Rogue (Marvel Comics)
Rogue is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. She first appeared in Avengers Annual #10. In the Marvel Universe, Rogue is depicted as a mutant, a subspecies of humans born with an "X-gene" that grants superhuman abilities. She is capable of absorbing the life force, attributes, memories, and superpowers of anyone through physical touch. The character is initially portrayed as a reluctant supervillain, but she soon joins the X-Men as a superhero and has since endured as one of its most prominent members.
Rogue's early history was only revealed over twenty years after her introduction. The backstory established her real name as Anna Marie, although her surname remains unknown. A runaway from the fictional Caldecott County, Mississippi, Rogue is adopted by Mystique and Destiny and inducted into the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. She permanently absorbs Ms. Marvel's psyche and abilities and, fearing for her sanity, defects from the Brotherhood to join the X-Men to use her powers for good. Although she would later gain full control of her mutant abilities, Rogue considers them a curse for many years as they prevent her from getting close to others, including her on-off love interest and eventual husband Gambit, with whom she stars in the team series Rogue & Gambit and Mr. and Mrs. X.
Often listed as one of the most notable and powerful female characters in Marvel Comics, Rogue has been adapted in various media incarnations. Lenore Zann voiced the character in X-Men: The Animated Series and its revival X-Men '97. Anna Paquin portrayed the character in 20th Century Fox's X-Men film series.
Publication history
Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 in 1979, but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade until it was printed in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. In the story, she absorbs her current powers permanently from Ms. Marvel. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10. In sharp contrast to her later appearances, in Avengers Annual #10 Rogue is depicted as having no conscience.Her second appearance and first cover appearance was Rom #31-32 tied with Uncanny X-Men #158. She next appeared as an antagonist in Dazzler #22-24 before joining the X-Men in Uncanny X-Men #171. The writer of Uncanny X-Men and of Rogue's first appearance, Chris Claremont, explained that he had Rogue join the X-Men because he was disturbed that other writers were using her in Rom and Dazzler, and making Rogue an X-Man meant that no other writer could use her without consulting him.
In 1994 Rogue received her own limited series, a sequel to the 1993 Gambit limited series which starred Rogue's love interest. It was created under the Marvel method and was the first work by Mike Wieringo for Marvel Comics.
Rogue's real name and early history were not revealed until more than 20 years after her introduction. Until the backstory provided by Robert Rodi in the ongoing Rogue series, begun in September 2004, her background was only hinted at. This resulted in Rodi's version of Rogue's origins inadvertently conflicting with earlier information. In X-Men Unlimited #4, Scott Lobdell indicates that Rogue ran away from her father after her mutant powers manifested, but in Uncanny X-Men #182, Rogue reflects that she never knew her father because he had left before she was born, and several issues, including Uncanny X-Men #178 and X-Men #93, indicate that Rogue was taken in by Mystique and Destiny before her mutation became active.
Chris Claremont said in June 2016 that, had he not left Marvel in 1991, Mystique would have been Rogue's real mother. It is a storyline that appeared in a 2009 run of the series X-Men Forever. Claremont also revealed that the only advice he gave to artist Michael Golden was that Rogue should be inspired by Grace Jones and that she should have streaks of white in her hair.
Rogue was a regular character in Uncanny Avengers, beginning with issue #1.
Rogue had two limited solo series between 1995 and 2000, followed by an ongoing series from 2004 to 2005, and she is slated for a fourth volume set for release in 2026.
2025 saw the publication of a limited series titled Rogue: The Savage Land by writer Tim Seeley and artist Zulema Lavina.
Character biography
Anna Marie was originally presented as being born in Georgia, United States, though this was changed shortly afterward to a fictional place called Caldecott County, located in Mississippi. She was born in a commune near the Mississippi River to her hippie parents, Owen and Priscilla, who married early in their relationship. She grew up near the banks of the Mississippi River, and was raised speaking colloquial English and French. After her parents became involved in a plan to find the mythical "Far Banks", they performed a ceremony during which Anna's mother "crossed over", leaving her father alone. He asked his sister-in-law, Carrie, to help raise Anna; however, Carrie's strict nature led Anna to rebel, earning her the nickname "Rogue", and she eventually ran away from home. In the nearby swamps, the shape-shifting mutant Mystique found Rogue, offered to take her in, and soon Rogue came to see her as a surrogate mother.Rogue's mutant powers first manifested during her teenage years. When she kissed Cody Robbins, he fell into a coma, and Rogue unintentionally absorbed his memories. Terrified, she fled and was chased by an angry mob who tried to lynch her, but she managed to escape after Nathan Summers helped her. Mystique then taught her how to use her powers, though she could not teach her how to control them. Accepting that she could never live a normal life, Rogue began participating in Mystique's criminal activities and eventually joined Mystique's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
When Destiny foresaw that Ms. Marvel was connected to a tragedy that could one day cost Rogue her life, Mystique tried to destroy Danvers. Wanting to please Mystique, Rogue attacked Ms. Marvel, and during the fight, she permanently absorbed Danvers' powers and memories. Later, Mystique set Rogue against Angel, hoping to locate the X-Men through him. During the mission, Rogue, growing frustrated by her inability to control her powers and rid her mind of Danvers' psyche, asked for help from Professor Charles Xavier and his team, the X-Men. Despite the team's objections, Rogue joined them.
