Jayme Lawson Needs To Be Storm, and Marvel Would Be Foolish to Pretend Otherwise

Marvel Studios has yet to land a knockout punch, and it’s time to throw one again.

David Jonsson is set to take up the mantle of the Black Panther in Black Panther 3, which will see him portray T’Challa’s son in adulthood, ABC News reported. According to Deadline, the movie will be directed by Ryan Coogler and is slated to hit theaters on December 15, 2028, with Jonsson starring alongside Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, and Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios.

As you probably guessed by now, the reaction has said it all. Jonsson thanked the “family,” which is a “blessing,” ABC News reported. Meanwhile, Duke said he had faith in Jonsson’s artistic talent and believed the actor would make the franchise better, according to HuffPost. The choice of an upcoming British actor from Industry, Alien: Romulus, and The Long Walk rather than an established one has already been labeled a “bold” move, which enabled Marvel to create the Cinematic Universe, Yahoo Entertainment reported.

It is precisely the reason why Marvel should cast Jayme Lawson in the Storm role.

Marvel Has Just Revealed Its Next Move, And It’s All About New Stars

Jonsson’s appointment is not a simple casting decision. The MCU plans to cast young, not-yet-established actors for its X-Men reboot under director Jake Schreier, aiming to cut costs while centering the theme of youth and identity, agents told Variety via Collider. “X-Men are where we tell stories about young people who feel different and like they don’t belong,” Feige said, per ScreenRant.

Now, reread this list of qualities and do not say you don’t see the fit.

Lawson graduated Juilliard School of Performing Arts in 2019 and broke into the film industry with her debut in 2020 in Farewell Amor, followed by her performance as reformer mayoral candidate Bella Reál in The Batman, youthful Michelle Obama in Showtime’s The First Lady, and warrior in The Woman King before taking a role of Queen Regent Míriel in Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Todd. Digital reports. Such a resumé covers everything that Ororo Munroe should be able to demonstrate: political weight, presence, and the ability to portray royalty without sarcasm.

The secret about Storm is that she is not only a mutant capable of controlling the weather. She is a goddess, a leader, a queen, the first black female superhero in American comics, per ScreenRant. Halle Berry and Alexandra Shipp portrayed her in the Fox era. In the MCU, they need an actress capable of wearing this crown. And Lawson has already done that twice.

The Internet Has Already Cast This Character; Someone Better Tell Kevin Feige

Social media tends to be one step ahead of the studios. Lawson has been proposed by fans for the Storm role on myCast, becoming one of hundreds of user-proposed options, per myCast. In February, the Threads user asked followers whether they would approve of Lawson in the Storm role and received hundreds of likes for her answer; the Threads user whoismarcelorabello reported.

At the same time, the anticipation of the X-Men casting has reached a fever pitch. Fans flooded social networks, begging for a cast reveal after reports indicated the movie could start shooting in the UK as early as this year, per AOL. Marvel did not reveal any information about X-Men casting at this year’s Comic-Con, but the demand is crystal clear.

It is not officially confirmed yet. Schreier has stated that most of the online casting discussions do not come from their creative team and are not what they discuss, per Collider. And the real casting is not expected to begin in earnest until late in the year, per Murphy’s Multiverse. The names rumored to be under consideration ranged from Emma Mackey to Hunter Schafer; the director rejected all.

This means the role of Storm, the crown jewel of the entire ensemble, is still truly open. That is precisely the moment to discuss the argument.

From Wakanda With Lightning: The Coogler Connection

Here comes Jonsson’s appointment and Lawson’s case together. Coogler’s movies redefined the notion of Black royalty in blockbuster cinema. The future of the Black Panther lies in the hands of a new generation, as his third film will pass this legacy on, with Toussaint, raised in Haiti by Nakia, and seen at the end of Wakanda Forever, coming of age with ambitions to become a king, Deadline notes. Denzel Washington is also set to join the cast, per Deadline.

The comic book history of Storm is closely tied to Wakanda, as she and T’Challa have one of Marvel’s most famous love stories. If the next arc of the MCU brings mutants and Wakanda into the same universe, the studio needs a Storm who fits into the world Coogler created: royal, grounded, and definitely serious. Lawson, who has already played both a queen on a big TV screen and a Gotham politician, would step into that room as an equal, not as a pupil.

Jonsson’s casting received a quiet-to-loud reaction from Hall H, according to The Eastern Herald. Marvel has chosen an incredibly talented, up-and-coming actor rather than a household name, and the audience erupted in applause.

The studio should trust this instinct again. Fans have already drafted the pitch. The resumé speaks for itself. When the X-Men cast is eventually announced, Jayme Lawson’s name next to Storm would no longer be a risk.

It would be a prediction.