Rogue (comics)

Rogue (comics)

Rogue is a fictional character appearing in most of the Marvel Comics X-Men related titles. She was created by author Chris Claremont and artist Michael Golden, and debuted in Avengers Annual #10 (November 1981) as a villain. An earlier story, intended for Ms. Marvel #25 (June 1979) went unpublished until 1992. Rogue was born as a mutant. More so than most, Rogue considers her powers a curse: she involuntarily absorbs and sometimes also removes the memories, physical strength, and (in the case of superpowered persons) the special and unique abilities of anyone she touches. For most of her life, this potentially fatal ability prevented her from making any physical contact with others, including her on-off romantic love interest, Gambit, but after many years Rogue finally gained full control over her mutant ability.

Hailing from Caldecott, Mississippi (a fictional county), Rogue is the X-Men's self-described southern belle. A runaway, she was adopted by Mystique of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants and grew up as a villain. After Rogue permanently absorbed Ms. Marvel's psyche and Kree powers, she reformed and turned to the X-Men, fearing for her sanity. Writer Chris Claremont played a significant role in the character's subsequent development. Rogue is unusual among the X-Men as her real name and her early history were not revealed until more than twenty years after her introduction. Until the back story provided by Robert Rodi in the ongoing Rogue series began in September 2004, Rogue's background was only hinted at. Her name was revealed as Anna Marie, although her surname is still unknown. She has sometimes been called Raven which is really the first name of her foster mother Mystique.

Rogue has been one of the most popular and consistent members of the X-Men since the 1980s. She was #5 on IGN's Top 25 X-Men list for 2006, #4 on their Top Ten X-Babes list for 2006, #3 on Marvel's list of Top 10 Toughest Females for 2009 and was given title of #1 X-Man on CBR's Top 50 X-Men of All Time for 2008. She was ranked tenth in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list. Rogue has been featured in most of the X-Men animated series and various video games. In the X-Men film series, she is portrayed by Academy Award-winning actress Anna Paquin. Her visual cue is often the white streak that runs through her hair.