Zazie Beetz stole the show as Domino in Deadpool 2. The mutant who is simply lucky was a wonderful addition to the franchise. However, if the actress' own luck had been slightly different, she could have played a different Marvel mutant. Recently, Beetz was asked what other Marvel character she'd like to play and she revealed that she actually auditioned to play the role of Storm in X-Men: Apocalypse. According to the actress...
When I was a kid, I remember, in terms of characters, people would always be like, 'You should be Storm.' I auditioned for young Storm, actually, and I didn't get it. Growing up I always had an association with her. I mean, obviously, because being a young black woman, that was the one I associated with. But I think that would have been a little fantasy of mine to do that and sort of a nostalgic thing for me to try. So yeah, I'd say Storm.
As Zazie Beetz says, the number of comic book heroes to relate to when you're a young black woman isn't exactly a long list. As such, her association with Storm probably isn't all that surprising. However, because she felt connected to the character growing up she took the opportunity to audition to actually play the character when the role of Storm came back into the current X-Men universe.
In the original trilogy, the role was played by Halle Berry. The audition that Zazie Beetz is referring to in her Q&A at Ace Comic-Con Chicago (via ComicBook.com) was eventually won by Alexandra Shipp for X-Men: Apocalypse. Shipp will reprise the role in next year's Dark Phoenix.
The good news for Zazie Beetz is that while she might have lost out on the role for the superhero she felt most associated to, there are actually still plenty of others out there. While Domino had not traditionally been portrayed as black, the fact is that the character's race wasn't intrinsic to her, and so anybody could be cast. Beetz was clearly the best woman for the role, and so she got it.
But who knows? It's possible that the role of Storm will be up for grabs yet again in the near future. After Dark Phoenix hits screens next year the future of the X-Men film universe becomes cloudy. There's a better than even chance that all the X-Men will be recast yet again before they become members of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since exactly what the plan is with Deadpool is also up in the air, it's possible Zazie Beets could have another chance to play Storm if she wants it.
While Zazie Beetz probably would have made a fine Storm, it really feels like she belongs as Domino. It's now basically impossible to see the actress playing the straight-laced and often overly serious Storm now that we've seen her as the much more fun Domino. Hopefully, we'll have plenty more chances to see her in many films yet to come.
