rogunetocentral

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a commission of rogue & magneto in formalwear—loved getting to put rogue in another gown 🥰

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Rogue: The Savage and #2 (2025)

written by Tim Seeley art by Zulema Scotto Lavina & Rachelle Rosenberg

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Confession: I used to be one of those antis who hated the Roguneto age difference and saw Gambit as the "correct" love interest. But then I got older and stopped thinking about things in black and white, I realized that Rogue doesn't give a shit since her two adopted moms also have an age difference. I think a lot of Rogue "fans" project their thoughts and desires onto Rogue instead of accepting some of the less stereotypical sweet "Southern Belle" image they like to compartmentalize her into (one reason why 80s Rogue is superior to 90s Rogue is she's a subversion of the stereotype instead playing it straight like the more palatable to general audiences 90s version of the character). Looking back, I like how the "I can't touch a man" problem was sorta resolved with Roguneto in AoA, so instead Rogue's character focus in that universe is being a team leader and going apeshit to protect her son instead of angsting over Remy and how she can't have sex with him.

First off I think that regardless of context concepts like the "correct" love interest are never good. I think that's just become more and more obvious over the years as fandom has become more toxic and more people feel comfortable calling you shit like an abuser for liking a "problematic" or hero/villain kinda ship. The ships are fictional, the people aren't. Who gives a fuck if people ship milo from atlantis and yzma from the emperor's new groove (yes this is a real ship i've seen) it's not my problem. Neither of us will gain or lose brownie points with a god or whatever because we shipped the right ship. Not an attack on you just my Thoughts because that's a common issue now in fandom that I know I certainly didn't see it at these scales when I was a teen.

AS FOR THE OTHER STUFF--

god you're spitting SO MUCH TRUTH.

Okay I wrote the rest of my reply to this originally in notepad bc i don't trust tumblr and god.... this is so long 💀

But then I got older and stopped thinking about things in black and white, I realized that Rogue doesn't give a shit since her two adopted moms also have an age difference.

It never occurred to me before how the age gap between Mystique and Irene would effect her perspective but that’s such a good and interesting point! We’re not clear on even when Mystique was born or how old she really was when she met Irene and we know Irene is like easily 100 when she dies. She and Mystique met in the late 1800s — even if you keep her dying in the 80s and don’t fudge around the timeline at all for the current date 1880 to 1980 is a century. Rogue was raised by geriatric lesbians. Idk WHAT this means for her psychologically or in how her love map got formed but it’s a Thing lol. I think the big takeaway really from being raised by mystiny is really that she expects a certain level of partner care and maturity and in syncness. Say what you want about Irene and Mystique as people but they’re absolutely an in love and loving couple. They’re totally in sync and have complete faith in each other, they’re each other’s rocks. Which ofc is why Mystique went so off the rails when Irene died.

There’s definitely a lot to be said about her expecting/needing/wanting a certain amount of maturity in her partner as a result of being raised by two older women in a very established relationship. Barring the dudes who’re born in test tubes (Longshot and Joesph) basically all her love interests are older than her by some amount. Even Remy is at least a few years older than her no matter how you pace out his life.

I tend to think worrying about age gaps in a society/world or whatever like comics is dumb when everyone in question is legal. Half of them are like 50+ by now (the 05 were teens in the 60s technically, xavier fought in the KOREAN WAR, etc), some are aliens, some are gods, some people got stuck in a time loop for like 2 years, some people where in another dimension for a while, etc etc etc. It’s more trouble than it’s worth to get up in arms about it when you’re not talking about adult/minor pairings. Magneto is like, 100 now sure. He’s also been de-aged like, twice, once that I remember to the point of being a fucking toddler again. This is automatically so fucking wild and impossible to map to anything real world you’re just gonna hurt yourself trying to comprehend the ramifications of that catastrophic life change on even how the fuck he STILL REMEMBERS HIS PREVIOUS LIFE AS AN ADULT AFTER THAT let alone his future relationships with anyone lol.

