From 2021 to 2023, the “X-Men” comics had an annual tradition called the Hellfire Gala. The in-universe set-up is that Emma Frost’s Hellfire Trading Company held a yearly gala (open to all mutants) on the island of Krakoa. In the vein of the real-life Met Gala, guests would show up in flashy, ostentatious, and expensive-looking outfits. (See the whole line-up of Hellfire Gala 2021, designed by artist Russell Dauterman, below.)
Out-of-universe, Marvel published three “Hellfire Gala” special one-shots each of those years, and different “X-Men” comic series would converge around the event. Rogue as worn by Zann is modeled on the design from Hellfire Gala 2023. The artist who designed the costume, Luciano Vecchio, took note and shared his excitement on Twitter.
So, this happened:
The ICONIC @ZannLenore , who plays Rogue in X-Men ´97, recreated the look I designed for X-Men Hellfire Gala 2023 and wore it at The Emmys!I’m speechless, mind blown, dead and reborn, not in my wildest dream could I have imagined this.
Thank you Lenore!!! pic.twitter.com/d6j9GqWY9M— Luciano Vecchio (@LucianoVecchio) September 9, 2024
Compare Rogue’s looks at the 2021 Hellfire Gala (a dapper green collar-and-gloved-suit designed by Dauterman) and the 2022 event (a fur-trimmed bodysuit that, per artist Mad Mahmud Asrar, covers all Rogue’s skin except her face because of how dangerous her absorbing powers can be.)
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Vecchio’s 2023 look (and Zann’s recreation of it) also conveys character through fashion choice. Note the long green opera gloves, which again keep Rogue from making skin contact; even covering her neckline with a hood reinforces that. The top half of the costume is a long dress worthy of any Southern Belle, but it parts at the waist, revealing black leather shorts, fishnets, and black knee-high boots. That part of the design reflects Rogue’s kick-ass and punch-first attitude.
Zann went the extra mile to dress for the occasion by picking not just any Rogue costume, but one that was designed for an event like the Emmys.
“X-Men ’97” is streaming on Disney+. Season 2 is currently in production.