Which X-Men movies did Halle Berry’s Storm appear in and how did her character change over time? Created by Len Wein and David Cockrum, Storm (aka Ororo Munroe) is a mutant with weather-controlling powers who is descended from a long line of Kenyan priestesses and made her debut in a 1975 special issue of Marvel’s X-Men comic titled Giant-Size X-Men #1. Storm was one of the first black female characters to play a major role in a mainstream comic and is regarded by some fans as Marvel’s most important female superhero to date.
Storm made her big-screen debut in 2000 when 20th Century Fox released X-Men. Angela Bassett was the studio’s first choice to play Storm but it was Halle Berry who ending up being cast, beating other candidates for the role including Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey and Jada Pinkett-Smith. Despite Berry’s prestige as an actress (which includes winning an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy), she wasn’t always a popular casting choice with X-Men viewers – many of whom felt she was a weak link in the ensemble and that Bassett would’ve been better suited to the role.
Some of the criticism leveled at the casting of Berry as Storm focused on inconsistencies in her character that played out over the X-Men film franchise. Here’s every movie that Halle Berry’s Storm was in, plus how her character changed with each appearance.
X-Men (2000)
Berry first played Storm in the very first X-Men movie. Unfortunately, Storm was largely relegated to the background in this outing but not enough for the actress' awkward attempt at a Kenyan accent to go unnoticed. Initially, Storm was softly-spoken yet loyal and fierce but – like the accent – her bright-white fright wig was a tad off-putting.
X2: X-Men United (2003)
Halle Berry's Storm was given considerably more screen time in 2003's X-Men United, thanks to Halle Berry winning an Oscar for Best Actress for her performance in Monster’s Ball the year before. Gone was Berry’s Kenyan accent, as was the fright wig replaced by a much more stylish-looking hairpiece. X2: X-Men United also let Storm better display her weather-controlling powers, including conjuring a supercell of tornadoes to bring down a fleet of fighter jets.
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Halle Berry’s Storm took on a much bigger role in Brett Ratner’s X-Men: The Last Stand as she took over leadership of the X-Men following the loss of both Cyclops and Charles Xavier at the hands of Jean Grey’s alter ego Phoenix. Appearance-wise, the movie’s costume department opted to give Storm a more modern haircut and a wardrobe dominated by black. She became brasher and bolder too but despite her bigger role, Storm’s powers were at their least impressive.
X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014)
Berry’s final outing as Storm came with 2014’s X-Men: Days Of Future Past which saw the mutant superhero sporting her shortest on-screen hair to date with a close-cropped, punky cut. Storm got to demonstrate her powers more than in other X-Men movies as she and her fellow mutants took on the Sentinels in the film’s dystopian future. However, Storm didn’t play as big a role as was intended as Halle Berry was pregnant during the filming of Days Of Future Past.