00:07I think this new Rogue has definitely sparked a lot of conversation among Marvel fans.
00:12After months of speculation and a whole bunch of fan casting that had people convinced Kaylee
00:17Spenny was going to land the role, Marvel Studios went in a completely different direction.
00:21They officially cast Indy Navarette as Rogue for the upcoming X-Men reboot,
00:26and that decision has certainly turned some heads.
00:29It is one of those casting choices that you either love immediately or you have to sit with for a
00:34while,
00:34but the studio clearly saw something in her that made them feel she was the right fit for Anna Marie.
00:41And honestly, even though a lot of fans were rooting for Spenny,
00:44especially after her breakout roles and the fact that she just got cast in The Last of Us,
00:49Marvel had other plans.
00:51They said no to that particular fan favorite and instead went with Navarette,
00:55who a lot of people might recognize as the breakout actress from that horror film Obsession.
01:00It is a bold move, but Marvel has a history of making casting decisions that seem surprising at first
01:06and then turn out to be absolutely perfect once you see the actor in the role.
01:11Navarette's casting marks a significant moment for the character in the MCU
01:15because Rogue has such a rich history on screen already.
01:18Before Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, which is now called 20th Century Studios,
01:24the character appeared in a bunch of the classic X-Men films.
01:28Anna Paquin played her in X-Men, X2 X-Men United, X-Men The Last Stand, and even X-Men
01:34Days of Future Past.
01:35So, Paquin really defined the role for a whole generation of fans,
01:39and those movies are still beloved by a lot of people.
01:42But Rogue has also been a staple in animated form for decades.
01:46She's appeared in shows like X-Men The Animated Series,
01:49Spider-Man The Animated Series,
01:51X-Men Evolution,
01:53Wolverine and the X-Men,
01:54and most recently,
01:55she has been a major presence in the current Disney Plus series X-Men 97,
02:00which just released its second season finale.
02:03So, there is a lot of history and a lot of different interpretations of the character,
02:07and now, Indie Navarette gets to add her own take to that legacy.
02:11Before she joined the cast of this new X-Men movie,
02:14Navarette had already had a remarkably successful 2026.
02:18She starred in the hit horror film Obsession,
02:21which was a massive critical and commercial success.
02:24The movie is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes,
02:27with an impressive score of 94%,
02:29and it grossed nearly half a billion dollars at the box office,
02:33pulling in $495 million.
02:36That is a huge number for a horror film,
02:38and her performance in it earned her a Critics' Choice Super Award
02:42for Best Actress in a Horror Movie.
02:44So, she is clearly an actress with a lot of talent
02:47and a lot of momentum behind her right now.
02:50On the small screen,
02:51she has also built up a solid resume.
02:53She starred in Netflix's 13 Reasons Why
02:56as Estella de la Cruz,
02:58and she played Sarah Cortez on the CW's Superman and Lois.
03:02So, she has experience in both dramatic and genre work,
03:06which is probably part of what made Marvel interested in her.
03:09And she has not slowed down since getting the X-Men role either.
03:12She's also been cast in an upcoming thriller called In Vertigo,
03:16which was filmed earlier this year,
03:18but does not have a release date yet.
03:20So, she is clearly in high demand,
03:22and Marvel is getting her at a time
03:24when her career is really taking off.
03:27In the weeks leading up to the D23 announcement
03:30where the cast was officially revealed,
03:32there had been a lot of speculation about Navarrete
03:34possibly joining the MCU's X-Men.
03:37The actress herself had actually revealed
03:39that she met with director Jake Schreier,
03:41but she was pretty coy about the details of that meeting.
03:44She did not give anything away,
03:46which is pretty standard for these Marvel projects
03:49because they are so secretive.
03:51But interestingly enough,
03:52she also publicly expressed a desire to play Mystique,
03:56which is a role that has not been confirmed
03:58for the upcoming film yet.
04:00That's an interesting detail,
04:01because Rogue and Mystique have such a complicated
04:04and deeply personal relationship in the comics,
04:06with Mystique being one of Rogue's adoptive mothers.
04:09So, it is possible that her interest in Mystique
04:12was a bit of misdirection,
04:14or maybe she just genuinely wanted to play that character
04:17but ended up getting cast as Rogue instead.
04:20Either way, it is clear that she is passionate
04:22about the X-Men universe and the characters in it,
04:25and that enthusiasm is always a good sign
04:27for a new addition to the franchise.
04:29Now, with Indy Navarrete officially cast as Rogue,
04:33the natural question becomes
04:34what a solo project for this character
04:36would look like in the MCU.
04:39Rogue is such a fascinating and complex character,
04:42and she has a lot of story potential
04:43outside of the main team dynamics.
04:45Her powers, which allow her to absorb the life force,
04:49memories, and abilities of anyone she touches,
04:51come with a massive emotional and psychological cost.
04:55She cannot touch anyone without potentially hurting
04:58or even killing them,
04:59and that has always been a huge part of her character arc.
05:02So, a solo project could really dig into
05:05that internal conflict and explore her journey
05:07from her shadowy past as a villain
05:09in the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
05:11to her eventual redemption as a hero.
05:14There are a couple of comic storylines
05:16that would serve as perfect blueprints
05:18for this kind of project,
05:19especially in a post-Secret Wars MCU landscape
05:22where the universe has been reset
05:24and new stories can be told.
05:27One of the most recent and relevant options
05:30is the 2026 Rogue Solo comic run,
05:33which features Anna Marie leaving behind
05:35her peaceful life with Remy Lebeau,
05:37also known as Gambit,
05:38to confront unresolved sins
05:40from her early days with the Brotherhood.
05:42This arc fits a post-multiverse reset perfectly
05:46because it lets her deal with personal accountability
05:48and her complicated relationship
05:50with her adoptive mothers, Mystique and Destiny.
05:53It is a story about facing your past
05:56and trying to make amends for the things you did
05:58before you knew better,
05:59and that is a really compelling emotional core
06:02for a solo film or series.
06:04It would also give audiences a chance
06:06to see Rogue in a more vulnerable
06:07and introspective light,
06:09away from the chaos of the full X-Men team.
06:12Another classic option is the iconic storyline
06:15from Avengers Annual Number 10,
06:17which is the origin story
06:19where Rogue permanently absorbs
06:21Carol Danvers' powers,
06:22including her strength, flight,
06:24and invulnerability.
06:26Setting this as a psychological,
06:28action-driven mystery drama in the MCU
06:30would allow audiences to see the heavy toll
06:33that her touch-absorption abilities take on her.
06:35It would also introduce Captain Marvel
06:37into the X-Men orbit in a really dramatic
06:39and impactful way,
06:41because their relationship is so fraught
06:43with tension and history.
06:44And then there is Rogue, the Savage Land,
06:47which is a more focused survival and identity story
06:50that isolates her from the broader team dynamics
06:53and highlights her raw power and inner resilience.
06:56That story would be a great way
06:57to showcase her physical abilities
06:59while also digging into her character
07:01in a more intimate setting.
07:03But even though there are so many rich comic stories
07:06to draw from,
07:07the thing that makes Rogue
07:08such an interesting character for a solo project
07:10is the way her powers define her relationships
07:13and her sense of self.
07:15She has always been a character
07:16who is deeply affected
07:18by the voices and memories
07:19she has absorbed from others,
07:21and that makes her uniquely suited
07:22for a more psychological, character-driven story.
07:26And that's that for today's video.
07:28Thanks for watching
07:29and we will see you in the next one.
07:31And don't forget to like, share,
07:33and subscribe to stay in the loop.
07:35And if you want,
07:36you can always share your thoughts
07:38about this video in the comments.
