New X-Men '97 merch just revealed an official look at Storm's next costume under Marvel Studios, adding another striking design to the long visual history of one of Marvel's most iconic mutants. After Disney completed its acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019, Ororo Munroe joined the wider list of X-Men characters Marvel could finally bring back into the fold, and her ongoing run on X-Men '97 has already given the weather-controlling hero more than one fresh look on Disney+.
The new Storm costume was unveiled through Funko's wave of X-Men '97 Season 2 Pop! figures, with the Wasteland version of Ororo offering the clearest look yet at her redesign for the upcoming chapter.
The figure shows Storm in a blue and yellow battle suit with a red belt and a black cape. It is a rugged, survival-ready take on the character that fits the harsher tone Marvel Animation is leaning into for Season 2.
The same costume featured in the official poster for X-Men '97 Season 2. It was a grid-designed poster featuring returning X-Men characters, including Storm. However, this Funko Pop! figure gives us a clearer look at the character's new threads.
What makes the Wasteland design even more striking is how closely it mirrors the Uncanny X-Men costume Storm actually wore in Marvel Comics during the 1960s.
When the X-Men were rocking matching team uniforms, Ororo briefly stepped out of her usual silver and into the blue and yellow team look, complete with the red X-belt that ties the whole outfit together.
Storm's Wasteland design lines up with the new looks Funko also revealed for Wolverine, Cyclops, and Jean Grey, all of whom have been pulled into the same battle-scarred era of the story. Marvel Animation has confirmed that Season 2 will scatter the X-Men across time after the destruction of Asteroid M, with Apocalypse as the main antagonist. The Wasteland aesthetic suggests Storm spends a meaningful portion of the season trapped in a dystopian future, far from the polished halls of the Xavier Institute.
X-Men '97 Season 2 is set to premiere on Disney+ in summer 2026, with a world premiere planned at the Tribeca Festival in June. Until then, the Funko reveal stands as the most detailed look at where Storm goes next, and it slots into a costume history that already covers four decades of comics, live-action films, and animation.
Storm opened X-Men '97 in the silver-white bodysuit fans recognize from the original X-Men: The Animated Series, paired with a fresh punk-style mohawk inspired by her famous 1980s Chris Claremont and Paul Smith era in the comics. The prequel comic written by Steve Foxe explained the change as a personal reinvention rather than a crisis of faith, with Storm telling Jubilee that a new millennium called for a new look.
The silver suit itself draws from Jim Lee's 1990s X-Men comics, the same era that shaped the original animated series. It became Storm's signature on-screen look for years, and X-Men '97 kept it as her starting point before sending the character on a much larger journey through the season.
After losing her powers to X-Cutioner in Episode 2 of X-Men '97 Season 1, Storm went through her own arc loosely based on the Lifedeath storyline by Chris Claremont and Barry Windsor-Smith. By the end of Episode 6, she regained her abilities while battling the Adversary alongside Forge and emerged in a brand-new black costume with gold trim, a flowing cape, and a crown-like headpiece.
That outfit is a direct homage to her 1975 debut in Giant-Size X-Men #1 by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum, where she first joined the team. Marvel Animation's version updated the silhouette while keeping the regal, almost goddess-like feel that defined the original. It also settled a long-running fan debate about whether the suit was meant to be black or silver, with the show landing firmly on black.
Outside Marvel Studios, Storm's most familiar live-action look came from Halle Berry, who originated the role in 2000's X-Men and reprised it in X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand, and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Her version of Ororo wore a sleek black leather suit with a long cape, a design that leaned into the Fox franchise's grounded, tactical aesthetic rather than the bright primary colors of the comics, which Doomsday is adapting.
By X-Men: Days of Future Past, Berry's costume was darker and more streamlined, paired with a shorter, spiked hairstyle. It was the last time she wore the suit on screen, and her Storm has not returned to live-action since Disney's Fox acquisition.
A younger Storm joined the Fox X-Men franchise in 2016 with X-Men: Apocalypse, where Alexandra Shipp played Ororo as one of the Four Horsemen recruited by Apocalypse himself. That version came with a comics-accurate mohawk and a dark armored outfit with metallic accents, the closest the live-action films ever got to the punk-era Storm of the 1980s.
Shipp returned in 2019 for Dark Phoenix, where Storm dropped the mohawk in favor of a softer styled cut and wore the team's standard navy and yellow X-Men uniform. The redesign didn’t carry on into another film, ending up as the final on-screen appearance for Fox's take on the character.
Storm's costume history in the comics is one of the deepest of any X-Men character. Her 1975 debut suit, the black bodysuit with the cape, crown, and gold trim, set the template that Marvel Animation eventually adapted for X-Men '97.
Over the decades, she has cycled through the punk leather mohawk look, the white Jim Lee suit, the X-Force black-and-white outfit, the regal Krakoa-era leathers, and her recent Hellfire Gala designs.
Each one reflects a different stage of her journey, from new recruit to X-Men leader to Queen of Wakanda to ruler on Arakko. The Wasteland costume is the latest entry in this long line, this time pulled directly from the future Marvel Animation is building for her on Disney+.
What Does Storm's Future Look Like?
With X-Men '97 already renewed for a third season, Storm's role in Marvel Animation is set to keep growing. Alison Sealy-Smith continues to voice the character after returning from the original X-Men: The Animated Series, and the show's willingness to overhaul her costume between arcs suggests her look could change again before the Apocalypse storyline wraps up.
There has been no confirmation yet on a live-action Storm for Marvel Studios, with the character so far absent from the announced cast for Avengers: Doomsday. Until that changes, the Wasteland Storm stands as the newest official Marvel Studios take on Ororo Munroe. However, when the X-Men finally reboot in Phase 7, there’s a strong chance she’ll make her live-action return.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
