X-Men ’97 Finally Brings Back Rogue’s Forgotten Superpower

X-Men ’97 Season 2 just brought back a superpower I never thought I’d see again. This season has been a strange one; every episode has been remarkably strong, but the overall narrative has been a little disjointed. Apocalypse has resurrected Gambit, but the Ragin’ Cajun remains infatuated by his beloved Rogue. Surprisingly, though, episode 8 opens with Rogue demonstrating a power that may surprise many viewers.

The story opens with a haunting vision in which Rogue sees hints that Gambit is alive, and even catches a glimpse of his new face. It’s clearly a precognitive vision, an ability you tend to associate with Rogue’s adopted mother-figure, Destiny; or, perhaps, with Psylocke (in a little-used powers). Surprisingly, though, there is in fact a reason Rogue too possesses the power to have visions of the future.

Rogue Has Absorbed all Carol Danvers’ Powers

X-Men ’97 resets the X-Men’s status quo to a version of the one we saw in the comics. This version of Rogue is a physical powerhouse, largely because she absorbed the powers of Carol Danvers on their first encounter. Modern viewers are familiar with Carol Danvers as the powerful Captain Marvel, and her primary powerset is energy manipulation; but Carol traditionally went by the “Ms. Marvel” codename, and her original powerset was rather more physical in nature. She has the staple super-power of flight, possesses incredible physical strength, and can get up after taking a punch from the Hulk.

These are all staple super-powers. But Carol Danvers originally had another that made her stand out from the crowd, a “seventh sense.” At first, this was done in a pretty weird way; Carol’s seventh sense would manifest when she was asleep, transforming her into a superhero who didn’t know what she’d done when she woke up. It gradually transformed into a traditional danger sense, something like Spider-Man’s spider-sense. Carol knew when she was being targeted from behind, for example.

Writer Chris Claremont took things in a different direction. He used the seventh sense to build a sense of drama, kicking off stories with precognitive flashes warning Carol of some blurry, indistinct threat. It was actually one of Claremont’s favorite narrative tricks (Psylocke possessed similar precognitive flashes, used in the same way). When Rogue absorbed Carol Danvers’ powers, her comic book version did demonstrate the seventh sense on a couple of occasions. But later writers largely forgot it, including when Carol regained her own abilities.

X-Men ’97 Finally Remembers Rogue’s Forgotten Seventh Sense

That brings us nicely to X-Men ’97 Season 2, where episode 8 opens with Rogue experiencing a precognitive dream. In the comics, Rogue is no longer defined by Ms. Marvel’s absorbed powers; in fact, she has gained full control of her ability to absorb the powers and memories of others with a touch. The Rogue of X-Men ’97 is still stuck at that older status quo, though, meaning skin contact is a rare thing for her. What’s more, her core powerset in combat are the stolen powers of Ms. Marvel.

Crucially, that includes the “seventh sense.” X-Men ’97 Season 2 uses the seventh sense in perfect Claremont style, because Rogue’s dream is a hint of the crisis to come. What’s more, she knows enough to sense there’s truth in it; Rogue swiftly recognizes the truth that Gambit is back from the dead, and even that he’s changed. Rogue knows her visions aren’t just something that happens to her, but rather that they should compel her to take action. That’s especially true now Gambit’s fate is on the line, even if she is wrestling with the seductive possibility of simply having Remy back.

I’ll say this for X-Men ’97; the show may feel a bit overstuffed this season, but the writers have incredibly deep knowledge of continuity and lore. The comics themselves have largely forgotten the seventh sense, both in relation to Rogue and Carol Danvers, and the idea has been entirely absent with the MCU’s Captain Marvel. But X-Men ’97‘s creative team has dug far, far deeper into X-Men history, bringing back a power I never really expected to see again. It’s a truly impressive feat, demonstrating once more that this is truly a superior X-Men adaptation to anything we’ve seen to date.

X-Men ’97 Just Broke My Faith In Wolverine, Something Marvel Comics Could Never Do