History: In terms of her birth, Anna's is a complete mystery. Born to an unknown mother and father, she fell into the care of the shape shifting Raven Darkholme very early in life. It is inclear exactly when Mystique entered the picture, but Anna was still an infant at the time and Raven went to great lengths to hide her in a secluded area. The area she eventually chose was the backwater town of Biloxi Mississippi. This is where Anna grew up and where she considers home.

Early on young Anna lived a very controlled life. Raven Darkholme adopted her legally as her foster daughter and gave her the full name, Anna Marie Darkholme. All records of her birth parents had either been destroyed or lost. As her adopted mother, Raven made sure her early years were quiet. She purchased a comfortable middle-class house on a former plantation with plenty of space and plenty of distance. This helped Anna feel less confined. It was important she have room to move because she quickly noticed early on that her adopted mother would come and go frequently. Her work as a mercenary often took her to far away places. Even as she got older, Raven would never tell her daughter what she was up to or what she was caught up in. It was always justifed as being something that was necessary for her and her family.

Whenever Raven was away, Anna was cared for by Raven's trusted friend, Irene Adler. Irene, who was a blind mutant who could see the future, was a bit less stringent. However, she often followed Raven's lead, keeping Anna isolated and reserved. Her only real contact with anybody her age was through letters she sent to her brother overseas. Whenever Raven made a trip, Anna would give her a letter that she personally delivered to him. This allowed Anna to have some kinship even though she never got to interact with her brother directly. It would be one of the few constants throughout her early years.

As Anna grew up she underwent an extensive training regiment, crafted by Mystique herself. By the time she was five she was doing karate and by the time she was eight she was a black belt. The training continued and escalated as she got older. It proved taxing on young Anna, but she stuck to her training. She went onto become a skilled fighter, but even from the beginning she showed signs of rebellion. She would often run off into the fields and go exploring in the area around her house. Even when Irene and Raven specifically told her not to venture too far, she often did. It didn't matter how strict they were. She often tested their rules. One way Raven and Irene tried to keep her life regimented was by enrolling her in a nearby public school. This gave her some freedom, but her attitude often got her into trouble and she often tested the rules of her school just like she did her adopted parents.

This rebellious nature took a turn for the worse when she was 14. It was here where Raven Darkholme made the difficult decision to leave Anna in Irene's full care so she could work for Magneto full time. This decision meant she would be out of contact with Anna for years. It had a profound affect on the young teenager. With Raven gone, she became even more rebellious and aggressive. Irene tried to control her, but was often met with stiff resistance. It was around this time that Anna's reputation as a rebel earned her the nickname, Rogue, at school. It was a name she would later embrace and one she started going by full time. As the gap between her and her parents grew, she started drinking and smoking. She routinely cut school and clashed with Irene every chance she had.

Her rebel streak continued almost unabated until one night at a club, her mutant powers manifested. She accidentally touched several people and drained their life energy, causing a great deal of distress. She ran off in confusion and was eventually aided by the X-men. They managed to help her regain control of her powers and understand how they worked. But when word got out she was now with Xavier, Mystique came back into the picture and tried ot get away away from the X-men. A fight ensued and it ended with Rogue rejecting her mother and joining the X-men in hopes of a better life and a chance to control her powers.

Character Breakdown: Rogue, as her name implies, is defined by her rebellious nature. Growing up in such a controlled and ridged environment, she was often left with no explanation as to why she had to life her life in this way. As a result, she responded by trying to find out for herself and this is what began the pattern of behavior that would become ingrained in her personality. It grew in a self-reinforcing cycle where her parents, Mystique and Irene, would constantly discipline and restrict her for acting out without providing an explanation. Frustrated by this lack of explanation, she did it again and again. By the time she was a teenager, she had issues with authority and came to resent the ridged life she had been brought up in.

Aside from the behavoiral aspect of Rogue's personality, there is also the more subtle varitions caused by abandonment issues. Growing up, Rogue never knew who her real parents were. This was something even Raven and Irene couldn't tell her. So her identity is somewhat detatched as a result. This adds to her rebellious tendancies, but also adds a certain level of vulnerability. That vulnerability can keep her humility in check because this is one thing she understands she has no control over. This later plays a part in how she deals with her powers, which are defined by having her identity come in conflict with that of another.

Rebelliousness and detatchment aside, Rogue does retain an element of moral strength. Unlike her mother, who keeps making excuses, she develops an aversion to the morally gray areas that seem to justify anything. In some ways it's a response to her mother's shortcomings. There's also the influence of having a brother she talks to regularly who understand her and relates to her in a way her mother doesn't understand. This ability to relate is what helps her join the X-men and embrace their ways. It is opposed to many of Mystique's methods and allows her the freedom to be herself in a way she desperately needs. In addition, her being trained as a fighter from an early age makes her inclined not just to seek a sense of freedom, but a sense of personal identity as well. She finds that with the X-men and her friends. She also finds that within the struggles she goes through in an effort to control her powers and cope with the isolation of not being able to touch.