Remy LeBeau, better known as the charming thief Gambit, is a mutant with the ability to charge inanimate objects and cause them to explode.[10][11] Raised by the Thieves Guild,[12] Gambit's dark path led him to become a secret agent for the vile Mister Sinister.[13] After befriending fellow mutant thief Storm, he was invited to join the X-Men, and had the opportunity to redeem himself.[14]
Although the roguish and secretive Gambit often disagreed with the X-Men's sense of morality, his soft spot for abandoned kids caused him to integrate well into the team while getting close to many of its members, especially Rogue whom he developed a romance with.[15][16] Upon learning of his past association with Sinister, the X-Men rejected his membership,[13] though he eventually made it back to the team.[17] Ever restless, Gambit has come and gone many times since, most notably leaving the X-Men for a time after becoming a Horseman of Apocalypse.[18]
Shortly after getting married to Rogue,[19] Gambit joined most of mutantkind on the mutant nation of Krakoa.[20] Gambit then joined the diplomatic team Excalibur to keep an eye on Apocalypse.[21]
History
Thieves Guild[]
Abandoned at birth due to his burning red eyes, the mutant child who would one day become Remy LeBeau was kidnapped from his hospital ward by members of the New Orleans Thieves Guild who referred to the child as "le diable blanc" - the white devil. They believed he was the child that had been prophesied to unite the warring Guilds of New Orleans. Soon after, Remy was placed in the care of a gang of street thieves who raised the child and taught him the ways of thievery. Later, when he was around ten years old, Remy attempted to pick the pocket of Jean-Luc LeBeau, then-patriarch of the Thieves' Guild. Jean-Luc took the boy off the streets and adopted him as his own son.[2]
As a child, Remy encountered Bella Donna Boudreaux, the granddaughter of the head of the Assassins Guild, ancient enemies of the Thieves' Guild. The two children became close, and Remy fell in love with Belladonna at first sight.[22]
The young Gambit was commissioned to recover the diary of Nathaniel Essex from a Weapon X Facility in Canada. He was discovered by guards but got away with the diary in the confusion caused by Weapon X's escape. Appalled by the experiments he had seen at the Facility; he burned the diary. Back in New Orleans, Essex accepted Remy's claim that the diary could not be found but predicted that they would have a bright future together.[23]
As part of a peace pact between the Thieves' Guild and their rivals, the Assassins Guild, a marriage was arranged between Remy and Bella Donna Boudreaux. However, Bella Donna's brother Julien objected to the marriage and challenged Gambit to a duel. Remy killed Julien in self-defense but was excommunicated and banished from New Orleans in an attempt to maintain the fragile peace between the two guilds. Believing Belladonna would never be happy in exile with him, he ended their relationship.[12][22]
Mutant Massacre[]
Remy wandered the world as he plied his skills as a master thief, aided by his mutant power to charge objects with explosive energy. He employed playing cards he charged with kinetic energy as his trademark weapon. In time, Remy's powers began to slip out of his control. He sought out the master geneticist Mr. Sinister for help in controlling his powers. Sinister removed some of Remy's brain tissue to reduce his power to manageable levels.[13]
As a result, Remy was now in the geneticist's debt, and Sinister subsequently charged the thief with assembling the team of mercenaries called the Marauders. With the team assembled, Sinister charged Remy with leading them down into the Morlock tunnels. Remy was unaware that Sinister's intentions were to massacre the Morlocks. When this came to light, Remy attempted to stop them, but a Marauder named Sabretooth grievously injured him and left him for dead, as they began to massacre the helpless Morlocks. All Remy could do was to save one young Morlock girl who would one day grow up to become the X-Man Marrow.[13]
Gambit and Rogue
X-Men[]
Eventually, Remy encountered Storm, a member of the outlaw team of mutant adventurers known as the X-Men. Storm had been transformed into an amnesiac child who had turned to theft as a means to survive. Remy helped her escape her enemy, the malevolent psionic entity known as the Shadow King, and they became partners.[24] Later, when the X-Men's founder Professor Charles Xavier returned from a long period of traveling in outer space, Storm, now restored to her true adult state, sponsored Remy's admission into the X-Men.[25]
