No two lives have been intertwined in quite the same manner as those of the mutant Rogue and the
warrior Carol Danvers. From the beginning, their destinies were firmly set. It all began when
Mystique, Rogue's foster mother and the leader of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, ran afoul of
the super-heroine called Ms. Marvel. Carol stumbled upon an arms deal that Mystique was
coordinating behind the scenes and foiled Mystique's carefully laid plans. Mystique's partner and
lover, the precognitive mutant Destiny, glimpsed Carol's future and warned Mystique that Ms.
Marvel was intimately tied to a great tragedy which would harm Rogue. Determined to shield her
daughter from this danger, Mystique developed an obsessive hatred for Carol. When she learned
that Carol had resurfaced in San Francisco following her departure from the ranks of the Avengers,
she plotted to end this threat to Rogue once and for all. Little did she know that Rogue had
overheard her angry words and concerns and determined to deal with Ms. Marvel herself!
( Ms. Marvel #16-18 and Marvel Super Heroes Vol. 3 #10 & 11.)
Rogue traveled to San Francisco and attacked Carol as she returned to her apartment with an armload of groceries. Caught unawares, Carol was bewildered by Rogue's ferocious and completely unprovoked attack. But Carol's surprise didn't last for long. Upon hearing Rogue mention Mystique, Carol fought back. She didn't know who Rogue was, but she knew that Mystique was gunning for her in a serious way and was determined not to be a victim of her machinations. The battle between Rogue and Carol raged on, both fighting fiercely. Their clash culminated on the Golden Gate Bridge, where Rogue finally let loose and attempted to absorb Carol's mind and powers. (Marvel Super Heroes Vol. 3 #11)
No one knows for certain exactly what went wrong. Perhaps Rogue
maintained contact for too long? Or maybe it was Carol's unique Kree/Human DNA interacting
with Rogue's powers in an unpredictable way? Whatever the cause, the result was clear...Rogue
had completely and permanently absorbed Ms. Marvel's mind and powers. The merging of their
minds drove Rogue mad. Overwhelmed by the experience, Rogue took Carol's seemingly lifeless
form and threw it over the edge of the bridge.
Unbeknownst to Rogue, Carol was rescued by Jessica Drew AKA Spider-Woman. Believing Carol
to have attempted 
suicide, Spider-Woman rushed her to a nearby hospital. There Carol was
diagnosed as "tabula rasa", a blank slate. When Carol was identified, it became clear that
something was seriously wrong with this whole scenario. Spider-Woman called in the one man who
might stand a chance of restoring Carol's mind and getting to the bottom of this mystery, Professor
Charles Xavier. Using his incredible psionic powers, Xavier was able to draw forth most of Carol's
memories. However, he was unable to restore the emotional connections that gave these memories
true meaning. (Avengers Annual #10)
Carol remained with the X-Men for a time and assisted them on a number of missions, one of which brought her into conflict with Rogue! (Uncanny X-Men #153) Another of these missions led to her transformation into the cosmic powered Binary! (Uncanny X-Men #163) Carol was seriously considering joining the team when Rogue arrived on the X-Men's doorstep begging for Xavier's help. Rogue was being driven mad by Carol's memories and feared that she would never be able to control her mutant abilities. Desperate for help, Rogue swallowed her pride and left Mystique's loving embrace to seek the X-Men's help. Despite a decidedly negative reaction from all of the X-Men, Xavier admitted Rogue to his school and the ranks of the X-Men. When Carol returned and saw Rogue, she punched her so hard she was catapulted to the very edges of Earth's atmosphere! When she returned, she found a fully powered Binary ready and waiting! It wasn't until Carol powered down that Rogue realized who it was she was fighting. When Carol learned that Xavier had agreed to help Rogue, she decided to leave. While she could understand Xavier's reasons for aiding Rogue, she could not approve of them. (Uncanny X-Men #171) Shortly after this momentous encounter, Carol left Earth with the Starjammers, a band of intergalactic pirates. (Uncanny X-Men #174)
Meanwhile, Rogue remained on Earth and struggled to reconcile herself with what she had done to Carol. Through Xavier's help, Rogue was able to gain a more stable frame of mind but to this day control over her absorption powers eludes her. She also found purpose and eventually acceptance among the X-Men. Despite her new life as a hero, Rogue could not escape the repercussions of her fateful battle with Ms. Marvel. Carol's memories and psyche still resided in Rogue's mind. When the X-Men received a cry from help from Carol's ex-partner and lover Colonel Michael Rossi, Carol's personality came to the forefront of Rogue's mind for the first time. Rogue rescued Rossi, but was confused and conflicted by Carol's memories and emotion. Rossi confronted Rogue with the truth of what she had done. The combination of Carol's intense feelings for Rossi and his obvious contempt for Rogue forced her to face what she had done. For the first time, Rogue realized all that Carol had lost to her and was tormented by her own guilt. (Uncanny X-Men #182)
Ironically when Carol's psyche next appeared it was
to help Rogue! While on a mission in Genosha, Rogue's powers were
negated by Press Gang member, Wipeout. Powerless and defeated, Rogue was manhandled by her Genoshan captors. This traumatized Rogue, who never imagined that her fondest wish, to be
