With decades of tales featuring heroes and villains, love triangles, clones, alternate realities, surprise weddings, and characters resurrected from the dead, it’s unsurprising that the X-Men comics have earned the label of a superhero soap opera. Marvel’s beloved mutants are as famous for their intricate personal relationships (Cyclops married who?? And Wolverine has how many kids??) as they are for defending a world that both fears and hates them.

Yet, one unexpected relationship in the X-Men comics surpasses all others — the romance between Magneto (also known as Max Eisenhardt/Erik Lehnsherr) and Rogue (also known as Anna Marie LeBeau). Making his debut in 1963’s “X-Men” (vol. 1) #1, Magneto is an immensely powerful Omega-level mutant with control over magnetism, who has alternately been the team’s fiercest adversary and a notorious member. Rogue, in contrast, first appeared in 1981’s “Avengers Annual” #10 and has the mutant ability to absorb others’ memories and powers merely by touching them.

Magneto and Rogue might appear to be an odd pairing — for instance, Magneto’s history as a Holocaust survivor combined with Marvel Comics’ fluid timeline makes him many decades senior to Rogue, at least. However, they are also among the most potent X-Men, sharing histories as reformed villains who found redemption and reimagined themselves as heroes. What led them to each other? How did they discover love? And do they remain a pair? Here is the story of Rogue and Magneto’s comic book romance, unveiled.

For Rogue and Magneto, what happens in the Savage Land doesn’t stay in the Savage Land. During an adventure with the X-Men, Rogue passed through a mystical gateway known as the Siege Perilous. This separated Rogue from Ms. Marvel/Carol Danvers’ personality that she had previously absorbed, but while the women now possessed two bodies, they shared a single life force, and only one could survive. In “Uncanny X-Men” (vol. 1) #269, their struggle takes them to the Antarctic jungle known as the Savage Land. Though Rogue is reluctant to hurt Carol again, Magneto intervenes and destroys the half-decomposed Avenger, saving Rogue’s life.

Passions run high in the Savage Land, and during their time there, Rogue and Magneto develop a mutual attraction. Before they can act on their feelings, however, the evil sorceress Zaladane abducts Magneto, planning to siphon off his mutant powers so that she can control the Earth’s electromagnetic field. In 1991’s “Uncanny X-Men” (vol. 1) #275, Magneto comes to a moral crossroads that finds him torn between following Charles Xavier’s pacifist example or using deadly force to protect his fellow mutants from threats like Zaladane. Despite Rogue’s pleas, Magneto kills the magic wielder and the pair go their separate ways. Rogue moves on, rejoining the X-Men and eventually falling in love with their new member, the Cajun thief Gambit, her romance with Magneto ending before it ever truly begins — at least, for a time.

Only a few years later, Rogue and Magneto would be married — in the Age of Apocalypse, that is. 1995’s massive alternate reality crossover event gave fans a startling glimpse of what the Marvel Universe would look like if Charles Xavier had never formed the X-Men. In “X-Men” (vol. 1) #41, Xavier’s troubled son, Legion, travels through time to kill Magneto before he becomes a supervillain — but Xavier takes the fatal blow instead. Magneto, inspired by his friend’s sacrifice, forms his own heroic team of X-Men, but in this new, altered timeline, they are unable to stop the despotic mutant Apocalypse from conquering North America.

In “X-Men Chronicles” #1, Rogue joins Magneto’s X-Men team on Mount Wundagore. When Scarlet Witch is mortally wounded by Apocalypse’s Horsemen, she asks Rogue to look after her father. Torn between her feelings for Gambit and Magneto, Rogue is forced to decide which man to save on the battlefield, ultimately choosing Magneto.

By the time of the events in “X-Men: Alpha” #1, he and Rogue have become co-leaders of the X-Men and are also parents to a young son, Charles Lehnsherr. Magneto’s powers allow him to create a bio-magnetic field that cancels out Rogue’s powers, enabling the pair to touch skin-to-skin, though Rogue still cannot touch their son. Bishop, the only X-Man to remember Earth-616, time-travels to stop Legion before the world is annihilated in a nuclear holocaust, and Rogue, Magneto, and Charles spend their last moments in the Age of Apocalypse together before the real world is restored.

Perhaps the strangest wrinkle in the tapestry of Magneto and Rogue’s relationship is that she was once romantically entangled with his clone. After Magneto disappears in the wake of the destruction of his space station, Avalon, an amnesiac young man with a, well, uncanny resemblance to Magneto and the same electromagnetic mutant powers emerges in Guatemala in “Uncanny X-Men” (vol. 1) #327. Calling himself Joseph, he joins the X-Men, who are willing to give the supposedly reborn Master of Magnetism a second chance.

Rogue is especially supportive of Joseph, which strains her relationship with Gambit. A love triangle develops, with Rogue being drawn to this kinder, younger version of Magneto, who is eager to make up for his dark past. During the Christmas celebrations in “Uncanny X-Men” (vol. 1) #341, Joseph takes Rogue on a romantic carriage ride and gifts her with a specially designed psi-shield that will allow her to touch anyone without absorbing their memories. Joseph kisses Rogue’s forehead, and the two embrace.

1999’s “Magneto War” storyline reveals that Joseph is, in fact, a clone created by the evil mutant Astra as part of an elaborate revenge plot against Magneto. Joseph makes peace with his true identity, and he sacrifices his life in “X-Men” (vol. 1) #87 to repair the Earth’s magnetosphere. Joseph would be resurrected and killed two more times (death is famously a revolving door for the X-Men), but he never resumed his relationship with Rogue.

