Originally posted by Swanky-Tuna
I think at that time he was going by the one scan with the caption saying Storm can relate to the temptation of power Jean had and an interview of Claremont where he said Storm was supposed to be on par with Dark Phoenix. In a later interview he explained Phoenix wasn't initially intended to be as powerful as she is now and that she was supposed to be as powerful as Storm. The sun eating feat being explained as a "one off".
That's not so. What the interview stated was that when Phoenix healed the M'krann Crystal, it was supposed to be a one-time extreme power stunt. From then on, she was supposed to be on Storm's level. However, as stories went on, she got stronger and stronger and reached those levels again as Dark Phoenix. I have read several interviews on this whole Phoenix thing, by the way. Unfortunately, they are in my home state. I'm an out-of-state student right now.
Now, what blows you out of the water is this: In a book that recently came out talking about the various creators and characters, it was made known that after the Dark Phoenix Saga, Marvel challenged Claremont to take Storm down that same road with goddess power and all. 😄 Also, if you read this scan, the lady had near-infinite power:
Well, here is everything:
it was 1979 from Rampage Magazine(UK)
The interviewer (someone called Richard Burton, I'll abbreviate it to RB) is asking Chris various questions, working through the characters...
"RB: Storm next...
Chris Claremont: Storm is basically what she is...a goddess, a three-dimensional goddess, if such a thing is possible.
RB: When the new X-Men first appeared Storm was probably the most powerful and dramatic member. Do you feel now that she's been slightly upstaged by Phoenix?
Chris Claremont: No. In equal terms of raw power, they're approximately equal.
Jean can maintain a higher burst...she can peak higher than Storm but she can't hold it for long. The thing with Storm is that all we've done till now is show her throwing lightning bolts and creating hurricanes, but she can do far more. Phoenix is more visual - the 'bird effect' is more spectacular. So the gist of it is that they complement each other. They do different things in different ways."
Okay, there is the interview. Now, here is Uncanny 145-147: (The cover of 147 stated "We did it once, dare we do it again," in allusion to the Dark Phoenix Saga.)
As stated in that interview, Storm's powers are equal to Phoenix. However, at that time, Phoenix's powers were tempered by Jean's humanity. Same holds true for Ororo. Her powers are tempered by her humanity. In the case of Phoenix, when Jean's humanity was removed, nothing was there to restrain the power and DP was born. It had near-infinite power, but kept growing and reaching for ultimate power. However, it was stopped before that. DP stated that she had limits still and did not like this. This was before she consumed the star. However, the Watcher let us know that DP could have attained ultimate power and been second only to the Creator had she kept going and not been stopped.
In the case of Storm, when her humanity was stripped, she also had near-infinite power and was reaching for ultimate power. It was in her grasp. However, she brought herself under control rather than continuining down that mad god road of the DP. Both had the potential to grasp ultimate power in their reach. Storm simply refused it while Phoenix was stopped before she reached it.
If Storm were to let go of her blocks and delve into her powers and kept reaching for the higher power levels, she would reach ultimate and unlimited power.
We know in Uncanny 165-166 that Storm can perceive the universe as patterns of energy and forces and bend it to its will. This includes stars, planets, empty space, etc.
Right now, Storm has the power of a goddess, but she is limited to her flesh and blood body. However, as stated in X-Treme issue 5, she will one day transcend humanity and evolve into a true goddess.
