THE POPE’S COMICS: Examining The Hero Pattern: Storm

By Bethany W Pope

 on October 10, 2021

Welcome back to “The Pope’s Comics,” our new regular column by award-winning novelist, poet, and Comic Watch contributor Bethany Pope! Bethany brings a wealth of knowledge on literature, LGBTQIA+ issues history, gender, comics, and so much more. We sincerely hope you enjoy!

This week I’m examining the ways in which Lord Raglan’s Hero Pattern apply to the X-Men’s resident goddess of the Storm, Ororo Munroe. As always, I’ve only examined the points in her story which intersect with the outline provided by Raglan. Since the Hero Pattern is sexist, I’ve altered my reading to account for the blindspots of early Western sociology. As a disclaimer, this essay is not meant to disparage any practiced religions. Rather it is a way of examining the patterns which surface in religions as well as mythology in general.

As I said, this pattern is based upon The Hero: A study in Tradition, Myth and Dreams by Lord Raglan. I’ve included a complete copy of the pattern below, but I’ll only elaborate on the points which apply to Storm. Hopefully this analysis will provide some insight into the ways in which mythology affects and interacts with the modern world. 

Incidents which occur with regularity in hero-myths of all cultures:

1. Hero’s mother is a royal virgin;
2. His father is a king, and
3. Often a near relative of his mother, but
4. The circumstances of his conception are unusual, and
5. He is also reputed to be the son of a god.
6. At birth an attempt is made, usually by his father or his maternal grand father to kill him, but
7. he is spirited away, and
8. Reared by foster -parents in a far country.
9. We are told nothing of his childhood, but
10. On reaching manhood he returns or goes to his future Kingdom.
11. After a victory over the king and/or a giant, dragon, or wild beast,
12. He marries a princess, often the daughter of his predecessor and
13. And becomes king.
14. For a time he reigns uneventfully and
15. Prescribes laws, but
16. Later he loses favor with the gods and/or his subjects, and
17. Is driven from the throne and city, after which
18. He meets with a mysterious death,
19. Often at the top of a hill,
20. His children, if any do not succeed him.
21. His body is not buried, but nevertheless
22. He has one or more holy sepulchres.

Storm

1. Hero’s mother is a royal virgin;

Storm’s mother was a Kenyan princess, who (in a reverse Cinderella story) married an African American photojournalist. 

2. His father is a king, and

While Ororo’s biological father was an American photojournalist (and therefore likely a descendant of the slaves who were kidnapped and forced to labor on Southern plantations) he was married to royalty. Since titles are conveyed through marriage, he definitely fits the bill. If Storm had joined the X-Men as a teenager rather than a woman who was described as being in her mid-twenties, Xavier (a Krakoan head of state) would fit this role. However, their relationship progressed quickly from that of a teacher and his student to close colleagues. 

4. The circumstances of his conception are unusual, and

It is highly unusual for royalty of any stripe to marry common blood.

5. He is also reputed to be the son of a god.

Storm is the descendant of a literal goddess. One of her titles is Hadari Yao and she was instilled into the Wakandan pantheon while married to the hight priest (and king) of that nation. 

6. At birth an attempt is made, usually by his father or his maternal grandfather to kill him, but

When Ororo was barely out of diapers her parents were killed when an airplane crashed into their Cairo home. Ororo spent days buried in the rubble, entombed with them in that place if death.

7. he is spirited away, and

Storm spent some time as a homeless orphan before being abducted by the Prince of Thieves Achmed El Gibar.

8. Reared by foster -parents in a far country.

She was raised and trained in the art of thievery by Achmed. 

10. On reaching manhood he returns or goes to his future Kingdom.

There are several ways that this requirement fits Storm. First, of course, she returned to Kenya under her own power and ruled, for a time, as the protective goddess of her mother’s people. Second, she ascended through the ranks of the X-Men, eventually becoming their leader (while powerless: more on that in a minute). After her marriage to T’Challa, the Black Panther, Storm became Queen of Wakanda. Currently Storm sits on the national councils of both Krakoa and Arakko, as well as serving as the representative of the entire solar system, bearing the title of Regent of Sol.

