Rogue’s skimpiest outfit has been the source of controversy for Marvel, with some calling for it to be retired–but one X-Men editor does not think it should be. Rogue’s “Savage Land” outfit is currently having a moment, being featured on variant covers as well as a new miniseries set during that time frame. The barely-there outfit has stirred debate among fans, and now a Marvel editor weighs in.

Marvel Executive Editor Tom Brevoort, who also is group editor for the X-Men family of titles, fielded a question on his Substack about Rogue’s Savage Land outfit. Fan MB asked Tom to “please, please, please, please, PLEASE” stop making so many variant covers featuring the outfit. MB brings up the fact the outfit objectifies Rogue, and asks if she can be in any other outfits, to which Brevoort replies:

See the above answer about what sells versus what a particular editor likes, MB. To be honest, I haven’t commissioned a single cover image that has Rogue in that outfit. But plenty of our Retailers are asking for it when they order Retailer-exclusive covers, and as the client, that’s their right. And even internally, we’re aware that those covers tend to sell really well, and will sometimes have our sales team request them when they think they’ll do the project some good. As I want to get the books into as many hands as are possible, I don’t really have a problem with this.

Rogue is currently starring in a miniseries, set during her time in the Savage Land, written by Tim Seeley and drawn by Zulema Scotto Lavina.

Rogue's Savage Land Outfit, Explained

Not Everyone Is a Fan of Rogue's Savage Land Costume

Since her debut in Avengers Annual #10 over 40 years ago, Rogue has sported many looks, and her “Savage Land” outfit may be one of her best known. Rogue, adopted the jungle-themed outfit while marooned in the Savage Land in Uncanny X-Men #269. During this adventure, she famously had a relationship with Magneto, and teamed with Ka-Zar. Rogue’s time in the Savage Land became one of the defining moments for the character, and the costume she wore during this time has come to be associated with her as well.

Yet a new generation of artists has begun to downplay the over sexualization of the Savage Land costume and instead focus on the empowerment elements present in it.

For some, however, Rogue’s Savage Land outfit has become popular for all the wrong reasons. There is no denying it: the costume is very skimpy, and shows a great deal of skin. Whenever Rogue was shown wearing the Savage Land outfit, she was usually seductively posed, seemingly reinforcing the criticisms. Yet a new generation of artists has begun to downplay the over sexualization of the Savage Land costume and instead focus on the empowerment elements present in it. The current Rogue: Savage Land miniseries is proof of this trend, as are the new variant covers.

Rogue's Savage Land Costume is Caught Up in an Eternal Comic Book Debate

Should the Costume Be Retired? Tom Brevoort Does Not Think So

The debate over objectification of women in comics has gone on for decades now, and while progress has been made, there is still work to be done. Some fans view Rogue’s Savage Land outfit as an egregious example of this trend towards objectifying women, and called for it to be retired. X-Men editor Tom Brevoort did not address the objectification issue, instead focusing on how well the covers sell. These covers do in fact sell, which seems to indicate that Rogue’s Savage Land outfit is more popular than ever.

Source: Tom Brevoort