X-Men Monday #328 – Murewa Ayodele Talks ‘Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant’

Welcome, X-Fans, to another uncanny edition of X-Men Monday at AIPT!

In the From the Ashes Storm series, writer Murewa Ayodele and his artistic collaborators took Ororo Munroe’s story to epic new heights. (And, honestly, “epic” is putting it mildly — if you haven’t, just read the full 12 issues to understand what I’m talking about.) But what’s next for Ororo, in what Murewa has referred to as the Eternal Storm saga? Well, we got a taste in last week’s Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant #1 from Murewa, artist Federica Mancin, color artist Java Tartaglia, letterer VC’s Travis Lanham, and cover artists R.B. Silva and David Curiel.

Fortunately, you don’t have to wait until the next issue to learn even more, as Murewa agreed to return to X-Men Monday to share insights on the first issue, teases for what’s to come, and more. Let’s see what he has to say.

AIPT: Welcome back to X-Men Monday, Murewa! 

Murewa Ayodele: Hey, Chris. It’s so good to be back. And thank you for the awesome work you do in making comics, especially X-Men comics, more fun and interactive outside the inked pages.

AIPT: Appreciate that! Let’s kick things off by digging into the name of this new Storm volume: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant. Obviously, Ororo earned this title when she joined the Avengers early in the From the Ashes era, but what does it mean to you, and why was it the perfect subtitle for the latest chapter in your Eternal Storm saga?

Murewa: The “Earth’s Mightiest Mutant” subtitle was an editorial choice, but I find it extremely fitting, because as we move into this new chapter of the Eternal Storm saga, Storm’s sense of responsibility over the Earth will be ever-present.

In other words, she is Earth’s mightiest mutant because she is the mutant who feels the most responsible for the Earth and will sacrifice all it takes to keep her safe. Her awesome powers just happen to be the cherry on top of making the title even more suiting.

AIPT: This week’s first X-Fan question comes from Butterflykyss, who first wanted to congratulate you on your successful Storm run! Butterflykyss felt the goal of that run was to show that Ororo can be a major contender in the Marvel cosmology alongside characters such as Eternity and Infinity. Looking at Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant, what is your primary objective with this series, and what do you want readers to know/learn about Ororo as it unfolds?

Murewa: Thank you, Butterflykyss. Yes, one of my goals for Storm (2024) was to showcase that we can tell stories with huge stakes with Ororo like any of the Marvel heavy hitters (because she is one, too) — to show that under the weight of limitless creative ambition, she’ll shine even brighter.

To digress a little… There was a time Dotun Akande and I were trying to pitch some animated shows to anyone who would listen to us in Hollywood. It was before our time together at Marvel Comics. And usually, you just don’t hear anything back from execs, or they politely decline your pitch. But there was this executive who did us a huge favor back then — she schooled us on what was missing in our work before declining the pitch. Her name is Cooper Nelson, and we will never forget her for helping us in such a huge way. One of the many lessons she taught us was that you need interesting characters to make a series work, and once you have that secured, the audience will follow these characters through any story setting you cook up. She was the development coordinator on Bravest Warriors by Pendleton Ward.

So, now that we have fully established through Storm (2024) that Ororo’s solo stories can range from a dangerous dinner with Doctor Doom, a body-snatching cosmic entity, to an encounter with true omnipotence, we are in a very interesting state where anything can literally happen. My goal for Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant (2026) is to tell surprising stories (that explore themes dear to my heart) within this new scope and have fun telling stories that reflect some of my weirder sensibilities… to further prove that Storm’s character will always shine no matter the story setting.

AIPT: You mentioned Storm’s dangerous dinner with Doctor Doom. I really enjoyed the fact that Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant #1 puts Ororo in another interesting situation and is centered around a Japanese tea ceremony. It’s little touches like that I feel reflect your unique storytelling sensibilities. What made you want to integrate a tea ceremony into your story — and what does it say about Storm?

Murewa: There are elements I tend to naturally integrate into my stories — even if it’s a grand, epic tale. I like for the audience to have a sense of the landscape, flora, and fauna of a location a scene is set in. I suspect Federica Mancin may also be this way, as she doesn’t miss an opportunity to include world-building elements in every location. I adore it even more when characters have familiar quiet moments that we can relate to in these scenes… moments that can range from using the bathroom to cooking. The tea ceremony is yet another attempt to bring human elements into a discussion between an Omega-level mutant and a literal mythic god.

Regarding what the tea ceremony says about Storm? Well, anytime I think of Storm’s backstory up until her previous run in X-Men Red (2022), I see her as an icon for multiculturalism. In this run, we’ll see her express this trait even more as she speaks multiple languages, like English, French, Swahili, and Yoruba, in various contexts. I also wanted to show how much she respects other people’s culture, to the extent that she performed an immaculate Japanese tea ceremony that impressed a Japanese god.

