The Uncanny X-Men #147
Uncanny X-Men #147 is the climax of the three-part 'Rogue Storm' arc (issues #145–147), the first storyline of Dave Cockrum's second run on the title following John Byrne's lengthy tenure, and it delivered one of the most emotionally resonant Storm spotlights of the entire Claremont era. Released less than a year after the Dark Phoenix Saga concluded with Jean Grey's death in issue #137, it deliberately echoes that trauma by pushing Storm — whose claustrophobia, triggered by Dr. Doom's chrome imprisonment, causes her to unconsciously accumulate planetary-scale elemental power — to the brink of the same loss of humanity that consumed Phoenix, only for Colossus's impassioned appeal to her memory of Jean to pull her back. The issue also advances the slow-burn subplot of Cyclops and Lee Forrester stranded in the Caribbean, closing with the ominous emergence of a mysterious city from the sea — a tease pointing directly toward the Magneto-centric drama building toward issue #150.
In "Rogue Storm!", the X-Men—Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Angel—barely escape a deadly trap set by Dr. Doom, only to face him directly and free Storm from a metal sheath that’s left her shaken by her extreme claustrophobia. When her powers spiral out of control, the team must calm her before she destroys everything around her. The issue features the dynamic art of Dave Cockrum, with inks by Josef Rubinstein and colors by Glynis, and a striking cover by Cockrum and Joe Rubinstein.
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The three-issue arc was plotted and scripted by Chris Claremont with pencils by Dave Cockrum — who had co-launched the 'All-New, All-Different' X-Men a decade earlier alongside Claremont before being replaced by John Byrne — and inked by Joe Rubinstein, colored by Glynis Wein (Oliver), lettered by Tom Orzechowski, and edited by Louise Jones (Simonson) under editor-in-chief Jim Shooter. A notable editorial wrinkle: Claremont originally wrote the Dr. Doom throughout issues #145–147 as the genuine Victor Von Doom, but John Byrne later retconned the character into a Doombot in Fantastic Four #258 without consulting Claremont — a change editor-in-chief Jim Shooter acknowledged Claremont did not approve of.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Title and placement: 'Rogue Storm!' Part 3 of 3 — concludes the arc begun in Uncanny X-Men #145 (May 1981) and continued in #146 (June 1981); cover-dated July 1981, with a release date of April 14, 1981.
- Creative team: Written by Chris Claremont; penciled by Dave Cockrum (his second run on the series after Byrne's departure); inked by Joe Rubinstein; colored by Glynis Wein (Oliver); lettered by Tom Orzechowski; edited by Louise Jones.
- Storm's 'dark goddess' turn: Freed from Doom's chrome cocoon, Storm — her claustrophobia having driven her to unconsciously channel global weather forces — overpowers Doctor Doom with a single lightning strike and turns on her own teammates, explicitly invoking Dark Phoenix comparisons in both dialogue and Wolverine's internal monologue; Colossus invokes the memory of Jean Grey to bring her back.
- Wolverine berserker flashback: While trapped in Doom's anti-gravity cell, Wolverine recalls a specific incident from his time working for the Canadian government — a near-fatal berserker rage in which he almost killed James MacDonald Hudson (Guardian/Vindicator) and Heather Hudson — an early piece of Logan's fragmented origin mosaic that later continuations (notably Alpha Flight #52 and Classic X-Men) would build upon.
- Cyclops/Lee Forrester subplot: Stranded on a Caribbean island following a storm at sea, Scott Summers and Lee Forrester wake to find an enormous city has risen from the ocean overnight — a direct setup for the Magneto confrontation in issue #150.
- Doombot retcon controversy: Claremont wrote the villain as the real Doctor Doom; John Byrne later retconned him into a faulty 'Doombot A-76' in Fantastic Four #258, a change confirmed in Uncanny X-Men #197 — and, per the Marvel Database, editor-in-chief Jim Shooter noted Claremont was not consulted and did not approve.
- Cockrum's return: This arc marks Dave Cockrum's return to the X-Men penciling duties following more than 30 consecutive issues penciled by John Byrne, making it a transitional creative milestone for the flagship title.
- Reprint history: The issue has been collected in X-Men Classic #51 (September 1990), Essential X-Men Vol. 3 (black-and-white), Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 6, The Uncanny X-Men Omnibus Vol. 2 (2014), X-Men Epic Collection Vol. 8 — I, Magneto (2021), and Doctor Doom: The Book of Doom Omnibus (2022). UK and Mark Jeweler advertisement insert variants also exist.
Cast · 27 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Colossus and Angel each escape from the deadly trap set for them by Dr. Doom. They confront the villain and Wolverine forces him to release Storm from the metal sheath in which her body has been encased. Storm, suffering from her extreme claustrophobia, emerges as a power mad goddess who starts ripping everything up with her elemental power. Her friends are able to talk her down and return her to normal. Dr. Doom, creep that he is, hits on Storm and she, surprisingly, doesn't completely shoot him down.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).