Actress Maya Boyd will take on the famous comic book character Ororo Munroe, better known as Storm, in the upcoming X-Men movie.
The young actress has been a Broadway breakout star since taking on roles in &Juliet, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and Merrily We Roll Along; however, her turn as Storm will be her first film role. Marvel has never cast a relatively unknown talent for a lead role, definitely not one as beloved and coveted as Ororo. However, Boyd’s talent is undeniable and many are already waiting to see how she makes the role her own.
The announcement was delivered by Marvel Studios executive Kevin Fiege, who has been both beloved and hated by fans of the MCU for his handling of certain franchises, and follows the surprise casting announcement of the upcoming Black Panther 3 film which also brought in massive social media discourse. Still, more Black faces in the Marvel universe is always a good thing, especially with diversity initiatives being rolled back in much of Hollywood. Even the superpowered studio came under fire for canceling previously announced projects for a new Blade film starring Mahershala Ali and season two of Wonder Man starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
Boyd’s casting also marks the first time that a darker-skinned actress has been given the role, which is finally in line with Storm’s comic book identity. Previously, the role was played by Oscar winner Halle Berry—who played Storm in four films—and in the 2019 X-Men film, Dark Phoenix, actress Alexandra Shipp donned the silver-streaked wig, drawing tons of criticism for the studio’s insistence on whitewashing the role.
Boyd isn’t the first person Fox has taken a chance on; however, as it was their willingness to cast an unknown actor as Wolverine, with Hugh Jackman in 2000, that would launch the actor’s career and resurrect the character completely. Still, the 23-year-old actress will have big shoes to fill as many actresses have been vying for the role in recent years and many fans have been begging to see the character onscreen again. It remains to be seen if a standalone film for the character will ever happen; however, Boyd could be a great choice to bring that to life.
The Storm is coming and we’re here for it!