I think a lot of Rogue "fans" project their thoughts and desires onto Rogue instead of accepting some of the less stereotypical sweet "Southern Belle" image they like to compartmentalize her into (one reason why 80s Rogue is superior to 90s Rogue is she's a subversion of the stereotype instead playing it straight like the more palatable to general audiences 90s version of the character).

I think you’re very right about that. When you sit down and read Rogue’s comics through all at once the difference between her in the 80s and her in the 90s is wild and not in a good way. All the edges get knocked off of her, her morals become simplified, they gloss over her tense relations with the rest of the X-Men even more than they did before. She was created with the kind of character design slogan “the girl from the wrong side of the river” and it very much seems like few people remember that when writing or drawing her and I know why that is to some extent — stripping away her “problematic” nature (remember, Rogue DID stalk and attempt to murder Dazzler and did some other fucked up shit), stressing her more mainstream insecurities, removing her heavy metal/punk/butch interests and making her more in line with a 90s pinup girl in looks makes her more appealing and fuckable to the mainstream predominately male audience of comics. Alt girls are niche. She only got to get her tat sleeve and be a motorcycle mechanic and sing rock songs and be really wild again when Claremont takes her over again in X-Treme X-Men in 2001 and it really does feel like a breath of fresh air. She’s rough and coarse and rude again. She and Storm are at each other’s throats at times. She’s angry and she’s reckless and she’s funny and she’s you know That Bitch.

“Okay but characters change and grow, they kind of have to, and just because their creator intended them to be one way doesn’t mean they have to stay that way,” some will say and this is true! If we kept to the letter of the character creator’s intentions Cable would be boring as fuck and Shatterstar wouldn’t be pansexual. But here’s the thing—

Both of those Liefeldian monstrosities still to this day have maintained their “character slogan”, their Vibe, their Flavor if you will.

Cable is still a super douche with mega guns and 80 pouches who loves shooting things and is Edgy. He’s just better written now and has more depth. Shatterstar is still an American Gladiator made into a Real Gladiator clone boy thing who loves carnage and communes thru media lingo. He just sucks dick now. And is better written.

Note how this is not what happened with Rogue. Consider how LITTLE of her time in the 90s was say, about her conflicted feelings about her Still Evil Mom or her trouble really making friends in the X-Men because of personality differences or you know HOW HER POWER SUCKS THE SOUL OUTTA THEM or her love of mechanics or any of the other things that really only seem to crop up when it’s Claremont or someone taking notes from his characterization at the wheel. Her Character Vibe is “girl from the wrong side of the river joins a different paramilitary group for better healthcare”. THAT’S LITERALLY WHO ROGUE IS. THAT’S WHY SHE JOINED THE X-MEN. There’s absolutely room for growth here but that growth does not mean she has to stop having a mullet, or stop wearing studded belts, or stop being the other lovable unwashed mongrel in the house next to Logan.

But Possum Girl is not fuckable to most men so they don’t wanna write it and they don’t wanna see it and very few girls wanna see it because they can’t project themselves onto that. Also, misogyny— internalized or otherwise. Girls aren’t allowed to be ratty, loud, coarse, butch, aggressive etc etc etc. Rogue’s name is FUCKING ROGUE she’s NOT A SOUTHERN SWEETHEART that literally DEFEATS THE PURPOSE OF HER.

“When she was younger, Rogue thought the name made her sound like an outlaw. she played the part to perfection—using her power to imprint the skills and psyches of anyone she touched—until she realized she was stealing little bits of their souls." — X-Treme X-Men I think I cannot for the life of me remember what issue this is from but I know it’s a comic quote I had to type it out myself years ago since it’s not quoted anywhere else.

“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.” — Claremont in a 2016 interview.