Remy soon fell in love with his fellow X-Man, Rogue, blessed and cursed with the ability to absorb other mutants' thoughts and abilities through skin-on-skin contact. The feeling was mutual, but the two were condemned never to touch.[15]
In an alternate future over 70 years from the present day, in which the X-Man Bishop was born, Remy had seemingly become an aged figure named the Witness, so-called because he had apparently witnessed the betrayal of the X-Men by one of their own members. He was also thought to be the last surviving member of the X-Men. Upon joining the X-Men himself, Bishop suspected Remy to be the traitor who had doomed the X-Men in his future,[12] until it was discovered that the merging of Xavier and Magneto's minds had spawned the corrupt psionic entity known as Onslaught, the true traitor.[26]
At one point, Rogue left the X-Men after kissing Remy, confused and scared by the memories that she absorbed from him.[27]
Remy was subsequently captured and brought before a mock trial held by Magneto, the mutant master of magnetism, then disguised as Erik the Red. During the course of the trial, Remy's past with Sinister and his role in the Mutant Massacre was brought to light. He was summarily cast out of the X-Men and was abandoned in the frozen wastes of Antarctica by Rogue.[13] Nearly starving to death, Remy made his way back into Magneto's citadel where he came upon the psionic essence of a dead mutant named Mary Purcell.[28]
The wraith-like Mary bonded with him, allowing him to survive until he reached the Savage Land, a hidden jungle nestled in the icy wasteland. There, Remy struck a deal with the enigmatic being known as the New Sun. In exchange for passage back to America, Remy agreed to run errands for the New Sun.[2]
Remy returned home and encountered the X-Men again when he attempted to steal the fabled Crimson Gem of Cyttorak for his new employer.[29] He agreed to return to the team, mainly for his self-respect and for his love for Rogue; however, Mary began to threaten Remy and his friends if he didn't agree to stay with her forever. When the X-Men finally found out about Mary, the wraith fled with Remy to her old hometown, where she tried to force him to merge with her and become a new hybrid life form. While Remy wrestled with her, Rogue charged in with a containment unit, which ultimately dispersed Mary.[28]
During a trip back in time, Remy's powers were restored to their maximum potential by Sinister and he was able to utilize them to return to the present.[30] Soon after his return, Remy served for a time as patriarch of the Thieves' Guild in his father's stead, as well as leading one of two teams of X-Men. Remy was also responsible for the unification of the Thieves' and Assassins' Guilds into the Unified Guild, of which he also served briefly as patriarch.[31]
Meanwhile, the New Sun revealed his true nature after organizing an assassination game for a cadre of super-powered mercenaries with Remy as the target. When Remy took the fight back to the New Sun, he was shocked to learn that the New Sun was actually an alternate reality version of himself.[32]
In his own reality, the New Sun's kinetic charging powers had flared out of control, burning the world and killing everyone. As a result, the New Sun hunted down and killed versions of himself in other realities to ensure that they would not repeat his mistakes. During their final battle, Remy burned out his enhanced powers to defeat the New Sun, ending his threat and returning his powers to their normal level.[33]
X-Treme X-Men[]
Remy was later framed by mutant businessman Sebastian Shaw for the death of the Australian crime lord Viceroy. With the assistance of Rogue, her team of X-Treme X-Men, and former Triad member Red Lotus, Remy was able to clear his name. Soon after, Remy became embroiled in the X-Treme X-Men's fight against an alien invasion of Earth. He was captured and used as a power source for the invaders to open a portal that would allow their full invasion fleet to pass through and complete the conquest of Earth. The process was halted by the enigmatic villain known as Vargas, who plunged his sword into Remy's chest. Remy survived but found that he had lost his mutant abilities. As a result, he and the also-powerless Rogue sought to live a normal life together and retired from the X-Men.[34]
