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Marvel's Rogue: The Savage Land Features The X-Men Going Full Jurassic World [Exclusive Preview]

Was the romance between Magneto and Rogue your favorite part of "X-Men '97"? Then do I have the comic for you!

Now, in the ongoing "present" of Marvel Comics, Rogue is starring in Gail Simone and David Marquez's "Uncanny X-Men," which follows her and Gambit training a new generation X. New mini-series "Rogue: The Savage Land" throws Anna Marie back to 1991, before she even met Gambit, to when she and Magneto were lost in the titular dinosaur-filled jungle. Marvel has shared an exclusive preview of "Rogue: The Savage Land" issue #2 with /Film.

A few recent "X-Men" miniseries have been revisiting "gaps" from Chris Claremont's titanic 1975-1991 run on the book. Claremont himself returned for "Wolverine: Madripoor Knights" (drawn by Edgar Salazar) which went back to "Uncanny X-Men" #268 for another team-up between Logan, Captain America, and Black Widow. Claremont and Salazar went back even further for "Wolverine: Deep Cut," set during Logan's leave of absence from the X-Men during issues #246 to #251, where he faces off with Mister Sinister, Sabretooth, and the Marauders.

Wolverine's hiatus ended with him returning to the X-Men's base, only to find it captured by cyborg hunters the Reavers, who crucified him. (A sight you might remember seeing homaged in "Deadpool & Wolverine.") The other X-Men had fled through a magical portal, the Siege Perilous, but were separated. When Rogue emerged (in "Uncanny X-Men" #269), she was haunted by the specter of Carol Danvers' soul inside her.

After these two foes wound up in the Savage Land, Magneto destroyed "Carol" and Rogue joined him in his local refuge. When the comic returns to them in issue #274, they've teamed up with Tarzan-like hero Ka-Zar to defeat the Savage Land's greatest villainess: Zaladane (real name: Zala Dane).

"Rogue: The Savage Land" explores Rogue's time with Magneto in the jungle in more depth, though written by Tim Seeley (not Claremont himself) and drawn by Zulema Scotto Lavina. The synopsis for issue #2 reads:

"CUT OFF FROM THE X-MEN?! Rogue races to rescue Ka-Zar and discover what is happening to the Savage Land. But can she outrun her past, or is this ancient world her perdition? The Savage Land has a new god, but is she merciful?"

Cover artist Kaare Andrews is evoking Jim Lee's contemporary X-Men art, and the series' covers (including #2's below) even use an old-school Marvel Comics corner box with mini cut-outs of the issue's stars (Rogue, Magneto, and Ka-Zar).

Mutant vs dinosaur makes for a Marvelous battle in Rogue's newest comic

What do the X-Men have to do with dinosaurs? Plenty! These mutants' stories aren't just about oppression and liberation, they go on plenty of pulpy adventures too. The Savage Land, and Ka-Zar with it, even first debuted back in "X-Men" #10. For what it's worth, dinosaurs (the most famous extinct animals on the planet) fit into the "X-Men" theme of evolution, too.

Just as "Rogue: The Savage Land" #1 recapped "Uncanny X-Men" #269, #2 opens with a recap page getting you up to speed on the first.

The "unseen enemy" is Zaladane. Back in issue #1, Rogue ran into Zabu, Ka-Zar's pet sabretooth tiger, and they're now searching for his master together. Rogue washes herself by the river, soaking up the beauty of the Savage Land and its ancient creatures just as her hair soaks up the water. That is, until some pterosaurs descend on her and Zabu.

Magneto intervenes to stop the animals (birds navigate themselves with Earth's magnetic field) before he and Rogue are attacked once more by an unseen foe. With Rogue's absorbing powers disabled, she's able to finally touch others. Magneto's the only man in sight, so it's no surprise the touch-starved Rogue is growing closer to him. This will spark full-blown romance eventually — but only after Magneto torpedoes their initial chemistry by mercilessly killing Zaladane in "Uncanny X-Men" #275.

One has to wonder, though: why re-explore this period of Rogue's life when there's not much else to say? Is it some simple "X-Men '97" synergy to team her and Magneto up again? I'm sure every issue featuring Rogue in a loincloth bikini won't hurt the comic's sales either. Even if Rogue is cursed to keep her distance from others, she's attracted men aplenty from Gambit to Magneto to even Deadpool. If a fella is gonna let any woman suck out his life force, it's gotta be Rogue.

"Rogue: The Savage Land" #2 is scheduled for digital and print release on February 26, 2025.