SPOILER WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for X-Men Gold #25 by Marc Guggenheim, Paulo Siqueira, Jose Luis, Cam Smith, Victor Olazaba, Arif Prianto, Java Tartaglia, Juan Fernandez and Cory Petit, on sale now.
Storm was a member of Charles Xavier's second class of X-Men -- first introduced in the historic Giant-Size X-Men #1 -- and has gone on to lead her own team of mutant superheroes on numerous occasions, while also joining the Avengers at one point in her career. When X-Men Gold launched, however, Storm recommended that Kitty Pryde lead while she served on the team, offering support when needed.
Of course, Ororo Monroe is in dire need of support of her own, after being stuck in a jail cell reignites her claustrophobia. Luckily, when Storm escapes to fight alongside her X-Men Gold teammates against the returning Negative Zone god Scythian, she receives a surprising reunion with an old weapon that has ties to another superhero in the Marvel Universe.
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Choose Rage Over Fear
The X-Men Gold team were arrested when they were manipulated by Mesmero into attacking the anti-mutant politician Lydia Nance. Storm was separated from her friends and forced into a cramped, small cell by herself, where she relived her parents' death and time stuck among the debris. It's here where we get our first clue to Storm's reunion later in the issue, as she thinks back to her previous titles as a goddess, thunder god and queen.
Even though she's wearing an inhibitor monitor meant to keep her powers at bay, Storm is still able to call down a thunderous lightning bolt to free herself. Ororo's pain and suffering are felt thousands of miles away, in a desolated and empty Old Asgard. Among the rubble, Storm's secret friend can sense her cries and flies off to answer the call, leading to a moment no X-Men fan could have predicted.
The Goddess Of Thunder Returns
We pick back up with Scythian battling the original X-Men Gold and their replacements, led by Rogue and Iceman. The heroes are at a stalemate with the giant god when Storm notices the winds reacting as if they're in the presence of a deity. It's then that Stormcaster, Ororo's previous Asgardian hammer, flies through the air and lands in its owner's outstretched hand.
Stormcaster is an Asgardian hammer -- similar to Thor's Mjolnir -- forged by Eitri as part of an elaborate plan by the God of Mischief, Loki. The enchanted hammer was last seen in 2011's X-Men: To Serve and Protect #3 when Thor traveled to Wakanda to deliver it to Storm. Stormcaster was believed to be destroyed, but that clearly isn't the case, with its return possibly being tied to the events of Secret Wars. In fact, when we see Stormcaster on Old Asgard earlier in X-Men Gold #25, the narrator specifies it's in another realm, which could be a clue that it's the same hammer used by Storm in the Secret Wars tie-in miniseries, Thors.
With Stormcaster's help, the X-Men are able to defeat Scythian and trap him in another dimension. Of course, the even bigger news is Storm ends the issue with Stormcaster firmly in hand. So, does that make her the new Goddess of Thunder, replacing the recently deceased Jane Foster?
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If Storm keeps her Asgardian hammer in her possession, that would mark a massive change in the X-Man's status quo. The Windrider would not only give the X-Men a boost in firepower, but also sets Storm up to interact with the Asgardian sector of the Marvel Universe.
When Odinson reclaims his title as the God of Thunder in the relaunched Thor #1, part of Marvel's "Fresh Start," the hero will have a new golden hammer and mission, as he sets off on a quest to track down missing Asgardian artifacts on Earth. Could one of those artifacts be Stormcaster? And if so, will he come to collect it from Storm as a friend... or foe? At least some answers are likely to arrive in June, with the release of Thor #1.