However, try as they might, a normal life was not for them to lead as the pair soon became embroiled in the X-Treme X-Men's fight against the mutant predator Elias Bogan. After Bogan was defeated, the X-Man named Sage used her mutant ability to "jumpstart" Remy's mutant powers and he rejoined the team.[35]
Back at the School[]
During a mission in China, the X-Men fought a group called the Eight Immortals. In the fight, one of Gambit's exploding cards went off too close to his face and he lost his eyesight.[36] Due to being blind, Gambit stayed behind from further X-Men missions while he was in recovery. His sight was eventually fully restored when he received another "jumpstart" from Sage.[37]
After Storm's X-Men team rejoined the rest of the X-Men at the school, Remy took up a teaching position, now in charge of his own small team of students, the Chevaliers. Gambit and Rogue began experiencing relationship problems at this time, as they were once again unable to touch.[38]
Under the influence of a Golgotha, a madness-inducing alien being, Gambit expressed his frustration with their relationship, after which Rogue and Wolverine shared a kiss. The two reconciled, however, with both realizing that what had happened had been due to the Golgotha's influence.[39]
The two attempted to find a telepathic solution to their intimacy problem through help from Emma Frost, who offered them telepathic therapy. The treatments were difficult and generally fruitless, which strained the couple's relationship further.[40]
The issue was made all the worse by the intervention of Rogue's adopted mother Mystique. Mystique believed Gambit wasn't good enough for her daughter and posed as a new student named Foxx assigned to Gambit's squad. She attempted to seduce Gambit, causing drama in his squad, and raising tensions between him and Rogue and the rest of the X-Men. Gambit continued to resist the temptation however, until Mystique revealed her true identity. She then took Rogue's shape, offering to help Gambit "relieve tension" by allowing him to fulfil his fantasy of sleeping with Rogue. While Mystique would remain silent on whether or not Gambit accepted her offer, Gambit would vehemently deny it. The incident irreparably damaged his relationship with Rogue, who had confronted Mystique and learned that Gambit had known her true identity and kept silent for days.[41]
Horseman of Apocalypse[]
_from_X-Men_Vol_1_182_001.jpg){kind=link}
Gambit as the Horseman of Death
When Apocalypse re-awoke after the events of M-Day and attempted to restore mutantkind, Gambit sought him out, sensing that Apocalypse's intentions had changed, and that he might indeed be the savior their people needed. Apocalypse chose to make Gambit his new Horseman of Death and Gambit refused any sedation during the process, to ensure that Apocalypse did not tamper with his mind. Gambit's attempt to maintain his personality were fruitless however, as the transformation made him a slave to Apocalypse. Gambit did succeed in retaining portions of his old self, however. He still remembered his love for Rogue and claimed that he was "both Death and Gambit."[42]
After a confrontation with the X-Men, Gambit was knocked unconscious and taken away by Sunfire (who had become the Horseman Famine but had overcome his programming with the help of Emma Frost). Gambit awoke in a temple in Japan, where Sunfire encouraged him to abandon his master Apocalypse, the X-Men, and his past. To do this they launched an attack on the X-Mansion to recover their fellow Horseman Polaris. Remy showed his willingness to abandon his past as he tried to murder Rogue; however, the attack failed and they retreated to the Buddhist Temple in Japan, where they were greeted by Mr. Sinister, who offered to help them overcome Apocalypse's control.[43]
Marauders[]
Sinister's treatments succeeded, and Gambit was restored to his old self, now once more a member of the Marauders. Ahead of the birth of the first mutant since M-Day, Gambit and Sunfire were dispatched to track down Cable on the recently evacuated island of Providence. The pair attacked Cable, badly injuring him and forcing him to retreat to the island's computer system. Seeking information on the child from Cable's computer, Cable stopped them by activating a self-destruct sequence.[44]
