One of the best things about the X-Men as a team is how varied it is at any given moment. From the team's earliest incarnation to its countless roster changes and splinter groups that have formed over the years, the X-Men have always boasted some of the most diversified line-ups. This fact plays to the teams' strength; people of all walks of life, young and old, powerful and meek, may join forces to fight for the greater good. Of course, this does mean that a few select members of Marvel’s mighty mutant menagerie have played less well with others than most. Chief among these miscreants is one Remy Labeau, better known as Gambit.
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Gambit has enjoyed huge fame and popularity since his debut in 1990’s Uncanny X-Men #266 by Chris Claremont and Mike Collins. Instantly recognizable by his long duster jacket, fuchsia outfit, and characteristic red and black eyes, Gambit is the walking definition of cool. Throw in his iconic deck of cards as his weapon of choice, and it’s easy to see why the suave Cajun has been such a hit with fans over the years. But there’s more to Gambit than meets the eye, which has positioned him to be as much an antagonist of the X-Men as a valued member.
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Gambit's Mutant Powers Make Him One of the Most Recognizable and Stylish Mutants Around
Kinetic Card!
![Uncanny X-Men’s Gambit, Explained (2) Uncanny X-Men’s Gambit, Explained (2)](https://i0.wp.com/static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/gambit-cover.jpg)
As a mutant, Gambit was born with a special power that differentiates him from regular human beings. Gambit’s mutant power is his ability to charge inorganic objects with pure kinetic energy. The more energy he pumps into an object, the more unstable it becomes.
As the energy needs to be released, Gambit has learned how to hyper-charge objects to the point where they explode. This makes Gambit an extremely dangerous opponent to face in combat. Not only is he an expert in martial arts and acrobatics due to his training as a thief, but his mutant ability makes anything around him an explosively lethal weapon.
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When objects are charged with kinetic energy, they glow a deep fuchsia and trail energy arcs through the air. Gambit’s skills as a thief allow him to manipulate his power to master the art of charging small objects with an obscene amount of energy and then throwing them at his opponents to devastating effect.
True to his roguish personality, Gambit favors playing cards as his weapon. They are small, easily concealable, and easy to handle, and a single deck of cards is guaranteed to have 52 projectiles for him to charge and throw. If he runs out of cards or a fight becomes up close and personal, Gambit also wields a bo staff with deadly proficiency, another weapon he has been known to charge with kinetic energy.
Gambit's Early Life Was Full of Secrets and Regret
But He Never Stopped Trying to Make Things Right
![Uncanny X-Men’s Gambit, Explained (4) Uncanny X-Men’s Gambit, Explained (4)](https://i0.wp.com/static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/gambit-throwing-cards.jpg)
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Gambit’s real name is Remy Etienne Labeau. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and from the very moment of his birth, Gambit suffered one of the most chaotic lives imaginable. Gambit was stolen from the hospital where he was born by Thieves Guild.
The Thieves Guild was an ancient organization operating out of New Orleans. Alongside them was the Assassin’s Guild, a rival organization locked in a deadly feud with the Thieves stoked by a powerful External named Candra. Gambit’s early life was a whirlwind of subterfuge, intrigue, and drama between the two guilds, a past that eventually led to his nearly being sold to HYDRA by a human trafficker known as the Pig.
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Key Issue | Creative Team | Significance |
---|---|---|
Uncanny X-Men #266 | Chris Claremont, Mike Collins | First Appearance of Gambit |
Gambit (1993) | Howard Mackie, Lee Weeks | Exploration of Gambit's History With Thieve's Guild |
X-Men Origins: Gambit | Mike Carey, David Yardin, Ibraim Roberson, Nathan Fairbairn | Deeper Exploration of Gambit's Role in the Mutant Massacre |
Uncanny X-Men #350 | Steve Seagle, Joe Madureira, Andy Smith | The Trial of Gambit for his crimes against the Morlocks |
Gambit #25 | Joe Pruett, Georges Jeanty | A look at Gambit's youth as a child thief |
Gambit’s escape from the Pig resulted in his wandering the world as a loner, honing his skills as a thief. Through sheer bad luck, he crossed paths with a geneticist named Nathaniel Essex, aka Mister Sinister.
At the time, Gambit struggled to control his ever-growing mutant power, and Sinister agreed to help him manage it, but he had to enter into debt. This single action would result in Gambit helping Sinister, albeit unknowingly, form the group known as the Marauders. The Marauders would become one of the most infamous terrorist groups in mutant history as they entered the sewers beneath New York City and exterminated the Morlocks who lived there in an event known as the Mutant Massacre.
