Carol Danvers, Rogue, Trauma, and Redemption

Despite unfolding in the pages of X-Men comics, an industry juggernaut, the story of Carol Danvers’ cohabitation within the psyche of Rogue is not often considered within Carol’s history, a tragic oversight of a poignant and symbolically rich story. #TheMarvels #CaptainMarvel 1/13

In Avengers Annual #10 (1981), Carol is assaulted & loses her powers (and part of her consciousness) to Rogue. This would ultimately lead to Carol’s transformation into an even more powerful character, Binary, who finds purpose and direction amongst the stars. 2/13

But not all of Carol makes it to the cosmos. A portion of her remains inside the consciousness of Rogue, Carol’s assailant, creating a years-long symbolically rich exploration of trauma and guilt that helped to define Carol AND Rogue in ways that still resonate today. 3/13

Rogue loses control of her powers after absorbing Carol’s and joins the X-Men in her quest for help. Things start to unravel for her, however, when Carol’s consciousness surfaces unbidden during Rogue’s encounter with Carol’s ex-boyfriend, Michael Rossi. 4/13

In a state of deeply tragic confusion, Rogue – or Carol or some combination of the two – expresses her desire to die at his hands, a shockingly grim portrayal of the impact of guilt, shame, and trauma on the hybrid character. 5/13

Carol’s next meaningful surfacing comes much later during X-Men’s Genoshan saga when Rogue, traumatized by sexual violence, retreats into her own subconscious and finds Carol there – the only one willing to help her. Carol takes control of Rogue and saves the day. 6/13

The two make peace thereafter, minus the occasional hissy fit on Rogue’s part, but the truce is short-lived with Rogue’s seeming demise occurring in X-Men #247. In the buildup to this, Carol again takes control of Rogue and lives out aspects of her life through Rogue’s body. 7/13

The story reminds the reader of Carol’s intrinsic sense of values and duty before Rogue takes over again in the heat of battle, showcasing how willingly Rogue will now throttle herself into the path of heroism, even martyrdom, just as Carol would have. 8/13

Much later, the harmonious relationship of the two characters collapses and there is simply not enough life force to support both entities. Cohabitation is no longer an option, and they split in two, but Carol’s body comes under the control of the malevolent Shadow King. 9/13

Rogue wins the fight for survival, but refuses to be merciless with Carol once again and, in the midst of it, resigns herself to fate, but fate sends Magneto instead of death, and Rogue is once again a whole person while the possessed Carol entity is killed off-panel. 10/13

The overall story portrays a form of restorative justice in which Rogue (through Carol) is forced to reckon with the full extent of the damage of her actions – the people she’s hurt, the communities she’s fractured, the second and third-tier effects. 11/13

The story can also be read, however, as a broader commentary on mental health – on the lingering impacts of trauma for both victim and victimizer and the extent to which violent actions commingle the two in a constant struggle with anger and grief and revenge and atonement. 12/13

These aspects of the story of Carol and Rogue are pivotal to the backstory of both characters, not just informing who they are, but also informing the many complex symbolic issues that the duo can speak to. 13/13