X-Men's New Central Hero Reveals Her Origin - Does This Fundamentally Change Mutant Powers?

Summary Mutant powers in the new Ultimate X-Men series may be tied to the needs or influences of the user.

Maystorm's origin story reveals how she awakens her powers in a moment of domestic violence.

The link between Maystorm, Armor, and the Shadow King raises questions about the nature of mutant powers in Marvel's new Ultimate Universe.

Warning! Spoilers for Ultimate X-Men #3 ahead!Marvel’s new Ultimate X-Men series has revealed the origin of one of its main X-Men heroes, but in doing so it has raised even more questions about the nature of mutants in the new Ultimate Universe. Are mutant powers related to the needs of their user in this world? Or is there a villain behind the scenes who’s pushing the new heroes towards their powers?

The relaunched Ultimate Universe is introducing radically different versions of classic heroes, including a new X-Men team. In Ultimate X-Men (2024) #3, readers get to see the moment that Mei Igarashi aka Maystorm awakens her powers, bringing the Storm when faced with a moment of domestic violence.

Ultimate X-Men (2024) is written and drawn by Peach Momoko with letters by VC's Travis Lanham.

The first hint of her powers occurs after she’s scratched by a cat belonging to her mysterious neighbor and manifests sparks of lightning. This erupts into a full-on storm when Maystorm is hit by her abusive father after trying to defend her mother. Not only does Mei summon a storm, but her hair also shifts from black to silver in an instant, a visible mutation.

Related An Interview With Peach Momoko: Ultimate X-Men, Adolescence, And The Impact Of Social Media (Exclusive) In a new interview with Peach Momoko, the Ultimate X-Men creator explains the new series' Armor, the use of body horror, and the power of adolescence.

Maystorm Isn't Ultimate Storm, But Is Tied To The Classic Hero

Maystorm is introduced in Ultimate X-Men #2 but, unlike what some readers might expect, she isn’t this world’s version of Storm. Instead, Storm is appearing in Ultimate Black Panther as a freedom fighter in West Africa.

Ultimate Black Panther is written by Bryan Edward Hill, drawn by Stefano Caselli, colored by David Curiel and lettered by VC's Cory Petit.

In Ultimate X-Men #3, Mei keeps tabs on Storm via social media, and is clearly fascinated by the hero. Maystorm likely idolizes Storm for having the freedom that her own family situation denies her, but this isn’t spelled out explicitly in the book. How the younger hero takes inspiration from Storm will be interesting to see as the X-Men find their purpose in this world.

In the real world, Maystorm’s origin is just as fascinating. She was originally created by Peach Momoko for Marvel’s "New Champions" lineup of variant covers, which imagined new sidekicks for classic heroes. Maystorm appeared on the cover of X-Men (2021) #27, with the idea being that she was, similarly, a Storm superfan. The only notable difference between the two versions is that the original Maystorm design incorporated buttons representing different Marvel teams, which obviously don’t exist in the Ultimate Universe. Momoko also got the chance to redesign Storm for Ultimate Black Panther, which also links the character to Maystorm metatextually.

How Does Mutation Work In This Universe?

One question that Maystorm’s origin poses is whether, in this world, mutants actually choose their own powers subconsciously. Maystorm’s powers imitate those of her idol, Storm, and even her hair is now closer to Storm’s. Similarly, in Ultimate X-Men #1, Armor manifests her power just when she needs it to survive a car crash. Hisako's armor, which is based on the Omamori charm given to her by her late friend Tsubasa, actually talks to her. Is this Armor another being, or is the voice that she hears her own inner strength made manifest?

These powers could also be tied to both characters having interacted with the Shadow King. Armor encounters the Shadow King before her accident, and Maystorm’s powers begin to manifest even before her trauma after she’s scratched by the cat belonging to the human form of the villain. Is the Shadow King accidentally awakening these mutant powers via his connections to the girls, or is their connection to him coincidental? As the Ultimate X-Men continue to assemble, more is certain to be revealed about both the Shadow King, Maystorm, and the very nature of this Ultimate Universe’s mutation itself.

Ultimate X-Men #3 is available now from Marvel Comics.