In 2020, The Hollywood Reporter shared a fascinating piece about the legacy of the X-Men franchise in the wake of a series of sexual abuse allegations against director Bryan Singer.
Even before those claims, it was no secret that his behaviour on set was erratic, including late arrivals, mood swings, and explosive tantrums.
Apparently, it wasn't uncommon for Rebecca Romijn to spend hours being painted up as Mystique before filming, only for Singer to decide on a whim he didn't need her. Interestingly, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige—an associate producer at the time—was "dispatched to ensure that someone was keeping Singer in line."
Things got worse when X2: X-Men United was shooting. Singer was allegedly incapacitated after taking a narcotic, and when producer Tom DeSanto attempted to halt shooting, the filmmaker insisted it continue. That led to a botched stunt on the X-Jet, leaving Hugh Jackman injured. It was around this time that Halle Berry reportedly told the director, "You can kiss my Black ass."
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly for Crime 101, the Storm actress opened up about a scene in the movie in which her character tears into her sexist boss. Asked if she'd had a similar experience in real life, Berry replied, "Oh, yes. Oh, yeah. Oh, yes. A really famous one, when I got to tell Bryan Singer just where to go and how to get there on the set of X-Men one day."
"Everybody was mad, but they all said to me, 'Halle, you go tell 'em,' because they knew I would," Berry added. "And it's one of the greatest days on a set, telling someone who was wronging the entire crew, the entire cast, exactly where to go. And then I got on a plane and flew home with my X-Men suit on."
Her co-star Mark Ruffalo called it "the best story," prompting the Oscar-winner to respond, "I'm sorry, that guy deserved it."
Berry returned for the Brett Ratner-helmed X-Men: The Last Stand and later reunited with Singer for X-Men: Days of Future Past in 2014. The filmmaker has denied the allegations, but seemingly remains an unwelcome figure in mainstream Hollywood (the news he'd helm Red Sonja was met with widespread backlash, and he was promptly dismissed).
Back to Berry, and, unfortunately, the actress has repeatedly said that she won't be back as Storm for this December's Avengers: Doomsday. No reason has been offered, meaning we don't know whether Marvel Studios didn't approach her or if the money didn't work out.
Recent rumours have suggested that the X-Men won't be part of Avengers: Secret Wars, likely to create some distance between the return of the original big-screen mutant team this year and the upcoming X-Men reboot helmed by Jake Schreier. If so, that might be it for Berry and Storm.