The actress mentioned that Rogue’s journey is only beginning now.

Voice actress Lenore Zann has been synonymous with voicing Rogue in multiple X-Men-related media, including the recent X-Men ‘97. The actress returned to the role after voicing the character in the original X-Men: The Animated Series as well. She has also lent her voice to Rogue in video games.

Zann recently revealed that a personal tragedy helped her channel her grief for a heartbreaking scene in the latest episode of X-Men ‘97. The actress mentioned that she tapped into the sadness she felt at the death of her young niece to cancer while performing Rogue’s own grief towards the death of an important character in the show.

Spoilers ahead.

The Latest X-Men ‘97 Episode Sees Rogue At Her Most Emotional

In the latest episode of the Marvel series X-Men ‘97 titled ‘Bright Eyes’, the team is processing the deaths of their teammates in Genosha. The mutant planet was attacked in the fifth episode titled ‘Remember it’, where Master Mold attacks the mutant-filled planet of Genosha, resulting in multiple deaths, including that of Remy LeBeau a.k.a Gambit.

In ‘Bright Eyes’, the X-Men head to Genosha to help the team in their recovery efforts. Rogue misses the funeral of Gambit as she chooses to search for Trax and Gyrich instead, a decision that is not taken well within the X-Men. While the X-Men help the people in Genosha, Rogue heads to Mexico City to deal with Gyrich.

After her encounter with Gyrich, Rogue is seen grieving Remy’s death in Mexico City as the town celebrates the Day of the Dead. She is greeted by Nightcrawler, who comforts her. In a truly heartbreaking moment, Rogue breaks down as she is unable to come out of her grief after the death of her friend.

Lenore Zann, who voices the role of Rogue in X-Men’97, was lauded for her vocal performance in the episode. An X (formerly Twitter) user wrote,

“This wasn’t acting, this was REAL, I could feel the pain in every cry, I understand you’ve probably channeled a recent pain into your performance, and let me just start by saying you have my deepest condolences and secondly this was beyond art, this was a legendary performance”

At the end of the scene, she sees the rest of the X-Men in Mexico City welcoming her back into the fold and providing comfort in this tragic time.

Lenore Zann Was Reportedly Influenced By A Personal Tragedy During The Scene In X-Men ‘97

The X-Men comics have always dealt with mature themes in their storylines and characters. The concept of mutants itself could be seen as an allegory for the LGBTQIA+ community and hiding their true selves. Every other media that has been adapted from the comics has stayed true to dealing with these mature themes.

X-Men ‘97 too tackles some important themes, with grief being a major part of the show. Many characters deal with grief in the series, and with the mutant massacre in Genosha, it has only increased. Rogue’s heartbreaking scene in the latest episode of the series is just one example of the show’s exploration of grief and death.

Lenore Zann, who was lauded for her vocal performance as Rogue in the episode, reportedly tapped into a personal tragedy of her own while performing in the scene. The actress has voiced the character in various media, including the original X-Men: The Animated Series. Zann explained in a post on X (formerly Twitter),

“Yes, the pain comes from a deep place of grief over the recent loss of my sweet young niece Maia to cancer at just 17. But I believe it’s best to ‘use the blues’ by channeling our grief and heartache into something positive. So I channeled mine into my performance as Rogue and her momentous journey – upon which she is only just beginning” 

The actress said the death of her niece at the age of seventeen affected her, but she used it in her performance. She mentioned in responses to other appreciative comments that channeling the pain into something beautiful was the only way through the pain.