Rogue & Gambit: Stephanie Phillips Shares Plans for the Fan-Favorite X-Men Couple (Exclusive)
The fan-favorite X-Men couple of Rogue and Gambit are embarking on a new adventure in their upcoming limited series. The Krakoan era of the X-Men has heavily featured Rogue and Gambit, with both heroes appearing in Excalibur, Rogue being elected to Krakoa's first official X-Men team, and Gambit journeying with Captain Britain to Otherworld in Knights of X. After spending time apart, Rogue & Gambit will bring the married couple back together again for a secret mission under orders from Destiny, Rogue's adopted mother. March's Rogue & Gambit comes from the creative team of Stephanie Phillips (Harley Quinn, Wonder Woman: Evolution) and Carlos Gómez (X-Terminators, Amazing Spider-Man), and Phillips is opening up on what fans can expect from the series.
Stephanie Phillips spoke to ComicBook.com regarding Rogue & Gambit, the status of their rocky relationship, bouncing Rogue and Gambit off of Destiny, how the miniseries will affect the X-Men line, and working with Carlos Gómez. We can also exclusively reveal the first look at pages from Rogue & Gambit #1 by Gómez, David Curiel, and Federico Blee.
Status of Rogue and Gambit's Relationship
ComicBook.com: Rogue & Gambit brings the fan-favorite X-Men couple back together again after their individual adventures in X-Men and Knights of X. Where does their relationship stand as the series opens?
Stephanie Phillips: Their relationship has been pretty strained coming into our series, which makes them feel very real to me and was part of the appeal of writing this couple. They can be messy and difficult, and with that comes a lot of passion. This served as a really fun place to start our story and create what feels like a very real couple to me... just, you know, with superpowers thrown into the mix.
prevnext
Destiny's Role
Destiny appears to have an important role in Rogue & Gambit. Can you discuss the mission Destiny is sending Rogue on, and what's it been like bouncing these characters and personalities off each other?
X-Men #9 by Gerry Duggan and C.F. Villa has this amazing moment where Destiny and Gambit clash. The banter is amazing, but my favorite part is when Gambit exits the room and Destiny just makes a motion pretending to strangle him and says "hate you." The art sells their antagonistic relationship so well and it genuinely made me laugh out loud. I love the relationship between Destiny and Gambit and that will absolutely play a major role in our series. What Destiny thinks about Gambit and his relationship with her adopted daughter is integral to how the story will resolve. Destiny is also the driving force of the series as she sends Rogue & Gambit on a mission based solely on Rogue's trust in her... something that Gambit lacks entirely. It's a really interesting dynamic to play with.
prevnext
Ramifications on X-Men Line
Mr. and Mrs. X, the series Rogue and Gambit previously starred in, famously introduced Charles Xavier and Lilandra's daughter, Xandra, to the Marvel Universe. What are the chances Rogue & Gambit also alters the status quo of the X-Men line once it's done?
Our story is meant to tie directly into upcoming X-Men events. I also wanted to ensure that it could be read as a standalone story by anyone interested in checking out the characters, but it will have some major ramifications for things to come...
prevnext
Collaborating With Carlos Gomez
Carlos Gomez absolutely killed it on X-Terminators. How has your collaboration been going, and what traits has he brought to the table that really stand out?
Carlos is an incredible storyteller and his acting is phenomenal. He sells so many incredible moments, whether it's romance, arguing, action, or just quiet moments of frustration from a character. You feel all of that from Carlos' art and he's been a ton of fun to collaborate with.
prevnext
Excitement for Rogue & Gambit
Finally, is there anything you're really looking forward to fans seeing or experiencing when Rogue & Gambit is released?
In general, I'm just excited to have my first Marvel work in print and to see all the variant covers, which all look gorgeous.
Rogue & Gambit #1 goes on sale March 1st.
prev