Rogue is SUPPOSED to be rough and wild and reckless and YEE-FUCKING-HAW MOTHERFUCKER. She’s r/THE_PACK in mutant form. There’s SO MANY WAYS to allow her to grow and change that do not mean she must sacrifice the skynyrd. But she doesn’t get to keep that. Cable gets to keep his stupid fucking pouches and his grimdark 90s patina but Rogue’s gotta have BIG 90S BAYWATCH HAIR and wear DAISY DUKES LIKE THAT ISN’T FUCKING VICIOUS ENDANGERMENT OF EVERYONE’S LIVES all so she can be the sexy southern gal and spend the majority of the 90s hemming and hawing over the practical logistics of hopping on Remy’s dick as though that man doesn’t have enough working general sex and BDSM knowledge to tackle the logistical end of a hookup with her and instead of trying to WORK WITH HER ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES just kinda fucking pressures her like a 10yo boy demanding a kiss from his crush for a while there before someone fucking LET HIM HAVE BETTER WRITING. Both of them are done dirty by that and most current writers more likely than not came in on this version of Rogue and Remy which is why we’re now being subjected to their malformed vapid bastard children in modern comics.

80s Rogue (and a lot of 00s Rogue) Imo are the superior Rogues because she’s an alternative girl. We have PLENTY of more mainstream girls in the X-Men but we don’t have any really who are ratty and mentally unstable and metal/punk and cause issues and don’t always sync up totally with X-Men “philosophy” and who’re Really Okay with committing Lots Of Violence and who are like, AGGRESSIVELY not perfect.

Why they chose to live in fucking nowhere Mississippi and what their financial situation is and just— whatever the fucking deal with Mystiny while they raised Rogue aside — Rogue is created as a mentally ill at risk runaway youth living in a foster/adoptive home and is heavily coded as poor/white trash. Like, I get very baffled by what the fuck is going with her early childhood with Mystiny (there’s a LOT of conflicting info) but i tend to assume they're living middle-classish since you know Mystique got that $$$. But Rogue absolutely at least coded as a lower class rough and tumble girl in the 80s and that’s like….. actually very important????????? That’s huge????????? Especially since the X-Men are the Disenfranchised Minorities with Superpowers wonder show.

Now look at any 90s comics or 10s-20s comics and show me ANY issue where “white trash” or “raised by Mystique and Destiny” shines through. Didn’t find any did you? Yeah. Thought so. This is why they’re the shittiest eras of Rogue Comics.

Looking back, I like how the "I can't touch a man" problem was sorta resolved with Roguneto in AoA, so instead Rogue's character focus in that universe is being a team leader and going apeshit to protect her son instead of angsting over Remy and how she can't have sex with him.

Part of why I like Roguneto in general is we just generally skip all the gross borderline fetishist talk about how she can’t fuck because she’d kill a dude or whatever. Magneto fucks. He just DOES. You look at him and you go "oh this man FUCKS". We don’t need to spend time on the fucking mechanics of it — in fact to do so seems INSANE. OFC HE FUCKS!!! NEXT QUESTION! Now yes Remy elicits the same kind of response but not the same level. Magneto is 3 grown children levels of fucks. DILF and GDILF fucks levels. This whole drama is completely fucking stupid with MAGNETO as the stage partner. HE’S LIKE 100 YEARS OLD AND HE OWNED A METEORITE. ROGUE HAS FIST-FOUGHT LIKE ALL OF HIS CHILDREN AT LEAST ONCE. WE HAVE OTHER THINGS TO ADDRESS.

After like 20 years of writers being weird little fetishist creeps about how exactly the logistics of Rogue and Remy fuckin would work when like that’s what a gimp suit and condoms are for, it’s refreshing to just not feel the WEIGHT of that forced conflict hanging over a romantic relationship of hers. With romy there’s SUCH a hyper focus by the writers on their sex life half the time not their overall relationship and it’s just weird and gross. Like they fuck, they figure it out and she works thru her fear of touch— can we talk about rogue’s mental instability and how that affects the relationship and remy’s fear of rejection/abandonment now?????????????? THAT'S WHAT I'M ACTUALLY HERE FOR!!!!!! YALL CAN'T SELL ME SMUT SO STOP OBSESSING OVER IT LIKE PRETEENS AND TELL ME ABOUT THEIR MESSY RELATIONSHIP DRAMA!!!!!!

Rogue also tends to just be fucking bonkers more when she’s with Magneto and I like that. She’s less southern belle and more fuck it we ball and it’s refreshing. It’s a nice combo of personalities platonically and/or romantically because Magneto is really an EXCELLENT emotional/mental rock which she needs and Rogue is 10000000% not afraid to call him a lil bitch to his face and he NEEDS people around him to help keep his ego/doom spirals in check.

