Men #225 shows how Forge creates a new machine that rekindles Storm's abilities, and she gradually recovers her control over the weather.

Storm briefly regained her powers in the comics when Loki granted her the Stormcaster, a weapon similar to Thor's Mjolnir.

X-Men '97 could follow a similar sequence of events. By the end of episode 2, Storm has quit the X-Men and left for an unknown destination. Like in the comics, Storm may come to with her lack of abilities and re the X-Men, though her powers might get restored much sooner. Forge never played a considerable role in X-Men: The Animated Series, but the weapon X-Cutioner uses could still be one of his designs. Instead of Forge, however, Hank McCoy and Henry Gyrich himself could find a way to give Storm her powers back, possibly pressured by Magneto.

Key Release Dates

• Blade (2025)

  Release Date:

  2025-11-07
• Avengers: The Kang Dynasty

  Release Date:

  2026-05-01
• Avengers: Secret Wars

  Release Date:

  2027-05-07