Where The MCU Could Take The Character Of Remy Lebeau
Quick, tell me something about Gambit that doesn’t involve card throwing! Can't think of anything? Unless you’re an avid fan of the character or follow the X-Men close enough to know him by association, that’s not too surprising. Remy Lebeau, more commonly known as Gambit, has been criminally underused by Marvel in both print and film.
With the imminent wave of mutant introductions that is sure to be coming to the MCU shortly, we can only hope the latter will be remedied sooner rather than later. All true fans of the ragin’ cajin know his character has more than enough depth to be a big-time player in the mutant sector of the Marvel universe, but what is the best way to introduce him to those not as familiar with his story?
RELATED:
Let’s start with a brief publication history lesson. Gambit made his first appearance in Uncanny X men annual #14, in July of 1990. This appearance however was incidental due to an error in release dates and was more of a cameo presence. His first full appearance is alongside Storm in Uncanny X-Men #266, in August of the same year. After storm endorsed Gambit joining the X-Men he became a mainstay on the team for years, even starring in the X-Men animated series from 1992-1997 (and possibly again in the show's upcoming continuation X-Men 97). Now for Gambit, 1997 didn’t just mark the end of the animated series but it was also the year he would be banished from the X-Men via Uncanny X-Men #350, released in December. Gambit’s ousting is important because I think his MCU introduction should be set in close proximity to either him being kicked out or the event in his past that will eventually be the reason for it.
So why was Gambit kicked out? Simple, he unknowingly orchestrated the slaughter of hundreds of Morlocks (a community of mutants living underground) during an event known as The Mutant Massacre. If marvel were to use the massacre as a point to work towards, it is possible that we could see a younger Remy Lebeau, struggling to control his powers and eventually turning to the insidious Mr. Sinister (who was the real reason for the massacre), willing to do his bidding in exchange for his services. In case you do not know, Gambit had Mr. Sinister surgically remove a part of his brain directly related to his mutant abilities, significantly weakening them and making them more manageable.
During this build-up, Marvel could also illustrate Gambit’s early life being raised by the Guild of Thieves as a street-wise con man. There are plenty of stories from Remy’s past that could fill screen time while moving towards something bigger. One example is the fact that Remy once attempted to marry a woman from a rival guild, the Guild of Assassins, in order to bring about peace but complications arose. Complications that could easily be used to push Gambit into the clutches of Mr. Sinister. On the other hand, if Marvel were to bring Gambit into the fold directly after the Mutant Massacre, they’d have the option of showing us his involvement up front and letting us watch him hide his past as he joins the X-Men or keep the role he played quiet and have the reveal feel just as betraying to the audience as it did to his team.
A more likely scenario is that we will see a somewhat seasoned Gambit in the midst of his first tenure with the X-Men or coming fresh off it. This choice would benefit fans who have been itching to see more of Gambit’s unique acrobatic fighting style mixed with his volatile and explosive powers ever since Taylor Kitsch teased us with the combo’s live action potential in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The added benefit for the studio and writers would be similar to the previous option, as you can use the buildup to the reveal of the massacre as a finale in the same way that you would the massacre itself. However, if Marvel chose to start a series after Gambit is forced out of the X-Men, they could set up some very interesting storylines. In the comics Gambit, having been abandoned by the team in Antarctica made his way to the savage land where he met a stranger named New Sun and agreed to carry out jobs for him. A show modeled after this time period could follow Gambit struggling to deal with being kicked off the team, and possibly growing to not trust his new employer, who he would later find out is none other than himself from an alternate universe! If that doesn’t make for a great season-ending cliffhanger, I don’t know what does.
At this point, you're probably wondering why I mentioned the character having plenty of depth but have written primarily about the different time periods of one event. The reason for that is every comic book character worth their salt needs a good, ground shaking, life-altering moment to hang their story around and this could be Gambit’s. Then, after the audience is hooked, Marvel could get into developing more of his relationships such as his complex on and off again love saga with Rogue. Lastly, as a long-term plan, if Marvel were to decide to use the mutant villain Apocalypse, Gambit once played the role of the horsemen Death and has since dealt with lasting mental side effects giving the MCU numerous ways to approach how his story is told.
READ NEXT:
Source(s): Marvel Database, Wikipedia, UncannyXmen.net, Bleeding Cool,