#windrider

Sleep time!

Ground Rules

I’m gonna start from the left side, top to bottom and move gradually to the right

My opinions are highly subjective, keep that in mind

I may discuss some costumes that are not pictured and will add to the quiz if I find a good image of said costumes

Note: Less information will be stated regarding the origin of/first issue that each suit featured in, but I will name them regarding their specific storyline/universe etc. so you have an easier time finding out more about each costume

Warning: LONG POST BELOW THE CUT.

Credit

Art - Russell Dauterman, Sword #8 Cover Variant

Cover Article > https://greatxmentations.com/storm-xmen-costumes-ranked/ <

Asgardian Storm - is it a product of it’s time? Absolutely. Is it also badass that it’s basically Storm if she was Thor? Also yes. Wielding a hammer and summoning thunder, whilst looking absolutely flawlessly is something right up Storm’s alley! As a serious outfit, it obviously doesn’t hold up - the wild hair, the ridiculous but for the sake of iconicity, we’re starting of with a bangin’ 6/10.

Astonishing X-Men Storm - garb, fit for a godess. Looking absolutely divine in white, here Ororo’s godess factor is cranked up to 11, as she basically walked out of some pantheon. The white especially compliments her unusually curly hair, shaping up a unique silhouette. Unquestionably, this is one of Storm’s most iconic and memorable white suits, so a suiting 7/10.

Ultimate Storm - like a lot of the things in the Ultimate universe, this suit is just not.. good. There are no flowing parts to her attire, her hair is in a horrendous low ponytail and the gold accents are somewhat randomly placed. At least you can kinda tell it’s Storm, right? Well, ultimately the score is a 2/10. (Added another point because I love Storm with curly hair, couldn’t help myself :)

X-Force Storm - certainly checking all the boxes in terms of memorability, this suit has starpower. One of Storm’s most popular costumes, she is rocking her signature mohawk and her long cape/sleeve/poncho thing, donning her signature black, gold with a speck of white. Just for it’s cemented status as one of her most recognisable suits of all time, I have to give it the fair 7/10 treatment, as beyond it’s status it’s really just another hero suit.

Punk Storm - bow before the even more iconic, badass, originator of the mohawk! Of course, every hero has to have a dark, edgy phase and with Ororo it really stuck. Readers loved this suit as well! Despite being an emblematic piece of Storm’s wardrobe, if you can look past nostalgia it’s just black leather on black leather. If Storm joined a biker gang, she’d absolutely wear the same thing, so in the risk of making people mad, I have to give it a 5/10.

Classic Storm - in her introduction, Storm wore this very same outfit and I can say that it’s one of her best. Not only does it hold up to this day, but she is still depicted wearing this look in a lot of media and even if I, myself, am young, I grew up with this costume and this IS the Storm outfit for me. Many things that would become staples in Storm’s regalia would originate here (headbands, her frilly cape/poncho thing etc.), so our first 10/10 is in order.

Age of Apocalypse Storm - now, slowing down the pace, we have Storm as the team faced Apocalypse. I’ll say it straight - I don’t like this costume. Nothing here says “Storm” - from her short bob, to the lack of jewelry, to the out-of-place face paint and her whole outfit being a mess, there is no saving grace. There’s really no Storm to be found here, so have my 2/10 and go (That bonus point is really because the boots reference Classic Storm’s boots, that’s it)

Onslaught Storm - yet another weak entry in my eyes. While there’s nothing to point out as being necessarily bad, it’s just lackluster and dull on every level, and the random mid-riff is not taking any cups either. The fact that she wore this for years, just saddens me and gets me thinking on all the actually good costumes we missed out on during that time. I only kind of enjoy the new hair they went for, as weird as that sounds is. An equally drab 3/10 is due.

X-Men Gold Storm - this is the Storm that most of the world grew up with, as this was what Ororo wore in the X-Men Animated Series. A really good synthesis of old and new, it perfectly shows Storm’s deity influences and those shoulderpads, as dated as they are, are rocking. To solidify that “weather deity” look, Ororo never wore much clothes as to be exposed to the rain and wind, and while not off-putting, it is unusal for her to be fully dressed-up (even if it makes more sense, considering the winds she faces every time she flies) and so, a storming 9/10.

Krakoa Storm - it’s just a certified showstopper, one after another with her. Another one of my absolute favorite Storm designs, I can’t praise it enough. It’s slick, it’s godly, her hair is in a ponytail, what more could we ask? An absolute winner in my book, perfect in every way and no wonder that has been her consistent costume for the past few years. I can’t help myself but dish out another sizzling 10/10.

Revolution Storm - the Revolution saga certainly was a weird time for our favorite outcasts, as pretty much every major X-Man recieved a radical redesign. In Storm’s case it was not a good step. I can see that they went for the sorceress look, but that’s just not Storm - magic and divinity are completely different things. The bold choice to add purple as an undersuit (Storm has never worn one of those?) wasn’t warmly welcomed either, and don’t get me started on the headpiece and accents. All-in-all, I can just give it the thunderingly low score of 3/10 and continue on.

X-Streme Storm - on par with the previous entry, X-Treme Storm is yet another inadequate mess. With Storm it’s either a big win, or a huge miss. Here, we can definitely make out the latter, as this is a glorified Carol Danvers cosplay (at least what she had on during her Ms. Marvel days) with a headband and a cape. The audience really doesn’t need a big lightning to know we’re looking at Storm, she has the presence. Even tho I completely bashed it, this suit isn’t terrible. But it isn’t good in the slightest, either. And now, for your participation trophy - 4/10.

Australian Outback Storm - whilst having more merit than X-Treme Storm, Outback isn’t great either. It’s absolutely Storm’s most dull suit, with it just being a black catsuit with a lightning bolt. There really isn’t anything to comment or dwell on, as it’s just a bit lazy. Again - not absolutely unenjoyable, but not noteworthy either. Mid tier pick, with a mid tier score of 5/10.

X-Man Uniform Storm - considering all the great Storm costumes we went through, her bland X-Man uniform is just meh. Nothing makes her stand out, as I have undoubtedly mistaken her for Shard multiple times, while she was wearing this costume. Again, I know X-Men all pass through this suit and wear it to show their allegiance, but you can forgive me for being thankful it didn’t stick. Not to ramble, take your 3/10.

X-Streme Sanctions Executive (XSE) Storm - clearly referencing Storm’s Classic costume, the XSE really doesn’t add much to make it stand out. Other than making Storm’s suit full-boy and adding some designs along the edge of her cape, this isn’t a worthy addition to Ororo’s wardrobe and certainly not a worthy successor to the original suit as it tried too hard to reference it while not being different enough to make it stand out, and for that... Honorary 4/10.

Bonus Rankings below the cut!