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Gambit Has Become One of the X-Men's Most Unpredictable Members
For Better or Worse, He is One of a Kind
Devastated by the events he helped unleash, Gambit resumed his solo travels until he encountered a de-aged Storm. Helping the young girl escape a gang of pursuers, Gambit became friends with Storm. She introduced him to the X-Men, where he would eventually be inducted.
Gambit’s time with the X-Men was shaky as his devil-may-care attitude and flippant disregard for authority made him difficult to work with. To make matters worse, when the X-Men learned of Gambit’s history with Mister Sinister and the role he played in the Mutant Massacre, he was ejected from the X-Men. Gambit would rejoin them sometime later, but it was a steep uphill battle for him to earn their trust and confidence once again.
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Over the years, Gambit has operated both as an acting member of the X-Men and as a solo adventurer in equal amounts. When Cyclops and Wolverine had a massive falling out that broke the team in two, Gambit joined the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning as a teacher.
Gambit returned to the world as a thief when this lifestyle grew stale for him. This decision brought him into contact with a parasitic magical artifact, a mysterious female thief, and even into Mojoworld. Of particular note is Gambit’s romantic relationship with fellow X-Woman, Rogue. The two have had a passionate and tumultuous love life together that has waxed and waned over the years. When they’re hot, they’re hot, but when they’re cold, they are two lost lovers consumed by frustration and sadness.
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Despite His Flaws, Gambit Is a True Hero at Heart
He Never Backs Down When the Deck is Stacked Against Him
![Uncanny X-Men’s Gambit, Explained (6) Uncanny X-Men’s Gambit, Explained (6)](https://i0.wp.com/static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/gambit-with-marrow.jpg)
Gambit exists as the wild card in the X-Men. Like Wolverine beside him, Gambit isn’t a star player. He often irritates other teammates with his seemingly disinterested attitude. His past as a thief, compounded with his deep relationship with Mister Sinister, has sometimes made him extremely difficult to trust. But when the cards are down, Gambit has proven time and time again that he is a dependable and caring member of the X-Men.
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It may not be a moment in the comics proper, but few scenes exemplify who Gambit is more than when he helped the mutants escape their bonds on Genosha in Episode 7, “Slave Island” in the '90s animated series. As he rushed Jubilee out of her confinement, she yelled in his face, “Oh, I hate you!” Gambit just took the verbal abuse with a knowing smile and continued to help the mutants break free.
Despite his wry grins and casual shrugs, deep down, Gambit is a man who is tormented by his past. He strives every day to make amends for the catastrophe that he helped cause, and even though it may have been years ago, it’s still a blood-stained smear that will forever sully him. Gambit puts on a cool personality for his friends, but a sadness within him may never be resolved.
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His love for Rogue may rise and fall depending on the events surrounding him, but Gambit feels genuine love and longing. A childhood of being used and extorted by thieves, criminals, and assassins has left an indelible mark on him. So, as an acting member of the X-Men or the world’s most handsome and charismatic thief, Gambit will always be available to lend a hand or steal your heart.
![Uncanny X-Men’s Gambit, Explained (8) Uncanny X-Men’s Gambit, Explained (8)](https://i0.wp.com/static1.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/x-men-pepe-larraz-comic-book-cover.jpg)
X-Men
Since their debut in 1963, Marvel's X-Men have been more than just another superhero team. While the team really hit its stride as the All New, All Different X-Men in 1975, Marvel's heroic mutants have always operated as super-outcasts, protecting a world that hates and fears them for their powers.
Key members of the X-Men include Professor X, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Wolverine, Iceman, Beast, Rogue, and Storm. Often framed as the world's second strongest superheroes, after the Avengers, they are nonetheless one of Marvel's most popular and important franchises.
- Created by
- Jack Kirby , Stan Lee
- First Film
- X-Men
- Latest Film
- The New Mutants
- Upcoming Films
- First TV Show
- X-Men: Pryde of the X-Men
- Latest TV Show
- X-Men '97
- First Episode Air Date
- September 16, 1989
- Cast
- Hugh Jackman , James Marsden , Patrick Stewart , Ian McKellen , Halle Berry , Ryan Reynolds , James McAvoy , Michael Fassbender , Jennifer Lawrence
- Current Series
- X-Men '97