A Lot of People Online Suddenly Have Very Wrong Opinions on the X-Men’s Rogue
Complex, powerful, and iconic, Rogue is one of the most beloved X-Men characters, and with the fast approaching 2028 release of a new film about the mutant supergroup, there are plenty of rumors about who’s in the running for the role.
Being such a buzzy part, it makes sense that those enjoying a moment would be linked to playing Rogue. So, it’s no surprise that Odessa A’Zion is allegedly in the mix to play the character. While most would greet this news with some interest, thanks to the fragments of Gamergate continuing to pollute the stream of online discourse, some people are complaining the very white Marty Supreme star isn’t white enough to play the mutant. And, as this genre of person always is, they are wrong. Not from a moral standpoint, or because of some drive for inclusivity. They are just plain incorrect.
As she’s such a pivotal character in the Marvel Universe, we actually know quite a lot about Rogue’s backstory, and aside from the fact she is from Mississippi, it doesn’t scream “Southern Belle.” Her parents were hippies named Owen and Priscilla who lived by a river, so not quite the planter class. And being from Mississippi doesn’t mean she has to be blonde haired and blue-eyed, for reasons that people who write the sorts of posts complaining about non-white actors taking on fictional characters generally prefer to ignore when discussing American history.
That’s just the biographical evidence. Uncanny X-Men writer Chris Clearmont, who was vital to the character’s development, has stated Rogue’s mother was at one point planned to be Mystique, and that the inspiration for her look was black icon Grace Jones.
These arguments are all fine for those looking to be academic when proving Rogue is anything but a stereotypical southern belle, but they’re superceded by the fact that Rogue is confirmed to have appeared in multiple universes, so can really take on any form she likes. And, of course, the simple fact that is that made up characters in fantasy universes who have been depicted over different decades will change their look over time.
(featured image: Julian Hamilton/Getty Images)
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