Secret Wars on Infinite Earths: The Comic Book Fight Club

STORM versus CALLISTO

Dancin' in the Dark (Marvel)
Where: Uncanny X-Men #170 When: June 1983
Why: Chris Claremont How: Paul Smith

The Story So Far...
The leader of the mutant Morlocks desires a husband and she's taken the high-flying Angel by force!

With his wings clipped: Warren Worthington III is helpless to resist the woman who covets what she believes is the most beautiful man in the world. Even his teammates in the X-Men are unable to stage a rescue -- falling prey to the subterranean hordes who take them prisoner!

The team are stricken with plague that threatens the life of young Kitty Pryde but Callisto refuses to allow Nightcrawler to take her to medical aid. Only trial by combat to remove Callisto as leader will allow them safe passage, and despite suffering the disease, Storm refuses to allow Nightcrawler to take that burden.

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Callisto 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Storm 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Callisto 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Draw 3 (Strong Willed)
Agility: Storm 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Storm 4 (Trained)
Energy: Storm 5 (Lasers)
Total: Storm 23 (Champion)

Storm leads the X-Men with "Omega Level" mutant powers that allow her to manipulate the climate patterns of her immediate environment. Abilities so vast in scope they led her to be worshipped as a goddess in her home village!

Ororo can ride the winds to rescue Cyclops from a towering terror of Sentinels, blow Blitzkrieg clean out of the sky with a howling gale, conjure lightning to shock Doctor Doom in his armored suit, and as we saw in the animated series - wield the wintery frost of the frozen tundra to encase Omega Red in a block of ice!

The X-Men cartoon enjoyed a revival earlier this year, and in a particular episode of X-Men '97, Storm lost her mutant powers as she has in comics. So, what does life without her natural talents mean for the mutant Mistress of the Elements?

Long before she was a high-flying X-Man: Ororo Munroe was an orphaned thief on the streets of Cairo. It was there she learned to survive with nothing but her wits and hands, which is a round-about way of saying -- Storm can handle herself just fine when push comes to shove.

We saw a powerless Storm lead the X-Men against the Hellfire Club with considerable confidence and a little help from the likes of Wolverine, Rogue, and another mutant who once found out just how well Storm can fight without powers...

Callisto was once a beautiful young woman, but when her mutation left her scarred and blinded in her right eye -- she turned her back on humanity and went underground to become a gathering leader of the hideous Morlocks.

She made a home in abandoned underground military tunnels that connect to the New York sewer network, leading The Morlocks as a tribe of outsider mutants united in disfigurement and resentment of the so-called surface world.

With her fellow X-Men taken hostage during a rescue of Angel, Storm took it upon herself to step up and challenge Callisto in one of the X-Man's most famous fights -- even though she was afflicted by Plague! It was the subject of a classic cartoon episode, but let's take a closer look at the legendary original showdown!

The Tape: Storm Ranking: Storm (#36)

What Went Down...

Taking Nightcrawler's place in a challenge of the Morlock leader -- Storm is freed from the post she has been tied to, and allowed to step into the impromptu arena formed by the mutants gathering around to observe the coming duel.

Callisto tosses her opponent a knife similar to her own, and warns that if the wind rider summons so much as the slightest gust of wind -- the plague-infested Kitty Pryde will immediately have her throat cut.

Storm keeps her eyes trained on her opponent and agrees -- catching the knife at the last possible moment with a rapid unfurling of her arm and an intensity that catches everyone by surprise.

Callisto and Storm circle each other, gauging each others' abilities. Callisto is arguably the more naturally gifted of the combatants, benefitting from years of fighting and mutant resilience, but the X-Man's glamorous facade belies her past.

Callisto makes the first move -- a feinting thrust of her dagger that draws the parry from Storm, and allows Callisto to slash at her face and knock the goddess' tiara from her head!

The X-Man responds with a wild swing of her blade that Callisto easily ducks.

The Morlock leader laughs and slices her knife through Storm's exposed bicep.

She expresses something approaching pity, but more readily regrets how easily she expects to defeat her 'silver-topped' opponent.

It's a sentiment that quickly fades as Storm whips her cape to wrap it around Callisto's knife wielding arm!

Storm grips her cape tight, taking firm control of the threatening appendage, and directing it out of harm's way with an upward thrust above their heads.

With an equally firm grip on the dagger in her left hand, Storm plunges the blade into Callisto's mid-section!

