Why X-Men Star Alexandra Shipp Doesn't Want To Play Storm Again In The MCU
As fans wait for some fresh blood to play the next generation of mutants in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they've primarily made do with familiar faces popping up in cameos as their favorite X-Men. "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" saw Patrick Stewart come back as Charles Xavier, and Kelsey Grammer made a quick appearance as Beast in the post-credits scene for "The Marvels." However, one former X-Men star who isn't headed for the MCU is Alexandra Shipp, who played Storm in "X-Men: Apocalypse" and "Dark Phoenix."
Entertainment Tonight asked Shipp if she'd ever come back to the Marvel fold, to which she responded, "You know what's kind of funny, is, no. Yeah, I am not interested."
The actor hasn't done too bad for herself in the years since leaving the X-Men franchise, starring in "Barbie" and "Anyone But You," and she wants to continue exploring new roles. "The thing is, what I love about the career that I've been able to form is that I can play many different things, and at this point, I feel like I've done what I needed to do with Storm," she said. "I think that there are other women who could take on that role and really kill it, and I support that."
Based on this statement, audiences probably shouldn't expect Shipp to cameo as Storm in the forthcoming "Deadpool 3," though she does have some thoughts on the X-Man's cinematic future.
Alexandra Shipp has talked about what she'd like to see for the MCU's Storm
Storm has a strong cinematic heritage, with Halle Berry playing the mutant in the X-Men films of the 2000s as well as "X-Men: Days of Future Past." Alexandra Shipp played a younger version of the superhero later on, so when the X-Men come into the MCU proper, one would imagine Storm will be part of the proceedings.
In a 2022 interview with Comic Book Movie, Shipp shared what she'd like to see going forward for the character. "In future, I think I'd like to see a woman of darker complexion play Storm," she said. "I think it's about time that we see that representation, and I'm more than happy to see that. I think it would be really great. The little girl in me would really like to see that."
Outside of who will be the next Storm, there's also the question of how the iconic Marvel mutant will be introduced. While she's often affiliated with the X-Men team, she also has a history with Wakanda, which has been heavily featured in both Black Panther movies. Considering this, there's always a chance she could first be introduced in "Black Panther 3" before coming over to the X-Men movies, but that's just speculation.
The next Storm we see might actually be Halle Berry reprising the part. It hasn't been confirmed yet, but MCU fans suspect Berry will cameo as Storm in "Deadpool 3." Granted, there are a lot of rumored cameos swirling around that film, and it remains to be seen which ones pan out. But with Shipp bowing out, no one should hold their breath for a full "Dark Phoenix" reunion, at the very least.