Marvel's X-Men Has Cast The Right Actor To Finally Get Rogue Right [D23]

As Marvel Studios prepares its "X-Men" movie reboot, one character who's been subject to some of the most different casting rumors is Rogue, the southern belle with white-streaked auburn hair and a poisonous touch. Margaret Qualley and Odessa A'zion were named by scoopers, while "Yellowjackets" star Sophie Thatcher was a fan-favorite Rogue fancast. In the lead-up to final confirmation at D23, the grapevine was saying that Cailee Spaeny ("Alien: Romulus," "Beef" Season 2) might have the part in the bag.

But now, all the rumors can rest, because Marvel Studios has confirmed who is playing Rogue at D23: Inde Navarrette, the breakout star of "Obsession." In that horror hit she played Nikki, a young woman who experiences a terrifying personality change after her weaselly best friend Bear (Michael Johnston) wishes for her to fall in love with him.

Navarrette is just one member of an exciting cast of new mutants. As someone who was pulling for Cailee Spaeny as Rogue (and not just to finally get a real southerner playing the most famous Mississippian mutant), I must confess some disappointment. But at the same time, Navarrette is one hell of a consolation prize; her swing-for-the-fences performance in "Obsession" leaves little doubt she can pull off Rogue.

Marvel Studios also has the chance to redefine Rogue on the big screen, and let Navarrette play the character from the comics in a way previous Rogue actress Anna Paquin never got to. The "X-Men" movies focused on the "tortured" side of Rogue and little else. It's time to show audiences why she earns her place on a team of superheroes.

And considering Marvel has gotten such a bright rising star to play Rogue, putting her in a central role is the only option.

For many "X-Men" fans, their first image of Rogue comes from the 1990s "X-Men" cartoon: a tough-as-nails and flirty woman with a Dolly Parton-esque drawl, tortured by her mutant inability to touch others, and one of the X-Men's heaviest hitters. Revival series "X-Men '97," where Rogue's original voice actress Lenore Zann returned, has cemented this as the definitive Rogue for a new generation.

Conversely, Paquin's Rogue was a shyer character lacking self-confidence. She never got her super strength or flying powers either, which largely kept her out of the action scenes. Even Zann has said the "X-Men" movies "weaken[ed]" Rogue's character, so now's the time to restore it.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe can also give Rogue a clearer character arc. In the comics she was originally a villain, part of the Brotherhood of Mutants. If Navarrette's Rogue starts in the same place and then redeems herself, that could do what the first "X-Men" movie did — making Rogue into a POV character to what joining the X-Men means — but in a way that actually stays true to all of what her character is.

Comic Rogue's arc even speaks to the strengths of Navarrette's "Obsession" performance. Nikki is often terrifying, but the movie never forgets she's the victim, having been brainwashed/possessed by Bear's wish. That's similar to where Rogue was when she was in the Brotherhood: an abandoned, manipulated girl in need of the right guidance (like Professor X's). Navarrette's performance as Nikki tells me she can play the forlorn Rogue who keeps herself lonely lest her powers hurt the people she's close to, and the kick-ass Rogue who bench presses Sentinels. 

Marvel Studios' "X-Men" is in development.