Another little aspect of Storm that I wanted to show is how meticulous and restrained she can be.

AIPT: Because I start every morning with flavored, caffeinated tea, I have to ask — are you a tea fan? If so, what tea are you serving Storm?

Murewa: I’m a tea fan — but I think I’m a pretty basic one.

If I were to serve Storm tea, I think I’d go with hibiscus tea. Its rich ruby-red color and fruity flavor are sure to impress. It also has the added bonus of being relatively easy to prepare.

AIPT: Of course, we can’t get too far into discussing this new series without digging into “The War Above All” — which is referred to as “the most dangerous war in existence.” X-Fan Dré Wenceslau is curious if this conflict is tied to the One Above All. Could Storm be the lightning of the One Above All? What can you tease?

Murewa: It’s really hard to tease without giving spoilers, Dré Wenceslau, but I’ll try my best.

As previously established, Mistress Death is on a revenge quest against Eternity and the One Above All. In this first arc, we will mostly be exploring how these machinations endanger Eternity and our universe. The One Above All isn’t getting involved just yet.

What can I tease then? Well, we have a Zombie Doctor Strange that’s serving the will of Mistress Death.

AIPT: Doctor Strange? Good time to segue to the new Sorcerer Supreme. With Ororo’s fellow Avenger, the Scarlet Witch, appearing in Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant, X-Fan Rick asks how you’d define Ororo and Wanda’s friendship.

Murewa: Ororo and Wanda have had various interactions over their history, Rick, but I’d be taking most of my cues from how Stephanie Williams in Scarlet Witch (2023) #2 and Jed MacKay in Avengers (2023) #22 defined Ororo and Wanda’s friendship. There’s a sense of sisterhood, empathy, and camaraderie forged by being on a team together, and a willingness to learning from each other that I think would serve our story well.

It’s just that when you have a big secret, you suddenly don’t want your superhero friend visiting as much, but how do you tell your friend to stop coming over for visits because you have a cadaver in your closet?

AIPT: Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant #1 features a man’s head exploding while he sits on a toilet — and it’s not even a Red Band comic! Good thing Wanda is on the case. What can you tease about what we learn about this horrific mystery, and should we expect more twisted imagery in this new volume?

Murewa: Hard-hitting images can be so striking because of how sudden and far apart they are. Fans should expect more twisted imagery from this new volume, but they won’t be so frequent that it waters down their impact.

All I can tease about the mystical mystery Scarlet Witch follows in this series is that it’ll inevitably lead back to Storm.

AIPT: Galacta is another guest star we can expect to see, in what’s being billed as the first appearance of her Marvel 616 variant. X-Fan Greypryde says Galacta doesn’t originate in Marvel Rivals, but that’s probably from where she’s best known. Is it difficult to approach writing the character with that in mind? And how does your take differ from other versions?

Murewa: It wasn’t particularly challenging, but I had to take extra precautions to make sure I was treating her introduction into Marvel 616 with the utmost care. In Issue #2, what we see is a sneak peek of what our version of Galacta would look like and her unique origins. We sprinkle another sneak peek into Issue #3 until we eventually see her as a full-blown threat (or maybe ally) in Issue #5.

How does my take differ? I think any answer might be a big spoiler. But what I can say, Greypryde, is that we are determined to start her story in an unexpected location, so that the journey ahead of her to becoming more of what we know is a long and enjoyable experience.

AIPT: In Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant #1, we’re introduced to Rage, The Rogue Planet (cousin of Ego). Beyond Rage, X-Fan Ivan asks if we’ll see more new cosmic entities in this series.

Murewa: We have a little cameo from Azathoth, the blind idiot god, planned for the fourth issue. But most gods and entities that appear in future issues are pre-existing or too secret to spoil.

If you are super interested in cosmic entities, keep an eye out for the Man in Space suit moving forward. They’ve been appearing since Storm (2024) #8, but in a Where’s Waldo kind of way. Things get pretty interesting for this character in this volume.

AIPT: The cover and solicitation for Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant #3 seem to hint at Ororo being removed from the Marvel multiverse entirely — and potentially stepping into our world? At least, that’s what X-Fan Jason is wondering. Anything you can share?

Murewa: It’s going to be a very thrilling story that’ll reward your knowledge of comics and manga, Jason.

AIPT: We can eXclusively reveal the cover and solicitation to Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant #4, featuring the return of Furaha!

STORM: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST MUTANT #4 (OF 5)

Written by MUREWA AYODELE
Art by FEDERICA MANCIN
Cover by R.B. SILVA

FURAHA, STORM’s daughter, has arrived!