Their arguments feel more like real conflicts and debates. When they team up it feels more solid and like a partnership. They just feel like there's more weight and oomph in their interactions. Magneto has such a power and gravity to him. He's literally one of the immovable tent poles of the X-Verse. They'll be finding ways to keep him on the field even when he'd be 1,000 in comic years. So by interacting with him it let's her be more of a serious character. She gets to square up unstoppable force to immovable object and really test herself against him while also knowing at the end they're gonna shake and say "good game."

You don't get that with Remy because Remy's not solid like that, he's built to move. He's meant to be flexible. If you take away his flexibility (morally, in personality, in allegiance, in wants, in self-image etc) then he's just not him anymore. But the issue there is Rogue is also malleable — she's literally absorbing other people. That's two rubber people trying to help each other stand. It ain't gonna work and none of the comic writers wanna put in the real effort to MAKE it work. (fic writers ofc, have cracked this code and know how to write romy who can actually work and be compelling even into the modern era)

for me, Remy was a good first love interest for her and I love his character and I still love their dynamic — just now in a more platonic way. Meanwhile Magneto is a better second and potentially endgame relationship for her. He's more where she is in life now and he both gives her someone to depend on when she's going fucking batshit from her powers and also someone to sharpen her claws on who can take it and dish it back.

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Batman/Deadpool #1 Variant featuring Big Barda and Rogue by Jae Lee and June Chung.

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the thing that really does still get me about the episode 5 gala scene is magneto's reaction to seeing rogue. like "get this goddamn champagne glass out of my hand, im about to experience the best lay of the last half a century."

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Some days it’s still just them.

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As a writer, what are some of your favorite aspects of Rogue as a character?

Tim (Seeley): Yeah, I think an interesting aspect of Rogue is that she can steal all these incredible powers, but the question to me is always — does she need them? When she gets someone’s powers, it’s useful for a bit, but she always has to go back to being a neglected kid from the rural south who made her own way. That neglected kid figured out how to survive and thrive almost entirely on her own. The degree to which that makes her a pretty lonely person was something I wanted to explore too.

[Source]

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“'least we don't have Magneto on our team”

Meanwhile, Rogue and Magneto's actual dynamic in comics

And Magneto being tortured over what Remender's Rogue said to him

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I wish age gap discourse hadn't spiraled the way it has because I want there to be a safe space to say "Men in their 40s who date 25 year olds aren't predators, they're just fucking losers"

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我觉得他们很配。

【展示】【不是我画的】

*fanart*

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Daily Rogneto Post.

Day by Day is quite obvious that( at Least for me) that Magneto is the best pair with Rogue.

As far as I see, she shine next him, because how he is very pleased in let her be herself..

I think the only people who despise this are Gambit fan or has this problem with age gap.

For me, if I could back in time and change one thing, I will make Rogue, Magneto's wife forever ...

I don't know but Anna Marie Lensherr sounds better than Anna Marie Lebeau

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It’s very sickening how deranged Romy shippers on social media can be to the point that some are literally confessing online that they consider anyone who enjoys and/or ships Rogueneto to be an enemy and believe they deserve death.

Death? Over fictional characters? Over fictional relationships? Are you serious? Is this how far they are willing to go down that they believe a particular group of shippers deserve death for simply not preferring Romy?

It’s no wonder why people over time have stopped liking Romy or have walked away from the ship because of the toxic fans and purist mentality within the fandom. The drama, the bullying, falsely accusing others, harassing fans and creators alike, etc. It’s so ridiculous and downright pathetic.

If you don’t like seeing Rogue being paired with anyone who’s not Gambit, then do not search or interact with those who enjoy a different ship preference than your’s. But also DO NOT come into their space and start drama only to act like a victim when you’re called out. It makes you look desperate and weak.

How can a fan base that is constantly being swarmed by Romy content to their heart’s desire in artwork and fan-fiction, comics and shows, etc., be so insecure and hysterical the moment Rogue is paired with a man who is not Gambit, even if it’s just for a brief moment? You’re getting what you want and you’re still unhappy about it.

