Lenore Zann, the voice of Rogue in animated Marvel projects since the ’90s, published a special video to congratulate Inde Navarrette after she was confirmed to play the live-action version of her character in Marvel’s upcoming X-Men reboot.
D23 2026 marked a major moment for comic book movie fans for a few reasons, but the highlight of the weekend might have been the cast reveal for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) X-Men. Included in the lineup of newcomers was Navarrette, the Obsession breakout who, after weeks of rumors, was officially picked to play Rogue.
When she brings her take on the Marvel mutant’s power-absorbing abilities to the big screen in 2028, it will mark the first time the character has appeared in a live-action Marvel movie in more than a decade. It’s been a while since Anna Paquin last portrayed the character, so, naturally, Zann took to social media to welcome Navarrette to the X-Men family.
“Well, hey there, y’all,” she said, channeling Rogue’s instantly recognizable Southern accent. “This here is Lenore Zann a.k.a. Rogue of the X-Men, coming to you today from beautiful Dublin, Ireland. I just want to give a shoutout to Inde Navarrette, the actress who was just named to play Rogue in the upcoming Marvel movie of the X-Men.
“I can’t wait to meetcha, sugar! I will be coming back to North America in the next month, so I look forward to that day.”
Zann debuted as an animated Rogue in the original animated X-Men series and returned to play her in the Disney+ continuation series, X-Men ’97. While also lending her voice acting chops for spinoff projects like Marvel Rivals, she’s stood the test of time as one of the more recognizable performances in Marvel’s long history of animated projects.
“Congrats from Dublin @indenavarrette on nabbin’ the role of Rogue in @marvel‘s upcomin’ X-Men movie!!” the description of her post continued. “Can’t wait to see what you bring to the role!
“Look forward to meetin’ ya, Sugah! Best of luck. Hugs and High Fives (gloves on of course!).”
It’s the kind of shoutout that will no doubt help viewers warm up to the idea of a new Rogue before Marvel Studios and director Jake Schreier deliver their X-Men in a few years, and Navarrette seems to have appreciated the gesture, too. The former Superman & Lois actress replied to Zann’s post with two heart emojis, saying, “Hello! What a honor! Thank you for this kind message!”
Zann got back to her, extending an offer to grab coffee once she’s back in town. She said, “Yer so welcome Sugah” I see a coffee in our future when I’m back in LA.”
The internet is still buzzing after Navarrette took the stage at D23 alongside her new X-Men castmates. The full lineup for the MCU reboot included Navarrette as Rogue, Adam Driver as Mister Sinister, Maya Boyd as Storm, Christopher Abbott as Professor X, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost, and Sadie Sink as Jean Grey.
X-Men is set to launch a post-Avengers: Secret Wars world when its May 5, 2028, release date arrives. Until then, you can read about some of Schreier’s comic book inspirations for the new film, and you can see which classic mutant Navarrette said she wanted to play before the big reveal. You can also see what IGN thought about the first three episodes of X-Men ’97 Season 2.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
