Storm’s marriage to Black Panther was a controversial development, and for one scholar in particular it was a step backward from the positive representation of a black female character in Marvel comics that Claremont had established. 1/7 #xmen @MutantElement

Anita McDaniel’s “Negotiating Life Spaces: How Marriage Marginalized Storm” from the book "Heroines of Comic Books & Literature" looks at the portrayal of Storm as a side character in Black Panther as a demotion in light of her hard-earned position in the world of comics. 2/7

“Storm is an important black female character in the Marvel Universe because she has been drawn and written to be important. Few black or female characters (not to mention black and female characters) have achieved her status as a superhero.” 3/7

“I was not satisfied reading narratives of Storm doling out the occasional lightning bolt at the behest of her husband. Storm claimed space as a powerful, decisive, and moral leader; it was hard accepting her as a submissive follower who knew her ‘assigned’ place.” 4/7

Claremont himself expressed a similar concern asking (in interview) "Well, the problem I have with it is, who gets top billing?" 5/7 https://io9.gizmodo.com/chris-claremont-thinks-black-panthers-marriage-to-storm-1822598048

In terms of consequences, McDaniel’s essay speaks to the problem of tokenism in comics; when there simply aren’t a lot of good black female characters, sidelining a prominent such character carries broader representational implications. 6/7

It also, however, speaks to the representational accomplishment of Claremont’s take on the character, which elevated Storm to a level of regard that leaves it hard for other writers to place her in a subordinate role. Nobody puts Storm in a corner. Not even a king. 7/7