When it comes to the Marvel Universe, the Avengers are the top tier superteam. Even when they weren't as popular as they are now, in-universe the Avengers were always considered the cream of the crop and the members of the team were celebrities. The X-Men are a vastly different story- hated and feared by the world around them, they're often outlaws or outright enemies of humanity.
Over the years, some members of the X-Men have become Avengers, but it's a very short list. One of the most surprising people on this list is Rogue. Joining the Avengers Unity Squad, at first she was a bit of a disruptive element but she would eventually excel there. This list is going to look at reasons why Rogue was better as an Avengers and also why she should stay with the X-Men.
10 Better As An Avenger: Mutant Relations
The whole point of the Unity Squad was to teach people that mutants weren't different from anyone else and put them into a position where the public could see them as something other than a shadowy group out to replace humanity.
Rogue is a great example of a mutant who has overcome the more uncontrollable nature of her powers to become a great hero. Plus, the current incarnation of the Avengers is pretty lacking in mutant representation.
9 Stay An X-Man: Friends And Family
One of Rogue's biggest problems is the way her mutant powers made her feel like she didn't belong anywhere. Just imagine how hard your life would be if you could never touch anyone, how ostracized and unloved you would feel.
The X-Men gave Rogue love and a sense of belonging that she never had before. The X-Men have always been more of a family than the Avengers, and Rogue needs something like that more than she needs the more formal world of the Avengers.
8 Better As An Avenger: Training
One of the things that the X-Men do better than the Avengers is training. The X-Men are constantly training in the Danger Room, honing their powers and learning to gel as a team.
Rogue, as a former leader of X-Men teams, can bring this sort of approach to the Avengers. She could help mold the team into a more efficient group, working with great leaders like Captain America, Black Panther, and the Wasp to hone the Avengers into an even more formidable group.
7 Stay An X-Man: Mutant Problem Require Mutant Solutions
One of the biggest issues with the Unity Squad was that it basically sat in judgment over mutant related affairs when some of its members had no skin in that particular game. This is one of the things that rankled Rogue about the whole concept in the beginning.
Mutants need to look out for themselves and Rogue can do the most for people like her, people who need help with their powers, with the X-Men, more than she could with the Avengers.
6 Better As An Avenger: More Opportunity
While Rogue has led X-Men teams, they were never the top tier groups. The problem with the X-Men is that they are kind of stratified at the top - Cyclops is always the guy at the top, with people like Storm, Wolverine, and Jean Grey a level down.
Rogue doesn't have nearly much as room to move up in the X-Men, whereas the Avengers have always given chances to the lower tier members to excel. Unlikely heroes like the Wasp, Monica Rambeau, Hawkeye, and Doctor Druid have risen to become leaders of the Avengers, meaning Rogue would also have a chance.
5 Stay An X-Man: A Great Example
There are few X-Men whose powers have been as handicapping as Rogue's, and there are even fewer who have been able to overcome that handicap as well as her.
Rogue serves as an inspiration to younger mutants who have no hope of living normal lives with their powers, showing them that they can overcome the sometimes destructive nature of their powers to achieve as much as possible.
4 Better As An Avenger: A Greater Example
As said in the introduction, the Avengers are the biggest team in the Marvel Universe. Everyone has heard of them and nearly everyone loves them. Having a mutant on the Avengers is a good thing for mutants, but having one like Rogue, one who has learned how to deal with an ability that hampered her life for years?
That shows a mutant kid that they can do anything and aspire to rub elbows with the greatest heroes the world has ever known.
3 Stay An X-Man: Passing On What She Has Learned
Rogue's story is inspirational to other mutants, as has been alluded to, but as an X-Man she can do something greater than just serving as an example - she can teach.
One of the things the X-Men are all about is teaching the next generation of mutants to control their powers and become productive members of society. Rogue would be perfect for this as she's overcome these hurdles and can use her experience with learning control of her powers to help them.
2 Better As An Avenger: Learning From The Best
As good of a hero as Rogue is, there's always room for improvement and when it comes right down to it, the X-Men aren't the greatest heroic role models; especially recently, since the team has been more focused on survival than heroics. Beyond that, the members of the X-Men aren't always the heroic role models to begin with.
The Avengers are a great place to learn how to be a hero. It's the home of the greatest heroes of the Marvel Universe and many have learned to be better heroes as members of the team.
1 Stay An X-Man: Gambit
Rogue and Gambit's will they/won't they relationship was a key part of both their lives for a very long time. The obstacles they've overcome to finally end up together were near-insurmountable, but they persevered and ended up getting married.
While it's not uncommon for married superheroes to end up on a team together, Gambit is not at all Avengers material. He's an X-Man through and through, and it's doubtful that at this point in their relationship Rogue would want to separate from him.