Another Age of Revelation title comes to a close as we near the end of an event that has drastically transformed and reshaped the entire line of X-books. This week, we close the book on Rogue Storm, a title that has not held back in terms of brutality and the sheer amount of violence that it has inflicted on various beloved characters of the vast Marvel universe. This title in particular has seen Ororo Munroe, aka Storm, in ways we have never seen her before, and may never see again. Storm’s depiction in this book sees the character embracing violence to such an extreme that it makes the character almost unrecognizable, and is a dark departure from a character who has always been hesitant and resistant when it comes to ending the life of another.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Rogue Storm #3!
Most of Rogue Storm is concerned with two ongoing conflicts: One in which Rogue leads an Uncanny X-Force to take down Storm, whom Rogue has reason to believe has lost control of her powers. The other conflict we see is Storm’s efforts to keep the demon Eegun from devouring the world. In Rogue Storm #1, Murewa Ayodele establishes that Rogue was split into two distinct personalities during an encounter with The Collector two years into the Age of Revelation, with Rogue Green being the version we see in Unbreakable X-Men and Rogue Red being the one we see in Rogue Storm. The issue also details the backstory as to why Rogue Red is hunting down her friend, Ororo Munroe. Gambit also makes an appearance in Rogue Storm #2, in which he confronts Ororo over what she did to Rogue Red. Gambit also makes an appearance in Rogue Storm #3 this week.
Following the events in the first two issues so far, Rogue Storm #3 opens into a dire situation, where Eegun has been inadvertently set free after Rogue stripped Storm of her abilities. Unbeknownst to Rogue, Storm was using her body as a prison to keep Eegun locked away, and thus unable to wreak havoc on the world. Without her abilities, Storm was unable to keep Eegun from escaping, and now the demon is free and running amok, causing untold destruction and devastation, with an ever-increasing body count in its wake.
The issue opens with Murewa Ayodele outlining the magical lineage that Storm descends from. It serves as a reminder that Ororo Munroe is not just an Omega-level mutant, but she also comes from a long line of magic users, and that this connection to magic is as much a part of the character as her mastery over the elements and all forms of weather manipulation. Ororo calls upon the powers of the God King Inferno to fight Eegun’s army. The narration reads, “To these mindless ones…Ororo Munroe is their end. Ororo Munroe is the gallows and their executioners.” Ororo Munroe stands triumphant with a pile of bodies at her feet. Once again, this characterisation of Ororo Munroe is very different from the Storm we are used to. Ororo, who usually avoids killing at all times, has now been driven to kill without hesitation or a second thought.
Hell hath no fury like a goddess scorned (Marvel Comics)
Rogue Storm #3 is also memorable for a tender moment between Ororo and Rogue Red, who asks Ororo to sacrifice her in order to resurrect the Uncanny X-Force team. Despite Rogue’s pleading, Ororo tells her friend that she is unable to bring the X-Force team back because she does not know how. Rogue apologizes to Ororo for trying to kill her, admitting that she acted on false information and recognizes that now. Storm accepts the apology, but she has already forgiven Rogue because they are best friends. Despite Rogue’s urging to be sacrificed, she confesses to Ororo that she’s not ready to die, and that she has so much she wants to do.
For example, she says she wants to see her mama again, and we see an image of Mystique and Destiny with a young Rogue with them. She also says she wants to hug her brother again and that she misses Gambit and his cooking. She also says she misses the X-Men and wants to spend time with Ororo the way they used to. It’s a beautiful and heartwarming moment that speaks to the rich character history between Rogue and Storm, and is also an endearing moment for Rogue Red, who has all of Rogue’s memories and remembers all the rich character history that fans associate with the character. It’s deeply moving and makes you want Rogue Red to survive so she can be reunited with all of those whom she holds dear.
We also see in this issue a lot of really dynamic action scenes as Storm battles Eegun and Eegun’s army, as well as a meaningful conversation between Gambit and Rogue Red, who interact for the first time in this book in this issue. However, while I enjoyed Storm’s scenes with Rogue Red and her battle with Eegun, and the scene between Gambit and Rogue Red, I did find this issue a little hard to follow because of the confusing timeline of the events that were presented in a nonlinear fashion. Overall, Rogue Storm is an atypical Ororo Munroe story that takes a lot of big swings, with stellar artwork that more than compensates for the moments when the big swings do not always land.
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