On Sale 5/6

R.B. Silva’s cover seems to depict mother and daughter — in her own costume — post-battle. Is it safe to assume readers will get to know a lot more about Furaha in this issue?

Murewa: Yes. It’s a safe assumption to make.

I love Furaha so much. Every piece of fan art of her I see warms my heart.

It brought me great pleasure to finally get to write Storm and Furaha interacting together on the page. I find their exchanges extremely wholesome.

AIPT: Ororo is such a multifaceted character. What characteristics would you say her daughter brings out in her?

Murewa: I’ve seen posts about my run on Storm online that I could swear my scripts had leaked because of how accurate fans are at peeling back the curtain of inner character motivations, future plot details, unrevealed philosophical themes, inconspicuous visual cues, etc.

I doubt I can answer this question without Storm fans deducing the plot surrounding Furaha.

Intelligent characters tend to attract intelligent fandoms. That’s one of the prices of writing for Storm. You have to find a way to outsmart a group of clever readers who share their knowledge and discoveries amongst each other. It’s challenging yet extremely rewarding.

AIPT: Furaha makes me think of Wolverine (not sure why!), so here’s a question from X-Fan StormverineJoy, who knows last time Wolverine appeared in Storm, there was an uproar from a certain section of the fandom, but the rest of us enjoyed seeing him. Is there any hope of him appearing again in Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant?

Murewa: For my third and last sneak peek, StormverineJoy…

AIPT: As we wrap up, X-Fans Antoine Dodson, Goddamn Midnighter, Tor, and uchenna were looking for clarity as to whether Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant could go longer. Anything you can clarify about this latest “season” within the Eternal Storm Saga you discussed in Storm #12’s letters page?

Murewa: To the best of my knowledge, we have five issues greenlit. Depending on their sales and reception, we have the opportunity for more. Honestly, with the way Storm fans support and help promote this run, I am at peace.

AIPT: Finally, you’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with some pretty fantastic artists since you started chronicling Ororo’s epic adventures. How has it been working with Federica Mancin and R.B. Silva on Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant?

Murewa: I’ve worked with Federica Mancin before. Alongside Gleb Melnikov, we worked on X-Manhunt: Omega #1 together. So getting to work with her again on this series felt like a reunion of friends.

I call her Federica “the Flash” Mancin because of how fast she is. She caught up with the scripts twice in a row. She’s the reason Tom Brevoort has me locked up in his basement, pushing out scripts.

Federica’s attention to backgrounds and world-building is unmatched, her characters are beautifully expressive, and her camera work is daring. She is the perfect storyteller to bring this mystical story to life. And when it comes to designing characters and monsters…? Let me just show you.

And our colorist, Java Tartaglia, is simply a genius who manages to surpass himself with each issue. His style fully cements this book as a science-fantasy tale that finds a beautiful way to make the story feel as ageless as the gods, yet as cutting-edge as the wildest futuristic science we can come up with.

Letterer Travis Lanham has been with us since Storm (2024) through Rogue Storm and now Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant — bringing a tonal consistency to how we perceive these characters’ voices. Yet he continually manages to reinvent himself to create a smooth reading experience, clarity, and fun.

Lastly, but certainly not least, is cover artist R.B. Silva and cover color artist David Curiel. Their characters are gorgeous and mythic. Their covers are mesmerizing, yet one wants to know more about what they’re saying. This duo has provided the series with covers that are story-filled, inviting, and vibrant in a way that only artists who have mastered both cover art and internal pages art can provide.

We are blessed with such a stellar team.

Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant is truly a series not to miss if you are a fan of fantastic storytelling taken to bold new directions.

AIPT: And with that perfect closing line — Murewa, thanks for stopping by X-Men Monday!

X-Fans, as you no doubt noticed, this week’s eXclusive images were scattered throughout the conversation. So if you sped to the bottom to see them, it looks like you need to go back to the beginning and, you know, read the interview. Sorry!

And be sure to pick up Storm: Earth’s Mightiest Mutant #2 when it goes on sale March 11, 2026.

Next X-Men Monday – February 16, 2026

In the next edition of X-Men Monday, writer Ashley Allen returns to discuss the upcoming Moonstar series!

Coming Soon To X-Men Monday…

After that, writer and artist Ryan Stegman returns to discuss the upcoming X-Men Annual, as well as reflect on his recent X-work. The call for questions ends tomorrow (February 10, 2026), so click here if you’d like to ask Ryan a question. And no, the whole interview cannot be about Jean Grey.

Oh, and finally, maybe there’ll be something else between this edition and next week’s. I don’t know… is anything happening this week? Discuss!

Until next time, X-Fans, stay eXceptional!