Callisto looks stunned at the rapid turn of events!

She wobbles and drops her knife as Storm releases the cape-hold and stands firm.

Callisto staggers backward as Storm confidently and coldly marches her way past the defeated Morlock, toward the platform where Angel remains bound.

She claims her teammate, orders Colossus to gather the plague-afflicted Kitty Pryde, and invites any Morlock who objects to challenge her to trial by combat - and risk the same fate as Callisto: A knife through the heart.

The Hammer...

In terms of combat technique, it was actually a bit of a shabby showing for Storm, but despite some street fighting rust, she showed she still has the nous and street smarts to outwit an arrogant opponent -- and execute a killing blow!

Nightcrawler takes this tactic the hardest - shocked by Storm's cold efficiency and willingness to deliver a lethal strike.

He expresses this with the knowledge that Callisto's life has already been saved by a Morlock healer, but knowing she'll still be recovering from her injuries for quite some time to come. His faith in Storm is dramatically shaken.

It's a big moment that shows another side to the sometimes aloof and put-together leader of the X-Men, who was unable to bring herself to execute a Brood-infected Professor X just a couple of issues prior, even though the Professor and the team all believed there was no other way out. (There was!)

It's worth noting that the Morlock healer, and their ability to 'knit wounds and broken bones' (but not treat disease), was established by a concerned Caliban in the setup of the fight, which was over the life of a plague-stricken Kitty Pryde, whose condition was rapidly worsening.

So Storm may appear to be a cutthroat cold-blooded killer, but really she knew all along the stakes were only with defending Kitty's life. Callisto would live - and she wouldn't anticipate such a vicious attack from the X-Men's leader. Path to victory at a time when Storm herself was compromised by the Morlock-inflicted sickness.

The episode ultimately serves to reinforce Storm's leadership of the X-Men through willingness to take responsibility and necessary action, but in private moments in subsequent issues, she will consider the way it challenges everything she felt she knew about herself. Healthy introspection.

The methods of superheroes, and question of lethal force, are examined through several of the X-Men around this time. I think also of Colossus during the Mutant Massacre, and the always grey morality of Wolverine, who was willing to execute Professor X when afflicted by the Brood, and had already taken extreme measures to stop Jean Grey while taken by the Dark Phoenix.

It's an interesting What If? to consider what would've happened had Nightcrawler followed through on his challenge.

He was the first to confront Callisto's leadership when she callously refused to protect Kitty's life -- threatening the rest of the X-Men if he attempted to teleport her to medical safety. A stalemate scenario that could only be resolved by fighting through Callisto herself to remove her from the equation.

Here on Secret Wars on Infinite Earths we know a thing or two about superhero fighting ability -- and although any hero can triumph over great evil in the right story -- our record isn't flattering to the fuzzy elf. He currently sits ranked #1072 without a single victory recorded from his seven featured outings.

Despite his incredible agility and teleportation power -- Nightcrawler sometimes had a propensity for playing the bystander, 'mansel' in distress, or basic support player. A loveable vulnerable spot in the X-Men lineup that the reader could fear for, occasionally needing to be rescued or protected while injured.

I think we're to assume Nightcrawler's gentler nature would've been a detriment in a knife fight with Callisto - who quickly showed she was deft with a blade.

His natural agility, and fondness for swashbuckling, might make a case otherwise, but we'll have to explore more of his solo outings to get a better gauge of what Nightcrawler is really capable of. I think I'd enjoy that.

There's also plenty more opportunity to expand the Storm file. I'm interested in comparing and contrasting the X-Men animated series adaptation.

As an avid watcher of the cartoon back in the early nineties, I actually saw the animated version before reading this comic, and might argue it's a superior take on the entire story. There are several fundamental differences, not the least of which being Storm's attitude towards killing. Spoiler: It's 'not the X-Men's way!'

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Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 700 fights and ranked more than 1,000 of your favourite characters! You can find 'em all by diving in to the Secret Archive for a complete index in order of publisher, series, and issue number -- or by following links throughout each post to discover more from your favourite characters, creators, series, and categories!

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Super-human supporters at the Top 10 Warbonds tier can also choose a future topic for the Top 10 Rank & File. Don't miss the latest Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection Top 10 featuring Storm!

Winner: Storm
#25 (+11) Storm
#1045 (-66) Callisto