Rogue is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. She first appeared in The Avengers Annual #10 (1981). In the Marvel Universe, Rogue is depicted as a mutant, a subspecies of humans born with an "X-gene" that grants superhuman abilities. She is capable of absorbing the life force, attributes, memories, and superpowers of anyone through physical touch. The character is initially portrayed as a reluctant supervillain, but she soon joins the X-Men as a superhero and has since endured as one of its most prominent members.