In the midst of the Joseph saga, the true Magneto emerged from hiding with a vengeance, ending Rogue’s romance with Gambit while hiding behind a mask. In “Uncanny X-Men” (vol. 1) #348, the X-Men are held captive in Magneto’s former Antarctic base by a sinister robot named Nanny who can neutralize their powers. Seizing what may be their last night together, Rogue and Gambit make love for the first time.

Their happiness is short-lived, however, as their captor — the mysterious, masked Erik the Red — accuses Gambit of mass murder and puts him on trial in “Uncanny X-Men” (vol. 1) #350. Erik forces Rogue to kiss Gambit to absorb his personality, and his greatest secret is revealed: years ago, he worked for the supervillain Mister Sinister and led the mercenary Marauders to the Morlock tunnels, where they enacted the deadly Mutant Massacre. Though Gambit was unaware of the team’s murderous intentions, his involvement haunted him for years. Furious at the mental violation, Rogue fights back against Erik the Red and saves Gambit’s life as the base crumbles around them. Heartbroken by her lover’s dishonesty, however, she abandons him in Antarctica.

Unbeknownst to either of them, “Erik the Red” is secretly Magneto, who arranged the trial to destabilize the X-Men and take revenge on Gambit for his part in the Mutant Massacre. However, Magneto’s anger at Gambit for betraying the woman he loves, Rogue, suggests that plain, simple jealousy was also a motivation for driving them apart.

Despite a dalliance with an amnesiac clone and a marriage in an alternate reality, an official romance between Magneto and Rogue on Earth-616 didn’t materialize until nearly 20 years after their first liaison in the Savage Land. By this time, the X-Men had established a new mutant nation on the island of Utopia, where the now-reformed Magneto joined them as a powerful ally. In 2010’s “X-Men: Legacy” #231, Magneto expresses his renewed interest in Rogue, calling her a kindred spirit — but she initially rebuffs his flirtations.

Then, Legion warps reality (again) in the “Age of X” crossover storyline, creating a world where the X-gene is illegal and mutants are being wiped out across the planet. In this reality, Magneto protects the Earth’s decimated mutant population in Fortress X, with Rogue (known as “Reaper”) at his side. Though this artificial world lasts for only a week, Rogue and Magneto are deeply affected by the new memories of their altered selves’ unconsummated attraction. “X-Men: Legacy” #249 marks a significant turning point for the pair, as they finally act on their desires and spend the night together. During their time as a couple, Magneto and Rogue go on several adventures, helping Legion repair his fractured psyche and rescuing several lost X-Men (including Magneto’s daughter, Polaris) from space.

When a schism rocks the X-Men, part of the team follows Wolverine to start the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning in Westchester, New York, while others remain under Cyclops’ leadership in Utopia. Rogue chooses Wolverine and the school, and the distance, as well as the dangers facing both teams, cause her and Magneto to drift apart. In “X-Men: Legacy” #274, a deadly subway accident in Washington, D.C., serves as an awkward setting for a romantic reunion where Magneto offers to make a stronger commitment to Rogue. Instead, she ends their relationship so that she can focus on her own growing independence.

Several years later, the 2017 “Rogue & Gambit” miniseries reunites Rogue with her other on-again, off-again beau, switching their relationship status to officially “on,” where it has since remained. After Kitty Pryde leaves Colossus at the altar a year later in “X-Men: Gold” #30, Gambit proposes to Rogue, and they marry on the spur of the moment, surrounded by their friends and teammates.

“Mr. & Mrs. X” #6 sees Rogue and Gambit throwing a belated engagement party at their apartment, and Rogue invites Magneto. She apologizes to Erik for not telling him of her marriage sooner and privately reveals that she’s scared her powers will eventually drive Gambit away. Telling Rogue to have faith in Gambit’s love for her, Magneto gives his best wishes to her marriage, and they part on good terms.

Rogue and Magneto may have parted ways on Earth-616, but love has drawn them together elsewhere in the multiverse. One such place is Earth-295, an alternate reality that continues the saga of the Age of Apocalypse. Though Rogue, Magneto, and the X-Men attempt to rebuild society after avoiding Armageddon, the corruption of their world’s Wolverine into Weapon Omega leads to the assassination of their son. The Lehnsherrs sacrifice their lives trying to stop Weapon Omega in “Uncanny X-Force” #19.1, their deaths extinguishing one of the few rays of hope in the Age of Apocalypse.

On Earth-27, Magneto and Rogue have a different son, Magnus Lehnsherr, who has inherited a tragic amalgamation of his parents’ mutant powers — whenever he has skin-to-skin contact with another person, they are transformed into solid steel. Introduced in “Exiles” (vol. 1) #1, Magnus joins a team of alternate reality X-Men to repair damage that has been done to the multiverse. Magnus dies during his first mission while saving his teammates from an atomic blast, and his body is returned to his parents on Earth-27.

The critically acclaimed “X-Men ’97” animated series introduced Magneto and Rogue’s relationship to a new generation of Marvel fans. Drawing heavily from the pair’s comic book history, the show depicts their fateful meeting in the Savage Land, Magneto’s ability to nullify Rogue’s powers, and, naturally, the love triangle with Gambit. Magneto and Rogue may be one of Marvel’s most unexpected couples, but together they share an intense — one might even say, magnetic — attraction.