Warning: contains spoilers for X-Men: Red #16As the Genesis War rages on throughout the mutant planet of Arakko, Marvel has made it clear that the iconic X-Men hero Storm is an Omega-level powerhouse of the highest order, potentially as strong if not stronger than Thanos' Eternal uncle Uranos. While Storm's abilities have always placed her on a Godlike playing field, X-Men: Red #16 confirms that if she wanted to, Ororo Munroe could devastate an entire civilization herself.
Genesis, the Arakkii wife of Apocalypse who wields the demonic Annihilation Staff, is engaging in an all-out war against Storm and her Brotherhood of Arakko, determined to destroy their cause and regain leadership of the Arakkii people, to make them "strong" once again.
X-Men: Red #16, from writer Al Ewing and artists Yıldıray Çınar and Federico Blee, sees Storm using her unimaginable strength to easily best the Horsemen War and Famine, before Genesis' vicious assault on Arakko forces Ororo to consider using her or Uranos' strength to wipe Arakko's enemies off the face of the planet.
Storm's Power Could Be As Devastating As Uranos
Storm is perhaps the single most powerful elemental mutant, whose abilities and years of experience give her control over all weather in the solar system, a power that be used to defeat a single opponent or destroy an entire army. After Uranos' decimation of much of Arakko in the Judgment Day event the Eternals gave the Great Ring of Arakko the "Uranos Trigger," a way to access one hour of devastation from Uranos at any given point. A terrible, brutal weapon, Storm and her Brotherhood are nonetheless forced to contemplate using the Eternal weapon as Genesis' endgame draws nearer, and the vicious war rages on.
Holding the Uranos Trigger, Storm speaks telepathically with Uranos, who tells her that if she desires he can end the life of every single being on Arakko that is not on her side, effectively ending the Genesis War with a simple thought. However, there is another option... if Storm is able to put aside her principles of "heroism" and mercy for a single moment, her Omega-level weather manipulation could do exactly what Uranos promised, wiping out Genesis and all her allies completely. Through a variety of means like sucking the oxygen out of their lungs, blasting them individually with lightning bolts, or calling down a storm of acid rain to wash away their sins she could defeat brutally them.
Arakko May Need A Uranos-Level Power To Defeat Genesis
Genesis is perhaps the single greatest threat the people of Arakko have faced since the settling of the planet Mars, even more devastating than Uranos' hour of genocide, meaning Storm needs to use every tool at her disposal to defeat her and Annihilation. One of Storm's strongest powers is her empathy, and mercy, shown when she brutalized War and Famine but did not kill them. To defeat Genesis in one fell swoop she would need to sacrifice her morality and mercy, something that would be abhorrent to the righteous hero.
The most likely outcome of Storm's decision will be that she finds an alternative way to defeat Genesis, without using Uranos or slaughtering thousands of souls, retaining her honorable principles and values. That being said, this issue proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the X-Men hero Storm is capable of just as much death and destruction as Uranos is, an impressive but terrifying prospect for the beloved icon.
X-Men: Red #16 from Marvel Comics is available now in stores.