When the child was born, Gambit joined the Marauders in Alaska to fight the Purifiers over the mutant child. Gambit and Sunfire found no problem in murdering them but soon had to evacuate when Cable and Predator X showed up. When Bishop betrayed the X-Men and tried to kill the mutant child, believing that it would be responsible for the horrible future he hailed from, Gambit and the Marauders were able to save the baby from him after he ambushed Forge and Cable. Gambit revealed his true intentions; working together with Mystique to use the child to heal Rogue from a coma, betraying Sinister in the process. While they were successful, Rogue absorbed Mystique's memories in the process. She left, asking Gambit not to follow her. With the baby safe and Rogue seemingly lost to him, Gambit went his own way to rediscover himself.[45]
The Legacy of the X-Men[]
Gambit took some time to himself to travel. He met Charles Xavier, who was trying to rebuild his mind after being inadvertently shot in the head by Bishop, when they were attacked by agents of Black Womb. Along with Sebastian Shaw, they discovered the Chronos Machine was trying to reincarnate Mr. Sinister in the body of Xavier, Shaw, or Juggernaut. Gambit and his allies prevented Sinister's resurrection (at least, from this mechanism).[46]
Gambit later joined Xavier in Australia to aid Rogue, and Xavier was finally able to help her control her powers. After this, Rogue was hesitant to continue her relationship with Remy due to all that had recently happened between them, but they shared a kiss.[47]
When the X-Men became engaged in a conflict with Norman Osborn's Dark Avengers, Xavier, Rogue, and Danger decided to return to the X-Men and help them out with the riots that had thrust San Francisco into chaos. After defeating the Dark Avengers, the X-Men established the rogue mutant nation of Utopia, on the floating ruins of Asteroid M. Gambit decided to join them but realized that the rest of the X-Men were finding it hard to accept him again after all that he had done. He considered leaving, but eventually decided to stay.[48]
During a fight with a low-level telepath, Gambit's Death Persona re-emerged after the telepath probed the section of his mind where the persona had been repressed. Gambit instantly reverted to his old appearance as the Horseman of Death and trapped the telepath in a playing card before reverting back to his normal self and leaving the scene.[49]
_from_X-Termination_Vol_1_1.jpg){kind=link}
Gambit back with the X-Men
During a mission to Limbo to rescue Magik, Gambit was fully taken over by his Death Persona. As Death, Gambit decided to conquer all of Limbo, using a theretofore unused power to corrupt other creatures - even the demonic denizens of Limbo - into his servants. Gambit fought the other X-Men that had accompanied him, converting Northstar and Dazzler into his servants. The rest of the X-Men managed to defeat Gambit and his corrupted servants however, as Gambit narrowly managed to regain control of his Death Persona, which promised to return.[50]
When Emplate returned to find new victims to feed on, Rogue volunteered to venture into his stronghold in order to rescue Bling! who had been taken captive by Emplate. Gambit was angered by this and blamed Cyclops. During an argument between them, Gambit's Death Persona once again began to surface. Now afraid of himself and the power growing inside him, he sequestered himself. He was later sought out by Blindfold who had a vision which featured Gambit, Hellion, and Legion, one of whom she predicted would greatly hurt the X-Men. After speaking to Gambit's Death Persona, which expressed its wishes to be free from its prison in Gambit's mind, she determined that it was not the most immediate threat.[citation needed]
Songs of the Orphan Child[]
Despite struggling to control his Death persona, Gambit took an interest in X-23. Seeing clearly that she was struggling after her time in X-Force, and that the X-Men's attempts at helping her were not working, Storm asked him to keep an eye on her.[51] After she left Utopia to find herself, Gambit came with her and took her under his wing.[52]
King of Thieves[]
An ideological schism between Cyclops and Wolverine torn the X-Men apart. While the former maintained his militarized operation in Utopia, the latter chose to reform the school in Westchester. Believing he had already explored the west coast to the fullest, Gambit decided to join the teaching staff at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning.[53] In this position, he was particularly close to Rogue, who distanced herself from any romantic connection to him, having instead begun a relationship with Magneto, and Frenzy, with whom he got romantically involved in a casual relationship once again.[54]
