The Avengers Recruit the X-Men’s Storm as Their Newest Member

The roster of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is growing with the addition of a pivotal member of the X-Men. The Marvel Universe is currently dealing with the Fall of X and the vampire-centric Blood Hunt event, with both storylines greatly impacting both the X-Men and Avengers. With conclusions comes the opportunity for fresh starts, and that’s exactly what Marvel is planning for both franchises. We already know that the next X-Men era post-Krakoa is “From the Ashes,” with a number of new series launching throughout the year. As for the Avengers ongoing series, the end of Blood Hunt will see Valerio Schiti join as the new series artist, and Storm recruited as Earth’s Mightiest Mutant.

Storm’s first issue as an Avenger comes in August’s Avengers #17. Valerio Schiti comes fresh off of his work on G.O.D.S. alongside Jonathan Hickman. “Krakoa’s tragic fall has made the Avengers realize how vital a mutant voice on the team is, and they’ll settle for nothing less than the most prominent and beloved mutant super hero on the planet!” Marvel’s press release for Avengers #17 reads. “A pop culture icon, Storm has assembled with the Avengers before—in both comics as well as other forms of media—but never like this! Not only will the Avengers need her Omega-level power for the battles ahead, but they’ll need to rely on her unique expertise and leadership skills as MacKay’s overarching plots involving Kang, the Twilight Court, and more kick into high gear.”

Avengers creative team on bringing Storm into the Marvel series

“When we were putting together thoughts for X-Men, one problem kept coming up—Storm needed to have a presence in a book befitting her status, but it would be weird for her to be on an X-Men team if she wasn’t the leader,” Jed MacKay said about the decision to add Storm to the lineup. “The solution was simple—she needed to be on the global stage, among equals, and what better place for that than the Avengers? We’re excited to bring Storm back to the Avengers and show what adventures she’ll get up to as part of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!”

On being the new Avengers artist, Schiti said, “As a reader, I am a great fan of Jed’s run, and I really love the way he writes the team: not just as fellow soldiers, but as a group of friends with a shared past. At the same time he doesn’t hold back on action and fight scenes! The balance between these two moods is exactly what excites me the most when I have to start a new gig!”

“I have a soft spot for the mutants, so you can imagine my happiness when I knew that Storm was joining the team,” Schiti continued. “It’s always fun to draw her powers, her body language, and her outfits. There’s just one challenge: you always have to remember that she’s not just a mutant, she’s a goddess!”

Fans can also look forward to Storm starring in an X-Men solo spinoff series, also set to be announced later this week. Avengers #17 goes on sale August 7th.