11. After a victory over the king and/or a giant, dragon, or wild beast,

There are literally hundreds of examples supporting this point, but I believe that her destruction of the Brood Queen embryo that had been implanted within her by auto-electrocution as she floated in the vastness of space will stand quite nicely. After all, the monsters we carry inside of us are always the most difficult to defeat. To misquote Ibsen: To live is to do battle with the trolls in the vaults of heart and mind…

12. He marries a princess, often the daughter of his predecessor and

Storm married T’Challa, the king of Wakanda. It is telling that she lost a large portion of her identity to this marriage, becoming for a time little more than a supporting actor in his drama. If one partner is in eclipse, forced into shadow by the other, something has gone very wrong in the marriage. The fact that fiction highlights this makes it particularly valuable, both as a mythological artifact and as a psychological study. 

13. And becomes king.

Upon her marriage, Storm added Queen of Wakanda to her long list of titles. 

14. For a time he reigns uneventfully and

Going back to her first (Western) leadership role, Storm became one of the most successful leaders of the X-Men ever to hold command. 

15. Prescribes laws, but

Both as Queen of Wakanda and in her current role in the Krakoan Quiet Council, Storm passed down laws, quite literally setting the course of several nations.

16. Later he loses favor with the gods and/or his subjects, and

This step was enacted when Storm lost touch with her sense of moral balance alongside her connection to the earth early in her time with the X-Men (symbolized, rather brilliantly, by her adoption of the Punk look) and again when Storm stepped out of T’Challa’s shadow and sided with the X-Men during their clash with the avengers.

17. Is driven from the throne and city, after which

Once Storm’s connection with her sense of self had been violently severed by her role as the leader of the X-Men, she lost her powers. It’s interesting (though perhaps unsurprising) that those powers were only restored when Storm finally embraced the person she had become. She could never fit the clothes of her discarded self, she could never be the forcefully innocent child she had been, but she could embrace the more complete, complex person that she’d become. Much later, when Storm distanced her identity from that of her husband’s, by returning to the role she gave up to marry him (that of a leader in her own right) T’Challa divorced her. It’s not difficult to see the influence of toxic masculinity on that story. After all, Ororo had no say whatsoever in her divorce. He performed it behind her back, then informed her of the fact. Considering the shadowed role she played throughout their marriage, it’s not surprising that he would excise her from his affections the second she rediscovered her voice. 

18. He meets with a mysterious death,

During the (rather badly written) X of Swords event, Storm danced with the personification of Death, and then defeated him in battle. The imagery of resurrection is difficult to miss. This imagery is repeatedly emphasized over the course of Ororo’s story: first when she emerged from the rubble of her childhood home (escaping the corpse of her mother), then through the loss and the reclamation of her powers. The motif surfaced again during the Brood Saga (she was dead in space, before being swallowed by the Galactic Whale and recuperating in its womb-like heart — to name just a few instances.

19. Often at the top of a hill,

Floating through light-years of empty space is about as high up as a body can get.

20. His children, if any, do not succeed him.

Storm has several alternate reality children (one of whom is still running around the 616 universe) and none of them have followed her path. 

22. He has one or more holy sepulchres.

Storm is a goddess. There are several shrines dedicated to her power.

Storm scores 20 points. It is unsurprising that a character who was originally presented as a goddess (and who, in many ways, still occupies that role) would soar to the top of this informal list.

Poet, novelist, fencer, pirate, Za-Za, and Comic Watch regular contributor Bethany Pope lives in China. They also hold an MA and PhD in creative writing. Their latest novel, The Hungry and the Lost, goes on sale December 1, 2021 from Parthian Books. You can follow them on Twitter at @theMasqueWriter.