X-MEN Star Inde Navarrette Reveals How She’ll Nail Rogue’s Southern Accent in the MCU

Inde Navarrette isn’t just putting on a Southern accent and calling it a day for Rogue. The X-Men star wants to get Anna Marie’s Mississippi roots right, and she’s planning to head straight to the source as she prepares to bring one of Marvel’s most popular mutants into the MCU.

Navarrette has been on a serious rise after winning over comic book fans with Superman & Lois and earning major attention for her performance in Obsession.

Following a meeting with Jake Schreier, where she previously expressed interest in playing Mystique, Marvel Studios officially announced Navarrette as Rogue at D23 last month.

The character’s Southern voice has long been a major part of her personality, particularly in X-Men: The Animated Series, and Navarrette has some personal experience she can draw from. When asked whether she was studying any famous Southern accents for the role, she explained that growing up in Texas gave her plenty of inspiration.

"So, I've never told this publicly, I completely forgot, but I have a divorced family. I grew up in Texas for a good majority of my life. So, honestly, those Southern women are really my favorite. Corpus Christi is the city, specifically. So I just remember, you know, the old Southern women that I really, really love."

That Texas background gives Navarrette a useful starting point, but Rogue isn’t from Texas. Anna Marie comes from Mississippi, and the actress wants to spend time there to make sure the accent feels specific to the character rather than becoming a generic Southern drawl.

"But, specifically, Mississippi, Rogue is from Mississippi," Navarrette continued. "So, I'm really just — I want to go there. I really want to do her justice."

The accent is such a recognizable piece of the character that getting it right will go a long way toward making this new MCU version feel like the Rogue fans know from the comics and animation.

There’s also a ton Marvel can do with Rogue beyond her introduction. She has the potential to grow into one of the MCU’s major mutant characters and could eventually find herself leading an X-Men team of her own. These wiil be long-term roles for Navarrette and her fellow cast members.

Schreier, who previously directed Thunderbolts*, is helming Marvel Studios’ untitled X-Men reboot. Kit Connor (Heartstopper) will play Scott Summers, Sadie Sink (Spider-Man: Brand New Day) is Jean Grey, Asa Germann (Gen V) is Angel, Maya Boyd (& Juliet) is Storm, and Christopher Abbott (Catch-22) is Professor Charles Xavier.

Samara Weaving (Ready or Not) has also joined the cast as Emma Frost, while Adam Driver (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) will play Nathaniel Milbury, a name used by Mister Sinister in Marvel Comics. Rumors have also pointed to Apocalypse making an appearance.

It’ll be interesting to see how Marvel’s new take on the X-Men turns out, but Navarrette sounds committed to making Rogue her own while respecting what fans love about Anna Marie.

X-Men will be released exclusively in theaters on May 5, 2028.