One of the many mysteries to come out of X-Men ’97 (and there were quite a few of those) is how Magneto could touch Rogue without the latter hurting the master of magnetism. The secret behind t Rogue’s inability to harm Magneto lies in his explanation at the beginning of Episode 2 of X-Men ’97, where Magneto talks about the interplay of electricity and magnetism, given how fundamentally interconnected those two forces are.
What needs to be taken into account is the interplay that magnetism has with electricity, collectively called the electromagnetic force, which is one of the fundamental forces of the universe. Given how electricity functions in the human body, we can assume that Magneto controls electric fields at a cellular level, making him one of the strongest mutants in the series. It might also be the key to explaining how the character is able to touch Rogue, without her causing him any damage.
Magneto basically created an electric field around his body
The reason that Rogue can touch Magneto is because he can create an electromagnetic field around him, one that allows him to feel the pressure of touch, but not cause any damage from a mutant like Rogue.
To understand this, we might have to dice into some actual science here. The electromagnetic force is one of the fundamental forces that are responsible for the interaction between atoms and molecules. These interactions are what give us the formation of matter, and allow us to feel and touch things. The theory states that it is this electric field that Magneto uses to, make a coating around himself.
Essentially, Magneto is able to make an electrical condom around himself, one that allows him to feel the sensation of being touched, with the warmth of it, but allows that cell membrane to not come directly in contact, hence not allowing Rogue’s powers to sap his.
Rogue and Magneto’s relationship will cause problems down the line
The show began with Gambit and Rogue in a loving relationship, and when Magneto came on board, Gambit was one of the strongest opposing voices against their former enemy joining the team. When Storm walks out of the team, on the account of losing her powers, it is Gambit who points out that the bullet was made for Magneto, and it should have been him walking out of the team.
While Gambit and Rogue truly love each other, Magneto is the only one Rogue can actually form a connection with. This not only puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the relationship, but also sets up a conflict for the coming season, which could culminate in a Gambit-Magneto fight, or the relationship between Rogue and Gambit falling apart.
With Magneto already at odds with the rest of the team over the fate of Storm, this might fracture the X-Men into a civil war-type situation, one that could be the main theme of the season, as Magneto tries to fill the niche left behind by Professor X.
The third episode of X-Men ’97, titled Fire Made Flesh, will be airing on 3/27/24 on Disney+ at 8:00 AM GMT.
