Why The Storm and Black Panther Marriage Will Never Work.
Marvel will never get the Black Panther and Storm Marriage to work. The two are too big individually and within their respective franchises. Most writers don’t have a firm grasp on their personalities and they don’t mesh well. Both characters will always be pulled apart by their responsibilities to Wakanda and The Nation of Krakoa.
Pairing the two will always be a tough assignment. Aside from complexion the two are very different and have gone down very different paths in life. Most of the Ororo/T’Challa romance has also been retconned into continuity. Writers seem to want these two to be soul-mates but the idea hasn’t gelled. A long-term relationship between the two could work, but the marriage could break the characters if not presented authentically.
For the Ororo - T’Challa relationship to work Storm would need to leave the X-Men or stick around in a reserve role. T'Challa would step down as king or move into a ceremonial monarch role. He’d probably also have to maintain status as a reserve Avenger or leave entirely.
If Marvel actually allowed characters to grow then fans could see a cool evolution of both characters. Storm and Black Panther could remain heroes putting their needs ahead of their respective communities while joining the fray when called upon.
Alternatively, Marvel puts the two together without addressing the fundamental flaws within the arrangement and tries to make the Marriage work. The relationship fails (again) and the two become estranged due to their constant separation and responsibilities. In the past, Marvel didn’t even give the characters a chance to be newlyweds before tearing them apart.
In reality, Marvel would probably not think that far ahead. They’d trot out both characters for media headlines and some Black Excellence cameos, but we’d see less of them overall because their worlds don’t have a lot of intersection aside from the obvious. The lack of organic development of Black Panther and Storm is why the two are constantly at odds in storylines and why the interactions always seem forced. Why would Storm ever join the Fantastic Four?
Storm has never really worked away from the X-Men. Black Panther has more success but he’s never had a series make it to #100 issues. Bringing the two heroes together can work but the two need space to develop into the roles that Marvel wants for them. They seem to either be Marvels version or Gomez and Morticia or on the verge of killing each other.
The Point of the T’Challa/Ororo union is Black Royalty. Making them work as a couple is a logistical nightmare and doesn’t really benefit either characters or their respective franchises. The two work better separately or as lovers/companions, but trying to fit them together as a married couple will never work unless they are decoupled from their established roles and fanbases to make it happen.