Kirby Howell-Baptiste Had an Interesting Answer When Asked About Playing Storm in MCU’s New X-Men

Marvel Studios is gearing up to officially bring the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Kevin Feige first teased this plan back at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, saying that mutants, including the X-Men, would appear in the MCU.

He also noted that this version would be very different from the X-Men films previously made by 20th Century Fox.

By 2023, Marvel was meeting with writers about the project, and in May 2024, Michael Lesslie entered talks to write the new X-Men movie. A year later, Lesslie was officially confirmed as the screenwriter.

Jake Schreier was later announced as the director after positive reactions to his work on Thunderbolts*. According to Feige, the film will feature a brand-new X-Men team following the “reset” in Secret Wars. He described it as “a very youth-oriented, focused and cast movie.”

Casting is now beginning, and fans are especially excited about one of the most iconic characters: Storm. Rumors have circulated that actresses Jodie Turner-Smith and Kirby Howell-Baptiste were approached for the role.

While neither actress had commented on the speculation at first, Howell-Baptiste recently addressed it during an interview about her new indie satire, We Strangers.

When asked about the Storm rumors by The Disinsider, Howell-Baptiste gave a playful response. “Send that article,” she said. “I’d love to read it. How intriguing?” She didn’t confirm or deny the role but clearly sparked interest with her coy answer.

Kirby Howell-Baptiste has an impressive television career. She’s been a series regular on shows like Downward Dog (2017), Killing Eve (2018), Why Women Kill (2019), and The Sandman (2022–2025) as Death of the Endless.

She also stars in Dead Boy Detectives (2024) and has had recurring roles on Love (2016–2018), Barry (2018–2023), The Good Place (2018–2020), and Veronica Mars season four (2019). Additionally, she voiced Grace Monroe in the second and third seasons of the animated series Infinity Train (2020).

With Howell-Baptiste’s experience in both dramatic and fantastical roles, she would bring a strong presence to Storm if cast. Personally, I think she could add a fresh and compelling energy to the character while fitting seamlessly into the MCU. What do you think? Would you like to see Kirby Howell-Baptiste play Storm in the X-Men reboot? Share your thoughts in the comments.