Rogue Isn’t Underrated — Marvel Just Isn’t Paying Attention 

Since August 1981, Marvel’s been sleeping on a gold mine, and that’s Rogue. A character with so much story to tell and a hidden popularity that, for some reason, executives at Marvel cannot seem to realize. Fans know she’s a powerhouse, emotionally complex, and an absolute icon, yet there’s a severe lack of interest from Marvel in really allowing her to shine like the gem she is.  

Rogue is my favorite character, and my love for her has only continued to grow, despite the lack of attention Marvel gives her. It’s a struggle being a Rogue fan, from the severe lack of merchandise to the low number of solo comics she’s received. But despite the drought of content to fuel the love, I find that many other Marvel fans, just like myself, have a massive love for her. 

The Sad State of Rogue Solo Runs 

Do you know how many solo runs Rogue has? Three, with a fourth one finally starting this year, 2026. And let’s not forget to point out the fact that many of these were miniseries with only a small amount of issues. For instance, two of those were only four issues long.  

Now, if Rogue didn’t have so much potential, I could understand the limited number of comics she has. But she’s such a complex character that the amount of stories you could give her is vast.  

The Unlimited Potential of Stories 

Rogue’s powers make her one of Marvels strongest characters, but the consequences of her mutation leave her in a complicated mental state. Not only does she absorb people’s memories when she uses her powers, leaving her struggling to comprehend what’s her’s and what isn’t, but the simple fact that she’s unable to do such a normal thing as touching someone hugely affects her mental health. 

Let’s not forget she was a villain once before she joined the X-men.  

With this, Marvel could use her stories to dive deep into mental health and how that affects a person. Or perhaps the idea of what makes someone become a villain versus a hero, highlighting how their daily experiences and interactions with people affect how one might grow up to be.  

There’s potential to showcase her during her younger years when her powers first appeared. Marvel could also focus on her experiences being adopted by Mystique or her time in the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.  

And yes, I know the comics have covered some of these stories. We wouldn’t know them if they didn’t. But they are stories that warrant much longer than 4 issues. DC comics has told Harley Quinn’s story plenty of times, and yet fans of hers, like me, still read any new material even if it’s just another retelling.  

There are a lot of possibilities. Rogue could potentially have any power a writer would want to give her if she takes from the right person. Marvel could even take an idea from DC comics and add non-canon and/or alternative versions, like the teen graphic novels DC publishes of their characters. 

She has so many stories just waiting to be written. 

She’s Exactly What Marvel Claims to Want 

Rogue is a strong female character. With entertainment companies pushing for more female leads, it’s shocking to me that they don’t just use some of their greatest female characters they already have.  

She’s everything all sides of the debate would like, beautiful and can seriously kick some butt. But she’s not perfect. She struggles and has faults. She cannot control her powers and thus she needs to learn to grow stronger. 

Yet she’s pushed to be a side character when she’s created to stand out. It wasn’t always like that. She’s featured prominently in the first Fox X-men movie. And yes, she’s not necessarily a strong character in that one. But she was a teen, trying to navigate her abilities and needed someone to lean on to grow into the strong woman she is, which I would argue is actual storytelling with a proper character arc.  

But subsequent movies reduced her to nothing. The third movie even screwed her over by having her lose Bobby (Iceman) to Kitty and give up her powers. Then in Days of Future Past, her scene was even cut out.  

The cartoons have treated her a bit better. It’s in X-Men Evolutions where we get an interesting unique take on Rogue with the decision to make her a gothic teen. And obviously, X-Men: The Animated Series featured her as a main cast character. But if you noticed, as the years have gone by, it’s like Marvel just stopped.  

I know she’s in the latest X-men: ‘97 series, but I haven’t seen it yet. Unfortunately, I have heard some things I’m not too happy about when it comes to her in that as well. But I can’t really pass judgement until I’ve seen it for myself. 

Rogue in the MCU 

With all the movies and series Marvel is putting out, now is the perfect opportunity to bring her back as a main character. They want prominent female characters in the MCU, don’t they? Why not use one that’s already loved by a lot of people. 

Let’s just hope they do it right though, properly adapted from the comics. I’d be more disappointed to see a poorly adapted Rogue on the big screen. But if they did adapt her right, there are plenty of options for movies and series as well. 

Hello? Gambit and Rogue movie? Marvel needs to stop pretending that’s not one of their best couples that people love reading about.  

And I’m going to say it; Rogue is the perfect way to deal with their Captain Marvel problem. We all know the MCU version isn’t super popular, no matter how much they push her on us. And before anyone freaks out, I’m a woman, and I just don’t like the MCU version. Bring Rogue in, have her take Captain Marvel’s powers like she does in the comics, and boom, you have a female character that I have a feeling more people will enjoy watching. 

Where is all the Rogue Merch at? 

Now, I can’t finish this post without discussing the severe lack of Rogue merchandise out there. I’ve spent many years scouring the convention halls and depths of the internet to find merch of my favorite character. But the struggle is real. 

Why it’s so hard to find any merchandise for Rogue besides weird-looking action figures is beyond me. There are some shirts too, but I really do wish I could find as many varieties of items as I can for my other favorite, Harley Quinn. 

I literally have a travel toiletry bag with Harley Quinn on it, yet it was so hard just to find a poster of Rogue. So much so, I was debating about just hanging one of her comics up on my wall until I finally found a poster drawn by someone in an Artist Alley at a convention. 

And I understand, they aren’t going to make much merchandise for a character they don’t think is going to sell. But from what I’ve seen, Rogue definitely would if there was more out there. 

I’m Not Alone in My Love 

From my experiences, it’s not that Rogue isn’t popular; it’s just that Marvel isn’t doing enough to showcase her. Anytime I’ve told someone my favorite character is Rogue, I get responses agreeing with me on how good a character she is.  

In fact, so many people seem to like her that the lack of interest from Marvel regarding her leaves me shocked. I’ve had my own conversations with others on this very topic, that Marvel is missing an opportunity with her. 

If I’m already seeing this much attention to her from Marvel fans, while the company isn’t giving her any, imagine what it could be like if Disney actually promoted her more and gave her room to shine.  

Conclusion: Get Your Act Together, Marvel 

It’s clear to me that Marvel is making a mistake not paying attention to Rogue’s popularity. Despite the lack of solo comics and merchandise for the characters, she’s still a favorite among a lot of Marvel fans.  

There are so many story opportunities, and the complexities of her character leave a lot of room to play with. Just the whispers of her potential MCU casting have set the internet abuzz; imagine how much more popular she could become if Marvel leaned into it. 

Please, Marvel, give us all more of our favorite Southern Belle. Because we all know a woman going around calling people “Sugah” can charm us all with her lovable sassiness and fiery personality. Deep down, everyone knows she’s a sweet girl who cares for her friends and struggles with her own internal battles. All of which is the perfect blend of personality for a fan favorite character.