Rogue and Gambit have become Marvel’s answer to Bonnie and Clyde and, undoubtedly, one of the most famous X-Men couples. They’ve been through more breakups than the average soap opera couple, but at the end of the day these two fit perfectly together. I first witnessed their love blossom during the X-Men animated series back in the 90’s, but through comic books there love has endured over the last few decades.
Rogue’s first appearance was in Avengers Annual #10, and there was very little in that book to indicate she would spend decades as one of the most popular X-Men. Rogue shows up as part of Mystique’s Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in an issue that starts with Carol Danvers being found unconscious, which eventually leads to a confrontation between the Avengers and Mystique’s Brotherhood. Before the main battle though, Rogue defeats the Avengers’ heavy hitters all on her own, using her powers without the restraint commonly seen in her X-Men years. Rogue single-handedly eliminates Captain America, Iron Man, Vision, and Thor.
Gambit, on the other hand, first appears in Uncanny X-Men #266. It opens with Storm in the custody of the Shadow King. Gambit is burgling the mansion where Storm is being kept. Gambit is a man of few words at this point, lacking the flirtatiousness that later becomes a core part of his character. Gambit chooses to help Storm – not because she’s an X-Man or a mutant, but rather because he suspects that she is in fact herself a famous thief. The reader is given no reason to care about this new character except, perhaps, that he’s an active thief.
Over time both Rogue and Gambit found a home on the X-Men. Being on the same team, and in the same place, it was only a matter of time before the power couple’s romance sparked in X-Men #4. This took place several years after Rogue’s first appearance and roughly one year after Gambit’s.
Rogue’s life hasn’t been easy. Her ability to absorb the powers and psyches of everyone she touches made her an outcast at a young age. As a teen, she accidentally put her boyfriend into a coma after kissing him which led her to think she would never be able to have normal relationships, but Gambit certainly changed that. Gambit’s never been afraid to touch Rogue. That might not seem like a huge deal; however, after what she did to her first boyfriend as a teenager, it’s clear that Gambit is constantly taking a huge risk every time he’s with Rogue. For him, it’s a risk worth taking.
Since their first introduction almost thirty years ago, Rogue and Gambit have always been together. When they haven’t been romantically together, they’ve always found a way to be bound in some capacity, whether as friends or teammates. Rogue and Gambit have experienced almost every alteration possible both as individuals and as a couple. Their fictional history began in a much darker place than where we find the couple now. Their wedding came as possibly the best happy ending of all for them, two characters who have proven that love really does stand the test of time.
