Marvel fans flipped (in a good way) when the Avengers: DoomsdayOpens in a new tab casting announcement included several members of the original X-Men trilogy. But along with the inclusion of Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James Marsden, and othersOpens in a new tab, there were a few glaring omissions from that cast. And at the top of that list was Halle Berry as Storm/Ororo Monroe. Many fans figured she had to be in it, they were just waiting for the next cast reveal. But thanks to Black Girl NerdsOpens in a new tab (via Comic BookOpens in a new tab), we learned that while being interviewed at CinemaCon, she said flat out, “Keep waiting…because she’s not gonna be there.” You can see her response below:
Now, it’s entirely possible she could be lying, or she has not signed her deal yet. Remember Andrew Garfield’s months of denial about being in Spider-Man: No Way Home? Despite totally having a huge role in the movie? Marvel Studios is very serious about holding on to its big surprises. Despite the occasional slip-up from Patrick Stewart here and thereOpens in a new tab. And Halle Berry’s laughter and discomfort with the question does make us wonder if there’s more to this story. In the Marvel world, a plain denial has lost a lot of currency these days.
If Halle Berry (and Famke Janssen and Anna Paquin) don’t return for this X-Men cast reunion in Doomsday, it seems like a glaring missed opportunityOpens in a new tab to give the original cast a proper send-off. Not to mention having more women in a cast overloaded with dudes. With the inclusion of Channing Tatum as Gambit, you could have even had the same roster as X-Men: The Animated Series. Maybe even in something resembling their iconic costumes from that era. That would have literally gone down in nerd history. Not to mention, who doesn’t want to see a Storm vs. Thor lightning battle? We’re crossing our fingers that Halle is being coy and we’ve still got a surprise in store. But for now, it looks like no Mistress of the Elements in Doomsday.
