Source Material - "X-Men" at 25 Special - "X-Men Movie Prequel: Rogue" (Marvel, 2000)

We’re keeping the mutant energy going strong! In this episode, Jesse continues his X-Men 25th anniversary celebration with a solo breakdown of the X-Men Movie Prequel: Rogue comic—released alongside the Wolverine prequel back in August 2000. This one’s all about Rogue, and folks… it gets wild. From teenage angst and awakening mutant powers to high-speed truck thefts and secret mutant prison labs, this comic gives us a totally fresh look at Rogue’s backstory leading right up to her first big-screen appearance.Jesse walks us through the gritty events that unfold after Rogue’s powers first manifest—she’s on the run, trying to survive, and eventually finds herself locked in a shady underground facility performing horrific experiments on other powered individuals. Along the way, she meets an original cast of fellow inmates—Jed, Miguel, Billy, and Millie—and joins forces in an explosive escape plan that packs as much heart as it does mutant-powered action. And just like the Wolverine prequel, everything wraps up in that fateful Alberta bar where Rogue and Logan first cross paths.