Keke Palmer responds to a viral video fancasting her as the X-Men's Rogue in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From the moment Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and all its assets in 2019, including the rights to X-Men and The Fantastic Four, the mutants' eventual arrival in the MCU seemingly became an inevitability. While Marvel Studios has announced a Fantastic Four reboot directed by WandaVision's Matt Shakman with a November 2024 release date, there are no concrete plans for the mutants in the MCU.
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There have, however, been some teases since Disney's acquisition of Fox, the big one being the appearance of a Professor X variant portrayed by Patrick Stewart in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Next came Ms. Marvel's first on-screen mention of the word "mutant" in the MCU, a moment underlined by the use of the X-Men Animated Series theme song. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law also featured a blink-and-you-miss-it Wolverine Easter egg on Jennifer Walter's computer screen. Marvel is clearly building towards some kind of X-Men reveal and until there is an official announcement or casting news, fans will continue debating what actors should fill which roles in the MCU.
A TikTok from @jacobfordrigway explained why Keke Palmer would be perfect as Rogue in the MCU and now the video has garnered a reaction from the Nope star herself. On Twitter, Palmer respond to the video saying, "Come on agentttttttt," insinuating she is interested in playing the role and wants her agent to make it happen. Check out the interaction below:
The video, which went viral online, lays out a detailed case for why Palmer would be perfect as Rogue. While the Nope star has also been fancast as DC's Bumblebee and X-Men's Storm, @jacobfordrigway explains that these suggestions disregard Palmer's fun and bubbly personality, which is what makes her such an enjoyable performer to watch. Rogue is the only superhero role that would allow Palmer to showcase her talent and thrive in a boisterous role while also "pissing a bunch of people off," which is how the creator says he decided on this fancasting that has been garnering so much attention online.
Palmer responding to the Rogue fancasting in a positive way will only serve to lend it further credence. Rogue was previously portrayed by Academy Award-winning actress Anna Paquin in Fox's X-Men movies, so casting a Black actor would be a departure from how Rogue has been depicted in the past, which is why Palmer playing the role might anger some people. Still, the idea of Palmer as Rogue is picking up a lot of steam, though the Nope star will be in contention with a lot of other talent once the MCU begins casting X-Men.