One of the coolest parts of the trailer for the third and final season of What If…? on Disney+ is our first glimpse of Storm in the MCU. Until now, the Kenyan mutant weather goddess has only appeared in the Fox X-Men cinematic universe, as well as the world of X-Men: The Animated Series. But the version we meet of Ororo Munroe in What If..? looks to be wielding an Asgardian hammer, similar to Thor’s hammer, Mjölnir. Or, it may in fact be Mjölnir itself. This actually tracks with events in the life of the iconic X-Man in the pages of the comics. This is the Marvel Comics history of Storm as an Asgardian Goddess of Thunder.
In the comics, Storm first channeled godly power through a different Asgardian hammer than Mjölnir, named Stormcaster. This hammer first appeared in Uncanny X-Men: Annual #9, back in 1985. This Chris Claremont-written tale came during the years in which Storm lost her mutant weather-controlling powers. She stayed with the X-Men, and during one adventure fighting the Goddess of Death, Hela, they ended up on Asgard. The trickster god Loki tried to manipulate Ororo, and created an enchanted hammer that gave her abilities similar to Thor’s named Stormcaster. This included being able to call down lightning and thunder, which she used to do naturally. Ultimately, Storm realized that Loki was manipulating her to get back at his brother. She ultimately rejected Stormcaster, although her true mutant powers would soon return.
Storm did not wield Stormcaster again for many years. Ororo once again got the Stormcaster from Thor, and once again became the Goddess of Thunder. But in a fight with Thor (you know how superhero misunderstandings turn into brawls), she used Mjölnir to destroy it. Although it appeared to be destroyed, it soon reappeared in what was left of Old Asgard. The hammer later returned to Earth and reunited with Storm. After she defeated the evil deity Uovu with it, the hammer turned to dust, now having fulfilled its purpose. But in comics, no one and nothing stays dead and gone forever. And that includes Stormcaster.
In 2011’s X-Men: To Serve and Protect #3, Storm touched the legendary enchanted hammer that had returned, and she transformed into the Goddess of Thunder once more. Thor tried to smash Stormcaster, realizing the hold it would have over Storm would be too much for a mortal. Try as he might, the Odinson could not destroy Stromcaster. So Thor convinced Storm to hold his hammer Mjölnir, and they held it aloft together. Together, they destroyed Stormcaster at last. But in doing so, Ororo proved that she, along with Captain America and a few others, was worthy of wielding Thor’s mystical uru hammer.
Storm’s time as a Goddess of Thunder was brief in the mainline 616 Marvel Universe. But there were other realities in the multiverse where she retained her Asgardian power. In 1990’s What If…? issue #12, they explored a world where Storm chose to remain on Asgard. There, she ascended to Goddess of Thunder status on a more permanent basis. In fact, in this reality, she became the ultimate ruler of Asgard. In the 2015 version of Secret Wars, Doctor Doom has an army of Thors who do his bidding on Battleworld. Among this Thor Corps is Storm, who once again holds an enchanted hammer. We are not certain as to why Storm will become a Goddess of Thunder in the animated What If…? series. But we are very eager to find out.
