Major Rogue Origin Change Upgrades Her Powers to God-Tier
Warning: Contains spoilers for What If...? Galactus Transformed Rogue #1
Rogue's natural mutant abilities make her one of the strongest X-Men around. At times, she's been practically unstoppable thanks to her impressive combination of physical strength, durability, and whatever additional powers she absorbs along the way. Now, in a new tale that involves crossing paths with Galactus and becoming his new herald, Rogue has a new origin story and the cosmic power to go with it.
In preview images for What If...? Galactus Transformed Rogue #1 – written by Anne Nocenti, with art from Stephen Byrne – Galactus casts out his current Herald, Silver Surfer, after protests about the World Devourer's destruction of a planet growing new life. Anna Marie simultaneously gears up to leave farm life behind for good, unknowingly guaranteeing an upcoming encounter with Surfer and consequent absorption of his powers.
Compared to Galactus' other Heralds, Rogue has a wholly unique origin and path to the title, and accessing Silver Surfer's powers means instant God-tier upgrade, granting Anna Marie the ability to travel the universe.
From the very beginning, Rogue is set apart from Galactus' multitude of other Heralds. Typically, Galactus engineers an encounter and chooses them himself, but Rogue's absorption abilities will doubtlessly throw a wrench into those plans. While the issue;s preview images don't show her encounter with Silver Surfer, fans know she's slated to take on his powers after finding him injured, probably just after leaving the farm behind. That means Rogue will be the one seeking out Galactus, rather than the other way around, and her sudden and unasked for promotion to Herald is likely a surprise to both of them.
Galactus creates his servants by gifting them with a small piece of his Power Cosmic...for Rogue, that takes her usual abilities to their most extreme and pairs her new origin with her strongest form.
In other timelines, Rogue is already one of the strongest mutants – often thanks to her long-term absorption of Ms. Marvel's strength, durability, flight, and speed. That doesn't even compare to the power she'll have as a Herald of Galactus. Galactus creates his servants by gifting them with a small piece of his Power Cosmic, making it possible for them to travel the universe at incredible speeds and contend with nearly every kind of threat they may encounter along the way. For Rogue, that takes her usual abilities to their most extreme and pairs her new origin with her strongest form.
As Spider-Man says, "with great power comes great responsibility." Unfortunately for both Galactus and Rogue, her origin as a Herald doesn't set her up to handle either one. She'll have the Power Cosmic at her fingertips while shackled to the World Devourer's doomed and eternal task. Anna Marie tends to lead with her emotions and is fiercely protective of her ideas of right and wrong, and there's little to no chance that destroying planets qualifies as 'right' in her eyes. X-Men's Rogue enters her most powerful era ever as Galactus' herald, but a new origin doesn't change who she is at her core.
In a new Marvel Comics one-shot issue, Galactus transformers Gambit into one of his heralds – and creates his own worst enemy in the process.
What If...? Galactus Transformed Rogue #1 will be available on January 22, 2025 from Marvel Comics.
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.