Even Iron Man Knows Storm Should Be An Avenger

Warning: contains spoilers for Marvels #7!

While Storm has always been considered a key, central member of the X-Men, few people outside Iron Man remember she’s also been a trusted Avengers member in the past. She briefly joined Earth’s Mightiest Heroes during her happy union with Black Panther in Brian Michael Bendis and Daniel Acuña’s Avengers #19, but her tenure didn’t last long. She re-joined the X-Men when it came time to choose sides in the Avengers vs. X-Men crossover event.

Although both super-teams are held in high regard, it’s pretty evident that the team dubbed Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are the ones viewed with more legitimacy in the Marvel Universe. Only the most consistent and competent are allowed membership into this exclusive club, and only a handful of X-Men members have been asked to join the Avengers as well. But while Iron Man respects plenty of mutant heroes, it’s clear there’s only one he wishes was still on his team.

In Marvels #7 by Kurt Busiek and Yildiray Cinar, Tony Stark gives an impassioned speech regarding how he’s disappointed in the state of the new ad-hoc team that does not know how to work together. The group includes the Black Cat, the new Shi’ar Warbird, and the original Vision, but it seems Tony only really trusts his fellow Avengers and Ororo not to mess things up. “This isn’t a group that’s used to fighting as a unit,” he says. “And the slightest mistake can wreck a battle plan. Even you, Torch…” In singling out the Human Torch, Stark is pointing out how Torch, unlike most of the team, has worked in a super-team for most of his life, just not the Avengers. Storm is in the exact same situations as the Human Torch, but because Stark recognizes her pedigree, he doesn’t call her out. In fact, in a one-on-one conversation with Captain America at another point in the story, he singles her out as one of the few “welcome” additions to their unit.

This isn’t the first time that Iron Man has sung Storm’s praises. Previously, in Steve Orlando and Andrea Broccardo’s X-Men: Curse of the Man Thing #1, Stark basically lamented how Storm was the best Avenger that the team ever lost. Storm is currently the ruler of Arakko (the planet formerly known as Mars), and may well be the galaxy’s most important hero in the modern age, given that world’s role in holding the galactic economy together.

It’s more common to see the Avengers and X-Men butting heads than singing each other’s praises, but through various adventures, Tony Stark has proved he has no interest in hiding how much he thinks of Storm. While she’s currently busy as a mutant hero, fans never truly got to see Storm shine as an Avenger, and hopefully Iron Man‘s continued high opinion will mean she one day rejoins the team and gets the spotlight she deserves.

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