Shortly after, Rogue entered the Siege Perilous, a mystical gateway that gives people a second chance at life. The gateway split Rogue and the Danvers persona, creating the Danvers construct, which attacked her, forcing her to flee to the Savage Land. Rogue eventually surrendered to Danvers, but both were rendered unconscious by Magneto, who used a device to transfer Danvers' powers back to Rogue, effectively destroying the construct. Rogue stayed with Magneto until she witnessed his brutal murder of Savage Land priestess Zaladane. She then briefly fell under the Shadow King's control until his defeat by the X-Men and X-Factor. She then rejoined the X-Men and became attracted to a new recruit, Gambit. They eventually fell in love and shared a kiss, during which she absorbed his memories and learned about his past involvement with Mr. Sinister. Disturbed by what she discovered, she ran away to South Carolina and worked as a waitress until she was attacked by the anti-mutant forces of Operation: Zero Tolerance. She was saved by the young Magneto clone, Joseph, and joined him in helping the X-Men battle Onslaught, remaining with the team afterward. Later, Rogue became an X-Men field leader, and was part of the X-Treme X-Men team led by Storm.
After Avengers vs. X-Men, Rogue accepts membership in the 'Avengers Unity' team, and the team makes its debut as the Avengers Unity Squad. Later on, Rogue becomes the field leader of the Avengers Unity Squad. Later, she returns to the Xavier Institute in New York after the incarceration of Kitty Pryde and forms a secondary team with Iceman, Armor, Ink, Magma, and Magik. Rogue eventually married Gambit. Following the Ashes era, and shortly after Xavier Institute was transformed into Graymalkin Prison, Rogue becomes the leader of a team consisting of Wolverine, Gambit, Jubilee, and Nightcrawler. The team operates from a new base in New Orleans, Louisiana, which serves as both their headquarters and a training home for young mutants.
Alternative versions
A number of alternate universes in the Marvel Multiverse feature different versions of Rogue. In the Age of Apocalypse reality, Rogue is brought to Magneto and his X-Men by Mystique to learn control of her powers. Rogue and Magneto's relationship develops after Xavier's death leads Magneto to lead the X-Men. Though Rogue is initially with Gambit, she chooses to save Magneto during a battle with Wolverine, causing Gambit to leave. After permanently absorbing Polaris's magnetic powers, Rogue becomes able to touch Magneto, and the two eventually marry and have a son named Charles.Rogue also appears in the Ultimate Marvel continuity, where her real name is Marian. She is an orphan raised by Mystique and trained for the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants before eventually breaking away and joining the X-Men. In this universe, she is introduced as one of several mutants captured and experimented on by the government's Weapon X program before becoming part of the main team. She later appears in Ultimate Universe.
Characterization
Rogue is a mutant with the potential of reaching Omega-level. She was initially introduced as an antagonist to the X-Men and a rival to Carol Danvers, the original Ms. Marvel, before eventually becoming a hero. Rogue has the ability to gain superpowers through tactile contact, absorbing the abilities, energy, and memories of others, but also can drains their life in the process. The longer she maintains physical contact, the more powers, memories, and emotions she can absorb. Most notably, she permanently absorbed the powers and psyche of Carol Danvers. This gives her superhuman strength, speed, durability, and flight.Her absorbing power makes her a "formidable and often feared member of any team she joins". She can use these powers both to defend against opponents and to attack in combat, with such abilities often described as "stolen", which highlights her reliance on others' powers and distinguishes her from traditional heroes who gain their abilities naturally or through personal merit. However, this power prevents her from maintaining close relationships, especially intimate ones, even though she still desires connection with others.
In contrast to the "masculine American monomyth," which often depicts male heroes as solitary and independent figures who may enjoy the "occasional romantic dalliance" yet ultimately remain alone, Rogue is defined by her quest for "relational connection", a trait that positions her as relatively weaker than her male counterparts. This also aligns her with the alternative narrative structure Maureen Murdock calls the heroine's journey, in which female heroes often operate collaboratively, something traditionally not essential for male heroes, who are usually shown to act alone, neither out of necessity nor preference. Rogue is thus an illustrative example of the relative powerlessness and subordinate roles of women within mainstream comic books.