Two of the most powerful Marvel heroes, Rogue and Captain Marvel, have been in the middle of a feud practically since they met. Although they now belong to the same side, often fighting alongside each other, Rogue made her comic debut as a ruthless villain thanks to her adoptive mothers, Irene Adler and Mystique. Even if Rogue has been an Avenger and an X-Men for the last decades, Carol hasn't completely forgiven Rogue for the things she's done.
Thanks to Irene Adler's precognitive abilities and Mystique's inability to let things go, both Rogue and Carol Danvers discovered they were somewhat predestined to become mortal enemies. Their first fight escalated things to where Ms. Marvel completely lost herself, incapable of remembering her own life or connecting emotionally to it. This was only the beginning of a decades long rivalry.
7/7 Marvel Super-Heroes (Vol. 2) #11 Established Their Clash
Marvel Super-Heroes (Vol. 2) #11 — by Chris Claremont, Simon Furman, Mike Vosburg, Mike Gustovich, Heidi Goodhue, and Jim Novak — first introduces the conflict between both heroines. After Irene "Destiny" Adler has a prophecy that Carol Danvers will be the end of Rogue, Mystique set on to destroy Carol, inadvertently forcing the events that she tried to stop. When Rogue touches Captain Marvel, her absorption abilities take Carol's powers and memories, putting both in a predicament. Before Rogue can do anything, Spider-Woman saves Carol.
Originally planned as Ms. Marvel (Vol. 1) #25 in 1979, this issue got shelved until 1997. This explains why its conclusion felt kind of rushed compared with other stories. In the end, Marvel Super-Heroes (Vol. 2) #11 served as a one-shot created to justify the feud between Rogue and the future Captain Marvel. This story continued in Avengers Annual (Vol. 1) #10 by Claremont, Michael Golden, Armando Gil, and Joe Rosen, which followed Carol as she regained her memories with the help of Professor X, Ororo, and Jessica Drew.
6/7 Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #158 Documents Their First Encounter After What Happened
Still powerless, Carol Danvers decided to help the X-Men with a top-secret mission to erase governmental documents about mutants. During this task, she bumped into both Rogue and Mystique at the Pentagon, which prompted Carol to start a fight against her adversaries. Since Carol had no powers, Wolverine and Storm jumped into the fray to help her.
Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #158, by Chris Claremont, Michael Golden, and Armando Gil, didn't really affect Rogue and Miss Marvel's feud storyline. Instead, it only served to remind the readers about it, so it could become a more central arc in future issues of Uncanny X-Men.
5/7 Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #171 Depicts A Key Moment Of Rogue's History
Tired of dealing with the effects of absorbing Carol's memories and powers, Rogue arrived at Professor Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters looking for the headmaster's help. This would mark the beginning of her time as a hero. Unfortunately, Carol Danvers didn't feel forgiving at the moment. Now going as Binary, the hero punched Rogue out of orbit and then quit the X-Men.
Created by Chris Claremont, Walt Simonson, Bob Wiacek, Glynis Wein, and Tom Orzechowski, Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #171 featured a small, one-sided fight, in which Binary easily wrecked Rogue. Although this issue didn't add much to their conflict, it's remembered among the most important moments of Rogue's journey from villain to hero. Sadly, this change of moral alignment wasn't enough for Carol to forgive her.
4/7 Rogue Fights A Fake Carol Inside Her Mind In Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #269
Uncanny X-Men (Vol. 1) #269, written by Chris Claremont with Jim Lee, Art Thibert, Steve Buccellato, Tom Orzechowski, and Tomoko Saito, details Rogue battle against a remnant of Carol that's left in her own mind. After emerging from the Siege Perilous, the fragment of Carol Danvers gains her own body. After the Shadow King interferes and turns the "fake" Carol into a killer, a fierce battle ensues. However, the real Carol Danvers doesn't even know about it.
This battle barely counts as a showdown between the two powerful women. However, it helps redeem Rogue to a point. This story reveals that Rogue has also suffered since she took Carol's abilities, helping audiences see Rogue less like the villain and more like another victim of her own mutation.
3/7 Miss Marvel (Vol. 2) #9 Sets The Ground To Deal With The Emotional Aspect Of Their Feud In Miss Marvel (Vol. 2) #10
After Carol "Warbird" Danvers from a different universe appears, ready to take Rogue down, the circumstances force Earth-616's Ms. Marvel to team up with the mutant hero and rethink her emotions regarding the time Rogue stole her entire existence. While taking Warbird down, Ms. Marvel realizes she isn't ready to forgive her.
In Miss Marvel (Vol. 2) #9 and #10 — by Brian Reed, Mike Wieringo, Wade Von Grawbadger, Chris Sotomayor, and Dave Sharpe — Carol Danvers finds herself doing something she never thought possible: saving Rogue. Besides featuring an epic showdown between Rogue and Warbird, and Warbird and Miss Marvel, this arc does the emotional work, taking Carol a step further in her recovery.
2/7 They Finally Made Amends During Avengers Vs. X-Men
X-Men Legacy (Vol. 1) #269 — by Christos N. Gage, David Baldeón, Jordi Tarragona, and Brian Reber — took place during Avengers vs. X-Men. The Phoenix Five had created a Utopia with the help of other mutants and the Avengers were deemed state criminals. When Ms. Marvel approached Rogue, hoping to convince her Utopia was a mistake, Rogue fought Danvers, clinging to this new sense of normalcy. During the battle, Rogue went so far as to absorb Carol's powers again, quickly enraging her adversary. In the end, Rogue used Ms. Marvel and Iceman's powers combined to win, sending Ms. Marvel to Magik's underworldly prison.
Unfortunately for Rogue, in the following issue, she realized Ms. Marvel was right. The Phoenix wasn't a merciful god. Determined to free Carol and the other Avengers prisoner in Limbo, Rogue needed to borrow Carol's abilities once more. In a true sign of collaboration and trust, Carol willingly let Rogue take her powers. Although the battle between them had gotten pretty heated, in the end, the two heroines became allies. X-Men Legacy (Vol. 1) #270 marked the moment Carol finally forgave Rogue, setting her free from her guilt.
1/7 Rogue Wasn't Herself During Captain Marvel (Vol. 10) #4
The last time Rogue and Captain Marvel fought was quite different from any of their other encounters. During Captain Marvel (Vol. 10) #4 — by Kelly Thompson, Carmen Carnero, Tamra Bonvillain, and Clayton Cowles — Rogue fell under Nuclear Man's control, who forced her to hurt Captain Marvel. As Rogue tried to fight the mind control, she asked Captain Marvel to kill her, but Carol didn't comply. Instead, Carol allowed Rogue to absorb her completely but requested to take control of the situation. This bold team-up spelled Nuclear Man's demise.
By the end of this arc, Captain Marvel and Rogue had a heartfelt conversation about the situation. While they agreed they would never be friends, it's obvious they had grown fond of each other in a predestined way. Surely they have the potential to become one of the most powerful duos in Marvel. So far, these two heroes haven't met again, but if they do, their enemies-to-allies arc is only missing one last, maybe friendly, battle.