The X-Men's Rogue is known for her no-nonsense attitude, power-draining abilities, and on-again-off-again relationship with Cajun heartthrob Gambit. But Rogue, much like her teammate Wolverine, has also been involved in a variety of superhero teams throughout the years, sometimes even leading them. In fact, Rogue might be one of the most underrated leaders the Avengers have ever had.
In the wake of Avengers vs. X-Men, Rogue came to be the leader of the Avengers Unity Divison in Gerry Duggan and Ryan Stegman's Uncanny Avengers. In that outreach-focused team, Rogue was a field commander who led a roster of human heroes like Wasp, Deadpool and Doctor Voodoo, mutants like Cable and Inhumans like Synapse.
As the field commander of the Avengers Unity Division, better known to readers as the Uncanny Avengers, Rogue leads a roster of Humans (Doctor Voodoo, Wasp), Mutants (Deadpool, Quicksilver, Cable), and Inhumans (Johnny Storm, Synapse) under the supervision of Steve Rogers.
The Avengers Unity Division represented all three of the major human superhero races and united them together for the good of all humanity. Since she was already part of the Unity Division, Rogue's appointment as leader was in part to show peace between Mutants and Inhumans after the Terrigen Mist poisoned a large part of the mutant population.
Under Rogue's leadership, the Unity Squad faced many traditional Avengers villains as well as several new ones. Cable traveled back through time to prevent a world-ending threat in The Shredded Man. The team took down an Ultron-infested Hank Pym and the Hand's attempt to revive a dead Hulk. Red Skull, who had taken the body and psychic powers of Charles Xavier, was the most dangerous threat they faced. It took Deadpool using Magneto's helmet to save a mind-controlled Rogue in order to bring the Red Skull down.
After the events of Civil War II, Rogue and Cable joined Toad and Sebastian Shaw in an attempt to find a cure for the Terrigen poisoning that plagued Rogue and many other mutants. Unfortunately, Captain America saw Rogue's actions as a betrayal and officially disbanded the Unity Division. Rogue didn't see it that way, and under her strong leadership, the team remained together for a while longer, ultimately going their separate ways after the fallout of Synapse getting injured in a clash with the Juggernaut.
Since she doesn't often seek leadership roles, Rogue's leadership is an underrated talent, but she's still an excellent example of what it takes to be a true leader in a world of gods and heroes.
Rogue's greatest strength as a leader is that she's spent time on both sides of the fight, having been both a hero and a villain and having been both praised and persecuted as a mutant. Her experiences have given Rogue the mental strength to get through challenging times and the compassion to understand her allies and her enemies. This quality makes her remarkably human. She's not a paragon of virtue that is broken as soon as they're not perfect. She has faults, owns up to her mistakes, and strives to be better each and every day.
As the leader of the Unity Squad, Rogue stood up and fought for mutants because it was the right thing to do, even if it meant working with known criminals and going against the wishes of Captain America. She unified her team and inspired them to believe in themselves and their goodness, even Deadpool. That trust made the Avengers willing to follow her even after being disbanded because they believed in what they all were doing. Rogue even testified for rehabilitating the Shocker in court because she saw that the Spider-Man villain could be more than just another imprisoned thug. And she did all this while fighting a poison that was breaking down her body.
Rogue proved that she was a great leader was when she asked Beast to remove Xavier's brain from the Red Skull and had the Human Torch incinerate it. She showed her determination to protect her team by capturing the Red Skull instead of allowing Deadpool to kill him. She didn't want Deadpool to continue the path he had followed before joining the Avengers. Rogue also knew no one could be trusted with Xavier's brain and there was no way to truly protect the remains. There was always a chance such a weapon could be used against them, so she had the brain destroyed. This choice showed that she wanted to do right by someone she loved even though they had passed on.
It's not underestimating her powers that make Rogue an unlikely leader, it's underestimating her courage and willingness to do the right thing.
0 Comments