The list of A-list actors who have joined Marvel movies is never ending and ever-growing, the same goes for the list of rumored actors who might be joining the MCU. One rumor that has had some staying power over the last few weeks is about Keke Palmer joining the X-Men as Rogue in upcoming Marvel projects, now that the X-Men are in the MCU. And in true Keke Palmer fashion, she had a fabulous response to the rumor.
Fans have been campaigning for her to play Rogue, the mutant who can steal the powers and memories of anyone she touches. She posted a TikTok saying she’d be down to do it, and she also told Comicbook.com:
That's confidential, sugar. No, I'm kidding. I don't know. I just know that the fans, the way that the fans have me booked, honey, online, I got to do a gig every week. So if we're adding Marvel to it, hey, let's do it. I'm ready for Rogue.
She’s so delightful, and she has the best responses to questions like this. Along with Rogue, there has been a campaign for her to play a live-action Rapunzel. On this front she posted on Instagram with a caption saying at the pace the internet requests her for roles she’ll be unavailable “until 2024 at this pace.” Which is also how she responded to the X-Men rumors.
It’s super cool that the actress is so engaged with the fans, and aware of who they want her to play. She is also super charismatic and funny, so her responses to the requests are the best, just like how she’s handling this whole X-Men situation.
Personally, I’d love to see Palmer in the MCU. She’d be taking over the role from Anna Paquin, who played Rogue in the OG X-Men movies, who could also come back based on Marvel's track record with the X-Men cast. We know that both Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds will be reprising their roles as the respective Wolverine and Deadpool in the MCU’s Deadpool 3. Also, if you’ve been watching the Marvel movies in order, you saw Patrick Stewart come back as Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. So, it wouldn't be far-fetched to see other original X-Men actors, like Paquin, return to Marvel. However, we’ve also seen three different Spider-Men over the course of many years, and then all three in the same movie, so anything is possible.
Palmer has had a great year, with two big films on the 2022 movie schedule. She starred alongside Chris Evans in Lightyear, and she was part of the stellar Nope cast. While she’s been working consistently for a long time, it’s nice to see her get so much positive attention for her fabulous performances. Due to these high-profile projects, and her overall charisma, I’d imagine a project, like one of the caliber of a Marvel movie, has to be in her future at some point.