Meanwhile, the other side is just happy with whatever crumbs they are given by Marvel or by creating and sharing their very own work and build a community for those who enjoy.

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Okay, I went on an unexpected long hiatus due to the holidays, illness, and an extremely busy work schedule. Hopefully, I can start posting more!

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Rogue and Magneto's relationship began with a "spark" after he assisted Rogue in her fight with the malignant psychic ghost of Carol Danvers, full of resentment towards Rogue for ruining her life, now made corporeal due to the Seige Perilous. Rogue returned the favor by helping Magneto fight against Zaladane who wished to control the Savage Land with brutal force.

Rogue found herself power neutralized and without her teammates in the Savage Land, but in the company of Magneto who retreated to the area after his tenure as the headmaster of the Xavier Institute ended in failure and his bond with his New Mutant students irreparably severed. The two grew close while on their quest to stop Zaladane, a closeness that threw them both for surprise but not entirely unwelcomed given their later interactions.Alas, the savage land romance did not last as Magneto made the decision to return to his former idealogy and methods of mutant supremacy during the Zaladane fight. Rogue tried her best to steer Magneto back to the side of "good" but the damage was done. Magneto and Rogue parted the Savage Land separately and as enemies once again.

However, their mutual feelings remained and eventually became common knowledge to the X-Men.

Rogue attempted to reach Magneto numerous times offering an olive branch and pleading for his return to the X-Men. While Magneto, his mind made up about his path, attempted to recruit Rogue to his side to no avail.

The relationship was famously part of Marvel's Age of Apocalypse publisher wide event featuring an alternative timeline. AoA, saw Rogue and Magneto as a happily married couple with an infant son, fighting together to rid the world of Apocalypse influence.

A return to the original timeline saw Rogue still interested in Magneto, this time believed to be turned into an amnesiac younger man named, Joseph. Rogue and Joseph enjoyed a sweet flirtation yet still unfulfilled romance. Joseph was later revealed to be a clone of the master of magnetism instead of the man himself.

The real Magneto eventually returned, fighting against the U.N. to provide him the sovereign nation of Genosha as a safehaven for mutants and the remaining humans who lived there. Joseph sacrificed his life to repair the damaged EM field around the earth, leaving Rogue heartbroken over the loss of her friend and almost lover.

However, this loss did not deter Rogue as she still hung onto hope that Magneto could be reasoned with and returned to the X-Men's side. While most of the X-Men were on an away mission to space, Rogue flew to Genosha to reconnect with Magneto. She found an ally with Pietro who also wanted to talk sense into his father. Unfortunately for both, Magneto was steadfast and did budge in his decision. As a final act, Magneto allowed himself to be kissed by Rogue to show her the pain within him, the demons he face, to dissuade her from her attempts to rekindle their romantic flame as his focus needed to be on rebuilding Genosha. Once again, Rogue and Magneto parted as enemies.

It wasn't until the creation of yet another sovereign mutant nation, this time by Cyclops, that Magneto rejoined the frey. At this point in history, the mutants were dwindled down to less than 500 due to a genocidal attack against them stemming from a failed and crumbling alternative reality. Cyclops sent an open call to all mutants who wanted to joined the small of Utopia, repurposed from Astroid M, Magneto's former base, floating near the border of San Francisco. Magneto joined the X-Men, saved beloved X-Man, Kitty Pryde, and was trusted enough to join missions. One such mission involved a reunion with Rogue. This time, Magneto was the one actively showing his interest in rekindling their former flame, while Rogue was hestitant to start something up with the man she onced tried so hard to reach.

Rogue eventually took on the role of mentor to many of Utopia's younger mutants to help them control their powers, as her own powers, recently under control for the first time since she was 13 years old, offered an unique perspective that would help the young mutants better understand themselves -- or so Cyclops pitched to her. Rogue continued in her role, often times reuniting with Magneto on missions. The constant run-ins with Magneto eventually led Rogue to soften her stance on the man she once chased across an ocean, but now rebuffs.

