When the X-Men were introduced in 1963, the lineup only consisted of Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Iceman, and Angel, with Professor X serving as their mentor. Over 60 years later, dozens of members have come and gone from this continually-changing roster. When counting adjacent teams like X-Force, The New Mutants, X-Factor, and Generation X, Marvel’s mutant superheroes number in the hundreds. All this stemmed from Charles Xavier’s desire to usher in a world where mutants and humans can coexist peacefully.
Xavier has particularly close relationships with a handful of the X-Men, ranging from Cyclops being his first student at the Xavier Institute, to Magneto (who’s been part of the team for a long time now rather than their enemy) being his best friend. However, there’s only one member whom he considers to be the “best” of them, and that’s a fitting honor to go along with the popularity this X-Men character has enjoyed for decades.
Ororo Munroe, a.k.a. Storm, has been an X-Men mainstay since she was recruited onto the team alongside fellow newcomers Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and the late Thunderbird in 1975’s Giant X-Men #1. Since then, she’s cemented herself as one of the most powerful mutants of all time with her weather-controlling ability, as well as led the X-Men multiple times. During one of those times, Storm didn’t even have said ability, but she still made for an exceptional leader thanks to her strong personality and natural fighting skills.
Then in 2024’s X-Men #35, Professor X paid her the highest compliment possible to a mutant. At the end of the Krakoan Era, and ahead of the “From the Ashes” X-Men comics relaunch, Storm gave an address at the United Nations. This put her on the world stage and positioned her as an important figure in the next chapter of humans and mutants maintaining good relations. It’s there that Xavier described Ororo as “perhaps the best of us.”
She was one of the reasons why he felt his former pupils were ready to guide mutants into a new era without his influence. Professor X’s kind words also followed after Storm and Cyclops teamed up to destroy Nimrod Prime, demonstrating that they had surpassed him to become the X-Men’s greatest leaders.
While Storm will always be most associated with the X-Men, she’s been more active on her own and in other corners of the Marvel universe in recent years. This isn’t unfamiliar territory for her, as there was that period when she was married to T’Challa, making her Queen of Wakanda and a key player in the Black Panther comics. However, in a post-Krakoa landscape, this creative direction emphasizes how Storm is one of the most important and influential mutants.
When the “From the Ashes” era began, Storm joined the Avengers, thus continuing to give her an even bigger platform than when she was with the X-Men. Ororo has also led two standalone titles: the 12-issue Storm and the five-issue Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant. The former series saw her operating from the Sanctuary, her headquarters in Atlanta, and dealing with both Omega-level threats and being a force for positive change in the world. In the latter series, Ororo evolved into a protector of the multiverse.
Storm will next appear in the Maximum X-Men series, where she’ll recruit Wolverine, Colossus, Bishop, Iceman, Psylocke, Firestar, and Justice to protect Earth while the Avengers retreat from the public spotlight. Whatever the future holds in store for Ororo in that series and beyond, she continues to be an inspiration and beacon of hope for mutants everywhere. Professor X considering Storm to be the best of them all is more than deserved.
