From: ejs16@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Eric Jaron Stieglitz)
Subject: Re: Rogue's eyes (was Re: XMEN:TAS-load of crap)
Reply-To: ejs16@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Eric Jaron Stieglitz)
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 00:46:26 GMT

In article <wf0beve00iV2M1giw=@andrew.cmu.edu> Chris Holly <maverick+@CMU.EDU> writes:
>Regarding:
>
>>Subject: Rogue's eyes (was Re: XMEN:TAS-load of crap)
>>From: ejs16@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Eric Jaron Stieglitz)
>>Date: 12 Nov 92 05:12:42 GMT
>
>>Rogue first appeared in X-Men with issue #158 (this is where Carol Danvers 
>>travels to the Pentagon to erase some files and runs into the Brotherhood
>>of Evil Mutants. Since Rogue destroyed Danver's life, they slug it out).
>>She joined the X-Men in issue #171. Giant Size X-Men makes no reference to
>>Rogue. In fact, I'm pretty sure that Marvel didn't create her until a number
>>of years later. BTW, her eyes are green, except when the colorist screws up.
>
>    Actually this is slightly incorrect...  Rogue's eyes are naturally
>green(i.e. she was born with green eyes).  But, when she assimilates the
>Carol Danver's personality her eyes are blue.(Go figure).  It has never
>been quite explained if her eyes change color with any personality/power
>steal or not.  However... Upon assimilation of Nightcrawler and Gateway
>her eyes (and hair and shin) did change color.  It is quite possible
>that her eye color does change with every new power acquisition... or
>perhaps just when the DNA matchup is enough to make one color dominate
>over the other.  If the latter is the case, then her eyes would change
>color on a dormant/recessive gene table(here is pure genetcis in action
>folks).  

I believe that you are quite right about the fact that her eye color changes 
whenever she absorbs another personality. Unfortunately, your reasoning about
the way DNA works is somewhat incorrect. If your body's DNA were to change
immediately (for example, having the genes which control eye-color code for
blue instead of brown), you would not feel the effects instantly. In fact,
I sincerely doubt if your eye color would change over the course of many years.
This is because once your body has created something, it stays that way unless
changed by an outside force (note that nobody has ever grown a third hand after
leaving the womb). The only effects from changing DNA would be to cause certain
body functions to cease operating properly. After a huge dose of radiation, 
your DNA no longer codes correctly for those functions. My point is that if
Rogue's DNA changed after she absorbed someone, the effects of that absorbtion
would not occur as quickly as they do (if at all). Something else must happen.
Obviously, we're talking about Marvel Universe Physics and Chemistry, where the
laws of nature work in different ways. Therefore, some other explanation might
be in order (any ideas, PAD?). Also, while I think I have a pretty good 
knowledge of general genetics, I'm sure that I have made many mistakes in
my explanation. If anyone with a solid understanding of genetics can think of 
a better explanation, I'd love to hear from you.


/////////
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"Torque" a.k.a. ejs16@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu
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