Why Rogue character in the X-Men is from a fictional Mississippi county

Wed, August 26, 2026 at 4:09 PM UTC

Hailing from fictional Caldecott County, Mississippi, the character Rogue has gone from misunderstood villain to one of the most beloved female characters in comic book history as a member of the X-Men.

In popular culture, Rogue’s backstoryof isolation as a confused teen who has the ability to absorb fellow mutants’ powers, memory and personality has struck a chord with fans worldwide.

In 2016, a national magazine named Rogue the most popular fictional character from the state of Mississippi, ahead of other characters like the Muppet, Kermit the Frog, and Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy on Star Trek.

The character is the brainchild of Comic Book Hall of Fame member Chis Claremont and artist Michael Golden. Claremont is credited with helping turn around the foundering X-Men series, which he took over in 1975 and oversaw until 1991, largely through interjecting complex and interesting female characters.

“The thing I always liked about Rogue, unlike many of the others on the team, she is very much a river girl from ‘the wrong side of the river,’” Claremont said. “She doesn’t consider herself furiously sophisticated. … The name ‘Rogue’ is not just a super hero code. She is very much a wild child. She likes danger and is much more of a Mississippi soul than a Louisiana soul.”

In Rogue’s first appearance in 1981’s Avengers Annual, she appears on the page speaking with a Southern drawl while engaged in combat with Captain America after sapping powers from Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers, who is later renamed Captain Marvel.

The decision to make Rogue a Mississippian was rooted in the fact that Claremont had already used characters and storylines in New Orleans.

“I felt, why should Louisiana get all the fun? … (Mississippi) was a place where the racial divisions and relationships were viewed in perhaps more stark terms than in and around New Orleans,” Claremont said, noting that the X-Men’s tension between humans and mutants was an allegory for racial tension in the United States.

On August 15, Marvel Studios revealed the star-studded cast of the upcoming “X-Men” film at Disney’s D23 fan event in California. The biennial D23 gathering is Disney’s biggest showcase for upcoming films and television series, and the “X-Men” cast reveal was among the most anticipated announcements of the event.

Rogue will be portrayed by Inde Navarrette. The film, which will be released in May 2028, also stars Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Christopher Abbott as Professor X, Maya Boyd as Storm and Adam Driver as Nathaniel Milbury, also known as Mr. Sinister.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger:Why Rogue character in the X-Men is from a fictional Mississippi county