Inde Navarrette plans to travel to Mississippi to shape the Southern accent she will use as Rogue in Marvel Studios’ upcoming “X-Men” film, the actress said in a recent interview. Navarrette, who rose to prominence in the horror hit “Obsession,” told Entertainment Tonight she draws on her own background. She spent much of her childhood in Corpus Christi, Texas, where she listened to older Southern women she still admires. Rogue’s roots point to a different state. The character hails from rural Mississippi in the comics. “I wanna really do her justice,” Navarrette said.
The approach answers a long-standing complaint among fans. Anna Paquin’s Rogue carried a slight Southern lilt in the first Fox “X-Men” film, but the accent all but vanished in later installments. Navarrette, confirmed as Rogue at D23 2026, becomes the first actor to play the mutant in live action since Paquin.
The casting has earned a warm reception from the character’s best-known voice. Lenore Zann, who has voiced Rogue since the 1992 animated series and returned for “X-Men ‘97,” posted a video message from Dublin in Rogue’s drawl. She welcomed the newcomer in character with a cheerful “Well, hey there, y’all.”
Navarrette did not originally chase the part. After meeting director Jake Schreier, she said her dream X-Men role was the shapeshifter Mystique. Schreier, who directed “Thunderbolts*,” met with her well before the cast became public.
She joins a new generation of mutants. Kit Connor plays Scott Summers, Sadie Sink plays Jean Grey, Asa Germann plays Angel, Maya Boyd plays Storm and Christopher Abbott plays Professor Xavier. Samara Weaving plays Emma Frost, and Adam Driver plays the villain Mister Sinister.
Not every viewer sees the accent as essential. Some online commenters ask why Rogue needs one when Storm and Black Widow screen without a distinct voice. The answer will come on screen. The film opens May 5, 2028, after “Avengers: Secret Wars.”
