Let’s dreamcast the X-Men before they appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 04: Lauren Cohan visits Build Series to discuss “Whiskey Cavalier” at Build Studio on April 04, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)

3. Lauren Cohan as Rogue

Rogue has the ability to drain others of their life forces and memories just by touching them…and if they’re a mutant, she can take their powers as well. It’s not something she can easily control, and often she ends up hurting or even killing the mutant she comes into contact with. The most prominent example of this is when a young Rogue attacks Carol Danvers, aka Miss Marvel (Captain Marvel in the films), and permanently absorbs both her abilities and memories.

The X-Men movies have never quite done right by Rogue. Though Anna Paquin did a fantastic job with the original trilogy, she was often relegated to the background after the first film, and was cut from the theatrical release of Days of Future Past entirely. For whatever reason, the First Class generation of movies never even included her.

Part of that probably owes to the fact that, without Ms. Marvel around for Rogue to gain the super strength and flight she was so well-known for, she always felt a little like a half-formed character in the films. Something was just missing. But since the MCU has Carol Danvers as a prominent part of its cast, it seems more than passing likely that we’re finally going to see Rogue given the story and screen-time she deserves.

Casting someone like The Walking Dead‘s Lauren Cohan for the role would bring Rogue more in line with the adult main-cast of the X-Men, putting her on equal footing with mutants like Wolverine, Gambit and Jean Grey. We already know from Cohan’s zombie-killing days that she can deliver a mean action scene, and has the skill to play this strong yet vulnerable character. And of course, her excellent southern accent is a perfect fit for Rogue.