Another alternative reality emerged sweeping up everyone within Utopia into a new history, new identies, and a new mystery. The Age of X. Magneto would be known as The General, the leader of the last mutant stronghold. Defending mutants from the constant war with humans. Rogue was known as Legacy(colloquially as Reaper by the Utopians), the living last will & testament to mutantkind. Absorbing and maintaining the memories and life of fallen mutants so they may never be forgotten.

The General and Legacy were rumored to be lovers by the Utopians due to their closeness. It did appear that such rumors were true given the two's brief but personal and intimate interactions with each other. AoX was eventually revealed to be the powers of David Haller, Legion, running rampant due to another personality taking hold of him - the mysterious X. AoX, was no more and Utopia woke up from its fever dream. Most mutants opted to have their memories wiped to avoid the confusion of two lifetimes running in their minds. Rogue decided to keep Legacy alive within herself. As such she gained Legacy's mastery over their shared power as Legacy always had control; thus allowing her powers to grow and mature in a way that Rogue's could never.

The end of AoX saw the beginning of Rogue and Magnetos relationship in earnest. Inspired by Legacy's open feelings for The General and her unwillinginess to live her life in fear, Rogue opted to give Magneto a chance. Magneto, for his part, believed Rogue was still hesitant to be with him due to his past, so he attempted to, once again, dissuade her from a romance by offering up a brutal tale from his past, showing what kind of man he was and is. Magneto was later surprised when Rogue showed up in his room - not promising anything beyond a night together.

The relationship continued from there on, the two remained together even during the schism of Utopia which saw mutants split between Cyclops Utopia and Wolverine's desire to reopen the Salem school to give young mutants a different path in life. Rogue went with Wolverine, but stayed in a long distance romance with Magneto for awhile.

The relationship ended after Utopia was seiged by the Avengers and the Phoenix force split into 5 pieces controling different members of the X-Men (Cyclops, Emma Frost, Namor, Colossus, and Magik).

The Phoenix 5 were then conspired against by the Avengers and a handful of mutant defectors who decided the P5 should be in control of such power. Eventually this led to the P5 being driven insane, and the Phoenix controlled Cyclops murdering his father figure and mentor, Charles Xavier.

Once again, mutants were displaced from their homes with nowhere to go. Magneto wanted to start a new life with Rogue away from everything that transpired, but Rogue was not ready that committment. The two amicably ended their relationship after having an honest conversation about what they needed and wanted at that point in their lives.

A long history spanning the 90s (1991-1999) and part of the 10s. Rogueneto shared an eventful romance that shows the depth of compassion, respect, and understanding these two have of each other. A romance of two strong-minded and fragile-hearted individuals caught in an unsynchronized love affair that all started with a "spark."

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Savage Land Rogue: The Quiet Sexism of Fandoms

Today, a new mini-series was announced for Rogue which tell the story of how she spent weeks/months in the Savage Land before Nick Fury showed up in Uncanny X-Men 274. Not everyone is taking this well and so have resulted in victimizing the character themselves when the story and narrative never did.

The Savage Land story is iconic for a number of reasons, it was the tail end of a two massive x-men storylines that had all the X-Men split between space and earth. It marked Rogue finally getting rid of Carol Danvers psyche that had been plaguing her mind since they first fought. The beginning spark of her romantic relationship with Magneto. The end of Magneto's first tenure as an X-Man as he could not overcome his grief & shame having failed in protecting the new mutants, the supposed death of the X-Men, and Charles Xavier's dream. And it was the fast approaching end of Chris Claremont's extensive creative era as Marvel was steadily bringing in new blood to reshape the publishers vision of their comics back into a steadily more superficial interpretation of the 60s superhero style of stories. But I digress. The Savage Land story brought forth the iconic outfit for Rogue which were made up of the worn & torn remains her 80s outback costume and a spare oversized shirt from the X-Men's Australia base.

Rogue was by herself for an undisclosed amount of time before she was found by the corrupted psychic ghost of Carol and saved by Magneto. The last panel shows a passage of time that explains why her regular clothes were worn down into what became her Savage Land fit.

Is the costume drawn as explicitly sexual or exploitative? No. Can it still be used for the male gaze? Yes of course. Does that make it inherently evil and disrespectful of the character itself? Not a chance.

