Fox's X-Men movies had some exceptionally high highs, but the lows could be absolutely dreadful. Sadly, one example of this was the highly-anticipated X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which bungled the origin story of Hugh Jackman's iconic Logan and turned it into a confusing mess. The worst part was how the movie handled continuity, making the franchise's history a nightmare to follow.
One poorly handled scene involving this history featured a young Storm. An example of the film trying to show where every member of the X-Men was at that time, the scene was rather egregious in nature. It didn't end up in the theatrical version, but that somehow didn't help things. Here's how one of the worst parts of X-Men Origins: Wolverine was made even stranger.
Storm's Cameo in X-Men Origins Was Incredibly Corny
In the scene in question, Logan had been a part of a group that included William Stryker and Victor Creed. Roaming around in Africa, the trio was on a search for none other than adamantium, the metal that would later get bonded to Logan's skeleton. After seeing the brutality the others display, Logan deserts the group, wanting no more of their bloodshed. Of course, this causes a rift between him, Stryker and Victor, but the scene wasn't "complete" without an on-the-nose bit of foreshadowing.
In a deleted sequence, a young white-haired African girl appears during the argument. It is a child version of Ororo Munroe, aka Storm, a future member of the X-Men. And if that wasn't blatant enough, lightning strikes, and the wind howls in the child's presence. While this would potentially be cool on its own, teasing a future showdown between Victor and Logan makes it cheesy. The movie feels like it has to point out a clear message while making things more dramatic. While it almost takes the audience out of the film, it does elevate Storm's role.
Storm's Impact Is Still in X-Men Origins: Wolverine
The somewhat cheesy effect of Storm making lightning strike is still kept in the final film, even if she isn't. In the theatrical version of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Storm is never seen, with the lightning bolt and thunder seemingly being natural occurrences. Still, the fact that this element got kept means Storm herself was, too, in a way. It also means that a young Storm bore witness to the beginning of a great rivalry in the X-Men movie universe. But as cool as this may seem, it only highlights the film's biggest problems.
The X-Men movies up to that point played fast and loose with characters and their histories from the comics. X-Men Origins took this to the nth degree, using all manner of hand waves to explain how it could possibly line up with the continuity seen in the first three movies. It also had a habit of shoehorning in elements that would pay off in future films or even contradict them. For instance, Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier recruits several young mutants in the movie, including Scott Summers, the future Cyclops and Emma Frost. This version of Emma Frost is nothing like the one later seen in the prequel X-Men: First Class, causing all sorts of continuity errors.
Even without the continuity hiccups, there were simply too many cameos in X-Men Origins: Wolverine that tried to force connections in what should have been a smaller, more personal film. Storm was the most egregious of them, as the team just happened to be in the right African country for a young Ororo to show up. Thankfully, the creative team removed this ridiculous scene while keeping Storm's influence on its storytelling.