On X-Men ’97 this season, Storm has been through it. She lost her powers, found out the cute new guy she’s been seeing actually caused that problem, and faced down a demon. It’s a lot. But after many trials and tribulations, in episode six of X-Men ’97, “Lifedeath Pt. II,” Ororo Munroe got her weather-controlling powers back. She not only got her powers again, but she’s now wearing her original costume. That costume is from 1975’s Giant Size X-Men #1. Now, a fan has mashed up Storm’s upgrade with Beyoncé’s song “Alien Superstar” from her album Renaissance. And yes, it fits perfectly. You can watch the video from Twitter user Steven T right here:
They describe this as a Storm’s magical girl transformation, and it really is just that. For those unfamiliar, the term usually applies to an anime trope, one where the heroine “utters a key phrase, accompanied by certain gestures and/or using some sort of magical device, and then hovers into the air over a magical background, then has her clothes disappear as her hero costume glows into existence over her.” Sailor Moon popularized this, but even that drew inspiration from She-Ra’s and Wonder Woman’s magical transformations on TV years before. Now, Storm follows in that same grand tradition.
Using Beyoncé’s hit song “Alien Superstar” is also fitting, because a few years back, the musical icon once wore an updated version of that Storm costume for Halloween, designed by Simone Bianchi. It’s a bit of a full-circle moment. Storm’s costume in the series is the first time in the X-Men: The Animated Series continuity she’s worn her original outfit. Designed by Dave Cockrum, this was Storm’s principal costume in the Uncanny X-Men comics for years. But aside from the failed pilot episode “Pryde of the X-Men” in 1989, Storm has never used it in animation. We can’t wait to see more of it in X-Men ’97.
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