Rogue possesses the mutant ability

Rogue possesses the mutant ability to absorb the psyche and abilities of another human being (or members of some sapient alien races) through skin contact. Rogue can absorb the memories, knowledge, talents, personality and physical abilities (whether superhuman or not) of the person she touches, as well as occasionally duplicating in herself physical characteristics of her victim. The victim's abilities and memories are absorbed for a one to 60 ratio of time of contact. The victim loses those abilities and memories for exactly the amount of time that Rogue possesses them. This absorption usually leaves the victim weakened and sometimes renders them unconscious. Their powers may also be temporarily weakened or removed. Rogue's power is constantly active, rendering her incapable of touching others without the absorption process taking place. However, evidence suggests that Rogue's inability to control her powers is psychological in nature. During the times when the Ms. Marvel personality would overtake her psyche, she was able to touch people freely.[87] This fact has since been corroborated by the discovery that Rogue's absorption power never developed beyond the stage of its original manifestation.[55] Xavier later rectified this by telepathically removing the psychological barriers stunting it.[55]

The transfer of abilities is usually temporary, lasting for a period of time relative to how long contact is maintained, but if Rogue holds on to her victim for too long, the transfer may become permanent, leaving the victim nearly dead, as was the case with Ms. Marvel. However, it must also be noted that Ms. Marvel fought the transfer process, which Rogue attested to sometime after the incident occurred. Most often this process happens instantly when Rogue touches someone, but certain extraordinarily powerful beings have proven resistant to Rogue's power, and she may only share part of their memories and power, as was the case when Rogue once attempted to absorb power from the alien Magus. However, in the process of doing so she gained an immunity to the Technarch transmode virus.[88][89]

After coming into contact with the supervillain Pandemic, Rogue's powers were upgraded for a brief time into an instant death touch.[volume & issue needed] Using her upgraded powers, Rogue absorbed the Hecatomb and the psyches within it, putting her into a coma.[volume & issue needed]

As Rogue is absorbing the total psyche of a person, there is a risk of a personality overwhelming her and taking control of her body. It has also been shown that even though the memories she has absorbed eventually fade when a psyche returns to its body, remnants, or "echoes", of the personalities of victims whose memories she has absorbed remain buried in her subconscious indefinitely, and while there is little to no risk of those personalities overwhelming her like the Ms. Marvel personality could, they can occasionally make their presences known