As Marvel unveiled their new cast of X-Men characters at D23 on Friday, all eyes seemed to turn to Wolverine before wondering if Adam Driver might actually be happy to portray Mister Sinister, a character whose namesake is apparently some candy. There was one other choice that should have warranted more recognition, though: if you’ve seen the work of Inde Navarrette, you know she just became Rogue after her breakthrough performance in the horror movie Obsession.
If you haven’t seen Navarrette do her thing yet, well, get ready. This is the best thing about casting Hollywood has done in years.
Obsession follows Navarrette as Nikki, a character who becomes a possession of sorts after an accidental supernatural wish goes wrong and leaves her haunted. In that case, it all hinges upon being taken over against her will. Whatever force has taken hold of Nikki controls what happens next.
Rogue is, in contrast, a mutant who is untouchable. Anything that has to do with any contact with another person can be lethal if she is not the one initiating it.
And you better believe that there is no accident here. This is a casting director (or perhaps Kevin Feige himself) who decided to cast an actress as a polar opposite of her character in the film where she made it big and dared everyone to think it was an accident.
One could consider this poetic: from an actress in a horror role where her character is stripped of her autonomy to a character in X-Men whose powers ensure she can exercise full autonomy against anyone trying to invade it.
Whereas with Nikki nothing could have stopped what happened to her body, with Rogue she makes sure to make everybody pay the price should anybody make a move without getting consent first.
Stepping into a mutant who will make sure everybody stays put is certainly much different than acting in a horror role in which a woman is haunted until the end.
But the kicker is that Navarrette supposedly asked to play Mystique, which she allegedly turned down for Rogue. Even fans were looking forward to seeing her as the blue-skinned character previously portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence and Rebecca Romijn.
Sometimes the universe knows better than our own wishes.
Sure, Anna Paquin has famously played Rogue in the previous iterations of Fox movies, but let’s be real, comparing performances and characters isn’t the point. Navarrette’s version of Rogue has a Southern drawl, a tragic power set (she can’t touch anybody), and, metaphorically, something much deeper.
It wasn’t just about a character; it was about the message Navarrette gave with that movie about being a woman and being haunted because she said no. With Rogue, she will finally get to say no, and it is the others who will be punished for that.
Marvel’s X-Men reboot will premiere in theaters on May 5, 2028, with Jake Schreier directing. Navarrette joins Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, Christopher Abbott as Professor X, Maya Boyd as Storm, and Adam Driver as Mister Sinister.
Whatever other choices Marvel makes, one decision is unequivocal: it was a perfect match for a character Navarrette has previously played. It doesn’t happen every day, and it should be noted every time.