Very soon, Gambit admitted that the school environment did not suit him and returned to his thieving habits, pulling off heists during his spare time away from the X-Men and the Jean Grey School. After stealing from the Croatian crime lord Borya Cich, Gambit acquired an ancient artifact which proceeded to burrow into his chest[55] and siphoned his life force. In order to remove the item, Gambit sought help in his old friend, the cyborg Fence. After having failed to remove the embedded relic, he then decided to search for the secret behind it. While gathering information by breaking into a museum, Gambit crossed paths with a mysterious thief who also took interest on the item,[56] Joelle.[57] Gambit and Joelle joined forces to solve their problems, traveling to Guatemala to activate the device. By arriving at a technological temple, Gambit and Joelle joined the parasitic item with the other half of its set. Although Gambit was safe, an interdimensional monster invaded Earth's plane through a portal due to their actions.[58] Gambit managed to close the portal, finish the creature, and rescue Joelle from its clutches. However, after sharing a passionate kiss with him, she vanished as mysteriously as she entered his life.[57]
Back to America, Gambit was at Cich's mercy.[57] In order to compensate for the damage he had caused, Gambit was forced to perform a mission for Cich in the Swiss Alps, to test teleporting devices from Eurotech. During the mission, Cich psychologically tortured and blackmailed Gambit, who had attempted to escape. The mission also caught the attention of the British super agent Pete Wisdom from MI13.[59] Cich's actual prize was the magical sword Excalibur, which was in the possession of Faiza Hussain at the Birmingham Palace. Wisdom was able to intercept and capture Gambit, but Cich's men were able to raid MI13's armory. Gambit returned to Cich to assess the stolen boon.[8] He took an opportunity to battle Cich's main enforcer, Remlik, to free himself. This was succeeded by MI13 raiding Cich's hideout, as they followed Gambit's trail. After Cich and his men were defeated and arrested, Wisdom understood Gambit's decisions and arranged for his return from Europe.[60] Some time later, Wisdom collected his debt by having Gambit hunt down the magical criminal Death Reaper for him, who wished to access Otherworld.[61]
On Fence's recommendation, Gambit answered a distress call to invade the High Evolutionary's Forever City to rescue a research group from the Empire State University who were trapped in it.[60] Wearing a suit that could negate the evolving energies in the city, Gambit was able to protect the victims from monsters and bring them back to safety. Although celebrated by his heroism, he chose to refuse to be recognized as a hero.[62]
Fence was able to locate Joelle after Gambit decided to reencounter her. In the Bar with No Name, Gambit vocally accused Joelle of scheming against its customers in order to cause a commotion. This particularly irritated the high-ranking mobster Tombstone, with whom Joelle had agreements with.[63] Joelle confessed she was seeking a cure for her ill daughter by using the Zero Compound, a technology developed by Hydra. After successful securing the compound from one of Hydra's abandoned bases,[64] Gambit was surprised by Rogue, now a member of the Avengers, who kept track of his criminal activities. One more time, Joelle decided to vanish, leaving Gambit and Rogue to fend for themselves against Tombstone's men, who wished to acquire the Zero Compound. Rogue learned that the substance was in fact a doomsday weapon, not a cure.[65] While searching for Joelle, Gambit and Rogue found Tombstone with the Zero Compound. After Tombstone was knocked out, Joelle revealed that she had long since stopped aging and was, in fact, seeking a way to die as her own daughter had passed away of old age. Using the last sample of Zero Compound, Joelle sacrificed herself to find peace, which left Gambit heartbroken.[66]
