Nikki (Inde Navarrette) in Curry Barker’s ‘Obsession,’ soon set to play Rogue in Marvel’s ‘X-Men’
Focus Features
Inde Navarrette, breakout star of horror hit Obsession, has been cast as Rogue in the MCU’s much-anticipated X-Men reboot.
At Disney’s D23 showcase, multiple cast members of Marvel’s new X-Men line-up were revealed, including Christopher Abbott as Professor X, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost and Adam Driver as Mr. Sinister.
Obviously, Sadie Sink is Jean Gray, who was introduced in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
The biggest surprise is surely Navarrette, who has been vocal about her desire to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, hinting at the possibility of playing Mystique, the blue-skinned shapeshifter.
Following the explosive success of Obsession, all eyes have been on Navarrette, with much speculation about the next role she might choose. The low-budget horror film went on to earn over $488 million, in no small part due to Navarrette’s unforgettable performance as Nikki.
Obsession’s performance shocked box office pundits, seemingly fueled by word-of-mouth and TikTok memes, increasing in its second weekend by more than 30%, a record-breaking spike described as “virtually unprecedented.”
Navarrette imbued Nikki with an otherworldly eccentricity, showing the funny side of a deeply tragic character. Mystique seemed a natural fit, a mischievous trickster separated from humanity by her strange appearance.
Online, fans were surprised to see that Navarrette had been cast as Rogue.
Who Is Rogue Of The ‘X-Men’?
Rogue is an earnest, outspoken and kind-hearted mutant with a strong southern accent, cursed with a tragic power—Rogue is unable to touch people without draining them of their life force.
Rogue’s mutation is a mixed blessing, also giving her the ability to absorb other mutant’s powers, making her something of an anomaly, able to turn the tide of battle with a single touch.
Rogue was the protagonist of Fox’s early X-Men films, which started in the 2000s and helped usher in the superhero wave, shaping the MCU into its current form.
At the time, Rogue was played by Anna Paquin, and was something of an audience surrogate, entering the world of mutants as an outsider, along with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, who soon became the face of the franchise.
While Navarrette’s casting is unexpected, Rogue’s big personality and tragic nature seems a natural fit for the talents she displayed in Obsession (all she has to do now is perfect the accent).
When Will Inde Navarrette Appear As Rogue?
Marvel’s next film, Doomsday, is set to reintroduce old heroes of the MCU (along with Fox’s original X-Men cast), while the sequel, Secret Wars, is likely to reset the entire cinematic universe, making room for fresh faces, particularly the new batch of X-Men.
There’s still some time to wait—Marvel’s X-Men film is set to debut in theaters on May 5, 2028.
The X-Men have always been a compellingly messy bunch, more soap opera than superhero, and Marvel has attracted a huge amount of excitement with the new line-up.
Let’s hope Navarrette and the rest can live up to the hype.