X-Men '97 Created Rogue and Gambit's Romance and a New Love Triangle

X-Men '97 debuted two years ago to near-universal praise, earning 99% from critics and 91% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes and becoming the highest-rated Marvel project in history despite not being set in the MCU. The series was greenlit for Season 2 before Season 1 premiered, and the studio began work on Season 3 even before Season 2’s debut.

Viewers often pointed to the show’s romantic storylines as a reason it felt more mature than some other Marvel properties. Rogue and Magneto drew attention, but many fans say Rogue’s relationship with Gambit was the show’s beating heart—at least until Gambit’s tragic passing.

At Big Lick Comic-Con, moderator Maggie Lovitt sat with Rogue actor Lenore Zann and X-Men '97 producer Larry Houston. A fan asked about Rogue and Gambit, and Houston said, "We invented that relationship to try and create some character drama and interesting subject matter to make the show interesting, and it eventually became so interesting that it migrated back to the comic books as a relationship that the fans enjoyed.

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