The reason her clothes were torn was not just so she can be sexy to prepubescent nerds and young adults with spending money. The weathered and withered clothing was part of the story, showing a passage of time that Rogue was fending for herself. Once Rogue did meet up with other allies, those allies were also in torn clothing showing chest, abs, and legs. Some individuals were in loincloths! It was sexy in a primitive way, but it was not sexualizing these characters in any respect to their narrative or functionality in the story.

IN THE STORY, Rogue fended for herself for weeks before fighting against Carol's ghoulish psyche. After that battle left her temporarily depowered, she STILL tried to fight and knock people out. Rogue may have had a few close calls and received assistance from her allies, but she was never a damsel in distress who couldn't take care of herself. This story did nothing to victimize Rogue as helpless, yet so many current reactions from the fanbase are behaving as if Rogue was crying and fainting every 5 minutes. The fanbase took Rogue wearing worn out clothes from a logical story point of view and made her a victim of sexual harassment. A story that showed Rogue's perseverance and independence and survival skills was made into a story of being a victim by the hands of her own fanbase.

Sexism and misogyny have always been a problem with comics and comic fans. However, sexism and misogyny can also take form in conservatism and policing of women's bodies and expression of sexuality. The idea that showing skin or being portrayed in a way that's sexual or sensual will have a knee-jerk reaction, an assumption that this female character is a victim of male gaze because no woman would ever be this way on their own.

While the 90s did no favors to any and all female characters across the industry, it is in no way the same type of sexualization today as it was 30 years ago. Part of combating this sexual exploitation of women is to embrace the positive displays of sexual and sensual female characters. The answer is not to rise up in a puritan rage of fire. That in itself is part of the ongoing problem. It's used as a form of censorship to repress and vilify women as sexual creatures in their own right.

Sure, people love Emma Frost but God forbid she has sex with anyone without it leading to a relationship or love. Oh, she's barely wearing clothes and sleeps lingerie instead of a T-shirt?Marvel is sexualizing her and turning her into a slut even though plenty of women can have indiscriminate sex if they want to and dress for themselves in their preferred style.

Oh, hey that Catwoman sure is sexy and the embodiment of a femme fatale, but her origin as a sex worker is disgusting because that makes her a whore. It doesn't matter that it was handled respectfully to her agency and shined a light on the sociopolitical aspect of her character and Gotham's wealth divide. She was involved with sex play so she's unworthy of being praised.

Sexual exploitation and sexual exploration are two separate things, but for the last couple of years the reactions from different fandoms to sexual exploration has been met with disdain, slut-shaming, and purity based conservative rhetoric. Sex work is demonizes even when handled with care and understanding by the writers. Sexually free woman are shamed for having sex or willing to have sex without love/relationships. Women should be feminine and look beautiful but they should never show off their bodies because it's always for men. Not matter the situation the character is in.

It's perfectly okay to personally dislike something like a costume, or the way a character is drawn, or a story. We all have personal preferences. However, that personal preference is no excuse to spread misogyny and sexism. To use purity and conservative ideals as a way to devalue and remove agency from a woman, fictional or not, because the type of sexual expression is not what you personally prefer is such nasty work. Why take something that was made with positivity in mind and make it something vile? Why force a woman into victim status when they are explicitly shown to be the opposite? So many fandoms allow their misogyny, internalized misogyny and misognoir run rampant because they believe they are morally right because their criticism is veiled with good intentioned, rose colored glasses. Because no one asks themselves is this deliberately sexist or am I upset because it's not my personal taste?

Rogue's savage land era was not about her being a victim of damsel in distress writing or exploitation of her womanhood. It was about her journey as an X-Man on her own without her team, her compassion to help those in need when she has her own problems going on, and her final confrontation with Carol Danvers psyche that was built up towards during the Outback era. It's fine to not like her outfit, but to say she was anything but her strong willed self because she was wearing less clothes is ultimately about as sexist as you can get.

Read Rogue's new mini-series or don't read it. But don't act like this is some grave offense against her character because you personally dislike her outfit or the storyline.

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So much to say about them