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This has been a question which has bothered me for some time, as a subset of "various types of flight" in the Marvel comics. Among the X-Men specifically, it's a ubiquitous ability, mostly held by females. But each type of flight has a different logical basis...

  • Storm holds herself aloft on winds
  • Jean uses a type of telekinetic levitation
  • ArchAngel has his natural wings
  • Angel 2 has insectoid wings
  • Banshee and his daughter Siren tend to propel themselves via the force of their sonic screams in a type of "controlled air foiling."
  • While not "flight", Kitty Pride can maneuver through air by phasing her form and "walking" on air molecules.
  • CannonBall produces a unidirectional "blast field" which essentially turns him into a human rocket
  • Polaris uses a type of magnetic levitation to act on her own personal magnetic field.
  • Her half-sister Scarlet Witch either negates gravity, or uses chaos energy to "push" herself against air.

But... how exactly does Rogue fly?

Yes, we know Rogue got that power, her durability and super strength permanently from Ms Marvel, who has Kree DNA, so that gives an origin .... but it still doesn't explain the basis or physical explanation of the power.

Even Rogue HERSELF isn't too clear on how that ability works! This was even lamp shaded somewhat nearly 30 years ago in Fox's X-Men: The Animated Series the first time she met Angel. You can see it here; go to the 3:00 mark:

So I was curious as to what canon explanation, if any, was given for her flight. I thought one might be available in an addition of the Marvel Universe Encyclopedia, but the 2 I found didn't offer much. Canonical information would be preferred, but theories or explanations from panels in the comics would also be helpful.

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    The same way all comic book characters with no wings can glide through the air: comic book handwavey magical physics whatnot.
    – TheLethalCarrot ♦
    Commented Nov 11, 2019 at 14:35
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    Asking "How does Carol Danvers fly (pre-Binary)?" would be a lot clearer.
    – OrangeDog
    Commented Nov 11, 2019 at 15:19
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    They may have intended their comment as a joke, but it's true. There's not really any difference between saying that someone flies using chaos energy, telekinesis, or "quantum mechanics," and not giving any explanation.
    – Adamant
    Commented Nov 11, 2019 at 15:33
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    @StopHarmingMonica "...unless related directly to a cited work of fiction." There's nothing off topic about this question.
    – TheLethalCarrot ♦
    Commented Nov 11, 2019 at 16:05
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    Well, the thing is that this site isn't a discussion board in the usual sense. Outside of chat, scientific explanations (using the term loosely) and fan theories are in fact not on-topic. Although this question may not strictly qualify as such, I am still not sure it's all that far from such questions.
    – Adamant
    Commented Nov 11, 2019 at 16:06

1 Answer 1

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Assuming that Rogue perfectly copied Ms. Marvel's abilities, then flight is done by "sailing along the Earth's electromagnetic field".

Ms. Marvel Vol. 1 #2

Carol Danver's flight abilities explained
(click to enlarge)

As CBR's How Did Carol Danvers Gain the Ability to Fly article indicates, originally this was only possible due to her costume, which heightened her natural ability to do this sailing, but an encounter with MODOK reveals that the second blast from the psyche-magnetron transferred the flight abilities of the suit directly to her body.

Ms. Marvel Vol. 1 #7

Carol narrating that her abilities are now part of her body
(click to enlarge)

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    That costume is... something else.
    – SethMMorton
    Commented Nov 11, 2019 at 16:31
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    Sorry, this is a good answer and I've given it a vote, but I just have to quote TLC from upthread: "comic book handwavey magical physics whatnot" :)
    – DavidW
    Commented Nov 11, 2019 at 16:31
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    I skimmed this comic looking for the answer but somehow missed the "sailing along the Earth's electromagnetic field" quote in that panel. This does appear to be the answer +1.
    – TheLethalCarrot ♦
    Commented Nov 11, 2019 at 16:32
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    @TheLethalCarrot Ah. Rereading the panel I quoted above, the suit just enhances a "natural ability". Anyhow, I think we've got Russhiro's question answered either way.
    – FuzzyBoots
    Commented Nov 11, 2019 at 16:50
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    Aye this is the answer, was just making some comments here as I'd read that comic looking for the answer so was fresh in my mind. Just somehow I skipped over that panel!
    – TheLethalCarrot ♦
    Commented Nov 11, 2019 at 16:51

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