touched and loved, could become such a nightmare. Withdrawing deep into her own mind, Rogue
was attacked by the psychic remnants of everyone she had absorbed in the past. Luckily,
Carol came to her defense. Realizing that Rogue was in no condition to fend for herself, Carol took
full control of Rogue's body for the first time. Teaming up with Wolverine, Carol managed to
escape and eventually helped defeat the Genoshans alongside the X-Men. (Uncanny
X-Men #236-238)
Following this incident, Rogue and Carol began to work at co-existing. Carol began to serve as Rogue's back-up, taking over for her whenever she was injured or knocked unconscious. Following a particularly harsh training session with Psylocke, Carol was shown making flesh-to-flesh contact with Elizabeth, with no ill effects. This was a subtle indication that Carol's psyche had the ability to control Rogue's absorption power. (Uncanny X-Men #239)
Despite this new arrangement, relations between the two continued to be strained. Carol longed for control of Rogue's body and wanted more than the fleeting moments of control that Rogue allowed her. Rogue was torn between her guilt at what she had done and her own frustration with having to share her life with Carol. She was further annoyed by Carol's attempts to make the most time in control. Rogue was particularly upset when Carol redecorated "their" room. Throwing quite a temper tantrum, Carol was "forced" to assume control once again while Rogue cooled off. Who knows how Rogue reacted to the new haircut and dress Carol got while shopping with the other X-Gals? (Uncanny X-Men #244) Despite this provocation on Carol's part, Rogue continued to allow Carol periods of control. Carol took the opportunities given and used them to catch up on her own life. She made a trip to the Vietnam War Memorial to say goodbye to her brother Steven who had died in the war. She also retrieved some of her personal items from her time as Ms. Marvel, including her old Ms. Marvel costume. On this same trip, she spent time with Psylocke and the two appeared to be developing a friendship. (Uncanny X-Men #246)
Carol and Rogue's chance at a permanent reconciliation was cut short by the
attack of the amalgamated Master Mold/Nimrod entity. Donning her Ms. Marvel costume, Carol
and Psylocke fought valiantly to end the robotic monster's rampage. When Carol was knocked
unconscious, Rogue awoke in Carol's old costume. Naturally, her sense of fashion was thoroughly
violated, as was her sense of self. When the X-Men arrived, Rogue joined in the pitched battle.
Desperate for a way to defeat Master Mold, Dazzler unleashed the power of the Siege Perilous. This
mystical artifact sucked Master Mold into it, but not before it latched onto Rogue. Though they had
ended the Master Mold's rampage, the X-Men were unable to save Rogue and she was also dragged inside the mysterious portal. (Uncanny X-Men #247)
Months later, Rogue emerged from the Siege and was unceremoniously
deposited in the X-Men's headquarters in the Australian outback. Rogue quickly realized that she
no longer had Ms. Marvel's powers when she attempted to fly out a window and fell to the ground below. She realized that she was truly in trouble when she was attacked by the
Reavers! Just as Rogue was about to be defeated, Ms. Marvel arrived on the scene! Finally
separated from Rogue, Ms. Marvel was determined to exact revenge. Unable and unwilling to fight
Ms. Marvel again, Rogue fled using teleportation powers stolen from the X-Men's aborigine ally,
Gateway.
Carol was also teleported as she pursued Rogue. Deprived of Ms. Marvel's
powers, Rogue found herself trapped in the Savage Land. Ms. Marvel was
transported to Muir Island which had fallen under the control of the
nefarious Shadow King. Carol fought valiantly, but was no match for the
Shadow King's psionic powers. The Shadow King quickly surmised that
Ms. Marvel and Rogue were still bound to one another. As Rogue grew
stronger and more capable in the Savage Land, Carol's form began to deteriorate. Apparently,
Rogue and this new Ms. Marvel entity shared a single life force between them.
Tracking Rogue to
the Savage Land, the Ms. Marvel entity, now decayed and grotesque, attacked Rogue in the hopes of
stealing all of their shared life force. Rogue found that she could not fight Carol again. It was now
Rogue's body which withered as Ms. Marvel gained the upper hand. Rogue had given up and was
about to be defeated when Ms. Marvel was struck by an energy blast. When Rogue awoke, the
Carol entity was gone and Rogue found herself in the Savage Land lair of
Magneto himself! Magneto claimed to have destroyed the Carol entity,
choosing to save Rogue and restore Ms. Marvel's powers to her. (Uncanny
X-Men #269)
Eventually, Rogue did indeed regain the abilities she had stolen from Carol Danvers. (Uncanny X-Men #275) What actually became of the Ms. Marvel entity and whether or not Rogue retains any of Carol's memories remains to be seen. In recent months, Rogue has encountered the real Carol Danvers, now known as Warbird. (Contest of Champions Vol. 2) During this latest encounter, Rogue was possessed by the Brood Queen who was set on conquest and revenge against Carol for her role in the destruction of the Brood homeworld. Following their battle, Warbird demonstrated a clear psychic connection to Rogue that enabled her to determine Rogue's mental condition. The source of this subconscious rapport is unknown, but is likely to have some tie to the past connection between the two heroines.
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