Rogue & Gambit's Secret Mission to Save Krakoa, Explained

Although the fall of the mutant paradise Krakoa left many of their closest friends dead, missing, or hiding underground, Rogue and Gambit have maintained an unwavering devotion to each other—even when one of their missions led Rogue to betray a fellow Avenger. This secret mission is about to come to light, just as the X-Men launch an attack on the mutant-hating group Orchis to avenge their friends and save their future. 

Now, let's take a closer look at how the relationship between Rogue and Gambit matured into a partnership that could save the X-Men's future. We'll also break down their secret mission to protect the Avenger Manifold, which could be the key to saving mutantkind in FALL OF THE HOUSE OF X (2024) #2 by Gerry Duggan, Lucas Werneck, Bryan Valenza, and VC's Travis Lanham.

HOW ROGUE AND GAMBIT GOT TOGETHER

Long before they were X-Men, Rogue and Gambit both walked a path of villainy. Raised by Mystique and the precognitive Destiny, a young Rogue joined the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, where she fought heroes like the X-Men and the Avengers and accidentally depowered Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) with her power-absorbing abilities. After Remy LeBeau was taken in and trained by the New Orleans Thieves Guild, he worked for Mister Sinister, who made him assemble a mutant kill squad called the Marauders in exchange for helping him control his malfunctioning mutant powers. Once they found their way onto the X-Men, Remy and Rogue developed a mutual attraction that grew into a romance, even though Rogue's powers meant they could never safely touch each other. 

Despite Rogue's powers, Gambit's past, and other fleeting flirtations, Gambit and Rogue always found a way back to each other. Remy and Rogue's romance grew particularly strong after they were sent undercover as a couple, which forced them to reexamine their lives from the other's perspective starting in ROGUE & GAMBIT (2018) #1 by Kelly Thompson and Pere Pérez. 

After Kate "Kitty" Pryde left Colossus at the altar, Rogue and Gambit were unexpectedly married at the ceremony meant for their teammates in X-MEN: GOLD (2017) #30 by Marc Guggenheim and David Marquez. The newlyweds took some time away from the X-Men and began operating as a duo in MR. AND MRS. X (2018) #1 by Thompson and Jan Bazaldua. Together, Gambit and Rogue helped Xandra, the daughter of Professor X and the late Shi'ar leader Lilandra, step into her birthright as leader of the Shi'ar Empire. They also briefly joined Spiral's rebellion against Mojo, the tyrannical leader of the entertainment-obsessed Mojoworld. 

ROGUE AND GAMBIT IN KRAKOA

When the world's mutants came together on the island Krakoa, Rogue and Gambit joined their mutant friends and former enemies in the new mutant nation. Both heroes ended up with Excalibur, where they helped Captain Britain (Betsy Braddock), Rictor, Jubilee, and Apocalypse deal with mystical threats, including one that saw Rogue temporarily placed in a magical coma. 

When Rogue was elected as a member of the first official X-Men squad of the Krakoan Era, Gambit stayed with their Excalibur allies as that group morphed into the Knights of X. After Gambit was killed and resurrected during a mission in the mystical Otherworld dimension, Rogue left the team to reconnect with Gambit.

As Rogue and Gambit discussed their issues, Destiny interrupted them and asked Rogue to bring her the mutant Manifold, a powerful teleporter who operates by communicating with the universe. Although the heroes were initially skeptical, Destiny insisted and asked her adoptive daughter to trust her completely in ROGUE & GAMBIT (2023) #1 by Stephanie Phillips and Carlos Gómez. 

Although Manifold is a mutant, he spent most of his time saving the world with non-mutant groups like the Secret Warriors and the Avengers. Nevertheless, he joined the Krakoa-affiliated organization S.W.O.R.D., where he helped take down Abigail Brand, a S.W.O.R.D. leader who tried to use the organization and its agents to further her grand cosmic ambitions.

MANIFOLD AND THE POWER BROKER

When Rogue and Gambit approached him, Manifold was investigating the disappearances of several villains. However, between Brand's betrayal and Destiny's criminal past, a skeptical Manifold laughed off Destiny's request. Even so, the two X-Men decided to help him with his mission. 

As the heroes tried to rescue Lady Deathstrike, they were all hit by power disruptors. Just as he teleported the X-Men elsewhere, Manifold found himself kidnapped and outfitted with a mind-control device. Thanks to Forge's technology, Rogue and Gambit tracked Manifold and the missing villains to the Power Broker, a villainous dealmaker with a history of selling superhumans and super-powers. 

After capturing powerhouses like Manifold, Juggernaut, and Electro, the Power Broker used mind-control technology to turn them into weapons for the highest bidder. Although Rogue briefly fell under the Power Broker's control, Gambit freed her by touching her and overloading her abilities. The X-Men duo then took on the Power Broker and released the villains he had captured.

In the final days of Krakoa, Rogue secretly completed her mission for Destiny and captured Manifold. Since the teleporter was never freed from the Power Broker's mind-control device, Rogue used the villain's technology to bring him to Destiny. Rogue struggled with this situation, especially since it meant she had to keep a secret from her husband. 

However, Destiny reassured Rogue that this was the only way to guarantee the survival of Gambit and the rest of the mutant race. As Rogue removed the Power Broker's technology from Manifold, Destiny placed him in a stasis pod and sent him into No-Space, an area outside of space and time, in ROGUE & GAMBIT (2023) #5 by Stephanie Phillips and Carlos Gómez.

GAMBIT AND ROGUE IN THE FALL OF X

Although Rogue felt guilty about her actions, they kept Manifold safe as Krakoa collapsed, just as Destiny predicted. Due to his placement in a pocket dimension, Manifold was unaffected by the Orchis attack that leveled Krakoa and left most of the world's mutants stranded in an alternate dimension called the White Hot Room. He was also unaffected by the ascension of Engima—an A.I. developed by Mister Sinister's creator Nathaniel Essex—into Dominion, which transformed him into an omnipotent being that existed throughout all of space and time. 

Both Gambit and Rogue survived the Orchis attack and helped the world's remaining mutants during the FALL OF X. Rogue protected Professor X and joined Captain America's new Avengers Unity Squad in UNCANNY AVENGERS (2023), while Gambit helped Madelyne Pryor and the misfit mutants of DARK X-MEN (2023). As the surviving X-Men launched their final attack on Orchis, Gambit and Rogue helped Juggernaut save a sentient, humanoid embodiment of Krakoa in FALL OF HOUSE OF X (2024) #2. When he saw how badly the battle was going, Gambit told Rogue to enact Destiny's secret plan.

Rogue told Gambit about Manifold, and the heroes traveled to the abandoned campus of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, where she had hidden the teleporter's stasis pod. As soon as Rogue and Gambit woke Manifold and tried to explain the situation, the teleporter attacked the X-Men. But as he struck Rogue, her face transformed into Destiny's mask, which fell away to reveal the face of Lactuca the Knower. 

Lactuca is a powerful Arakki mutant living on the planet formerly known as Mars who has a unique, sibling-like bond to Manifold due to the similar nature of their powers and connections to the universe. As Manifold began to grasp the severity of the situation, Lactuca explained that these X-Men saved his life, verified Destiny's predictions, and promised they would meet again. 

When Lactua's vision ended, Manifold told the X-Men he understood the situation and transported them away from an oncoming Sentinel attack. While the X-Men and their allies may be scattered around the world and across dimensions, Rogue and Gambit's mission to save Manifold is one of the X-Men's first victories in their fight to save their future.

See Rogue and Gambit's secret mission in action in FALL OF HOUSE OF X #2, now on sale!

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