X-men Marathon: Character Spotlight - Rogue

It's hard to talk about a character that so many people already know so much about. What could I tell you that you don't already know? I've decided to simply list some of the things I enjoy about her and tell you what they mean to me.

1. Rogue is southern

From the moment you hear her talk or read that "Ah" instead of "I" in the comics, you know Rogue is from the south. Mississippi, to be exact. While there's a bit of rivalry at times between Louisiana and Mississippi when we fight for that 49th spot in education or obesity (I kid! Well, I wish I was kidding), the fact is there are a lot of people who have lived on either side of the state line at various points in our lives. While never to be confused with one another, the two are definitely linked.

2. Rogue has superhuman strength and is invulnerable to harm

Some of the adaptations skip this, and she's occasionally lost these powers in the comics, but the Rogue I'm most familiar with has them. Being someone who is small in stature and not really good at sports, seeing someone who could dish out and take harm with little effort appealed to me as a kid.

3. At one time, Rogue had another person's personality inside her head

When she permanently absorbed those Ms. Marvel powers mentioned above, she took her personality along with it, and the two struggled for control of Rogue's body. While it's certainly not an exact issue I'm familiar with, I think we all know what it's like to be conflicted at times. In those confusing adolescent years, it was especially the case for me.

4. Rogue cannot make physical contact with another person without absorbing their powers and memories

Recently in the comics, Rogue has gained control over her powers and can now touch people without hurting them if she so chooses. I cannot help but think sooner or later this will be reversed somehow. They've occasionally allowed her to touch others in the past but it never lasts very long. It's pretty central to her character, after all, and I dare say what makes her most appealing. It's the tragedy of not being able to be close to another person that we all sympathize with and understand. As someone with a wide personal bubble who literally isn't comfortable getting close to people, I really understand it.

5. For a long time, no one knew Rogue's real name

The movie is basically what started them finally revealing Rogue's name, and I guess that makes sense. Since we see her right as her powers emerged, I can understand bringing it up. But honestly, I don't care what her real name is. No one ever pronounces or spells my first name right, even when it's right in front of their face, so the idea of someone going only by a codename really appealed to me when I was young. Given that I largely give people a nickname these days, I guess it still does.

6. Rogue has a white stripe in her hair

I used to think this was so cool back then, and thought about getting a stripe dyed into my hair. I've since outgrown the urge, but guess where my first grey hair is? I'm secretly hoping that the others will continue to show right next to it.

If you love Rogue as much as I do, or want to understand a little more why she is so awesome, I suggest checking out the excellent feature Jetwolf has been doing on her blog, which highlights some of the awesome moments of Rogue from the comics.(The title is technically NSFW, but the content is mostly ok.)