Another fatality of Tombstone's attack was Fence, who was left on the verge of death after being beaten up.[66] Gambit performed a heist against Stark Industries to steal gadgets to restore Fence. This drew the ire of War Machine, and the two engaged in battle as Gambit donned an old Iron Man armor. Using his powers to energize the armor, Gambit escaped, but was pursued by War Machine. As a result, Fence was taken by War Machine for treatment.[67] During this period, Gambit learned the bell from the New York Stock Exchange had been stolen. The bell represented Gambit's biggest heist in thieving, which led him to suspect he was being toyed with. This coincided with Fence capturing Gambit at Jean-Luc LeBeau's orders.[6] On the Stolen Island, Gambit's father forced him into a trial for the leadership of the Thieves' Guild following Gambit's prominent adventures, arguing that Gambit could unify the Guild as a global force. However, he had opponents; the technopath Nil, the clairvoyant Ajna, and the shapeshifter Slips, who prepared themselves for the position. Before the Guild's cardinal leaders, Gambit faced a challenge. Nil sabotaged his operation, causing him to face Cich and Remlik in a penitentiary.[68] Surprisingly assisted by Wisdom's MI13 and Rogue with the Avengers, Gambit was able to overpower the legion of superhuman inmates Cich directed at him. Although he had been shot dead by Cich, Gambit had his life saved by Faiza Hussain. A thief at heart, Gambit emerged victorious and secretly arose as the world's guildmaster.[69]
Corporate X-Factor[]
While undertaking a heist to "liberate" an ancient artifact from a wealthy collector, Gambit was confronted by Wolverine, who escorted Gambit out and told him that his thievery was unacceptable as long as he had duties as an X-Man. While drinking in a bar, Gambit was approached by Polaris, who offered him a spot in the new X-Factor team she was leading, on behalf of Serval Industries. Despite his suspicions towards the supposed altruism of Serval, their CEO Harrison Snow, and fellow team member Quicksilver, Gambit agreed to join the team.[70]
Gambit found himself embroiled in an affair with Snow's wife, which would place his life at risk. Still, Gambit persevered and helped Lorna keep the team together.[71][72]
Marriage[]
Eventually returning to the X-Men, Gambit's romance with Rogue reignited when Kitty Pryde sent them undercover to couples' therapy, at the Paraíso Island Retreat Center, where Charmaine's powers forced them to confront the events of their past from each other's point of view.[73]
Not long afterwards, Kitty Pryde and Colossus held a wedding ceremony after becoming engaged; however, Kitty backed down at the last second and left Piotr at the altar. During the would-be reception, Gambit became inspired by Storm's words on marriage, and decided to propose to Rogue on the spot. She accepted, and they were married shortly afterwards.[74]
When spending their honeymoon in space, they were interrupted by a call from Kitty Pryde who told them that they needed to find a secret package connected to the Shi'ar.[75] They soon discovered that the package was Xandra, who took the form of an egg; Kitty explained to them that she was the bio-engineered daughter of Professor Xavier and Empress Lilandra, able to change her appearance and other's at will.[76]
Having read Rogue's mind, Xandra offered to fix her abilities so she could touch anyone, however Rogue refused, and when Gambit questioned her about her decision, she explained that the last time it happened, she never learned to control it herself.[77] The ground was interrupted by the Imperial Guard and Deathbird and a fight ensued.[78] Realizing they were losing the fight, Xandra used her abilities to make everyone involved think she and Rogue were killed. After the Imperial Guard and Deathbird left, they returned only to have Rogue's powers become uncontrollable as she began absorbing memories without touching anyone. Xandra explained that her powers had evolved, and Rogue would have to learn to control it on her own. Together Gambit and Rogue returned to Earth.[79]
Opening an unknown gift during their wedding celebration, Gambit and Rogue were teleported to the Mojoverse,[80] but before they were able to figure out what was going on, Mojo reset their lives to a noir setting called "Honey Moonlighting". However, since Rogue's abilities had evolved, she became aware of what was going on, destroying the fake reality and killing Remy by absorbing him.[81] Mojo reset their lives several times to different genres, but they all ended with Rogue killing Gambit. Discussing their relationship on a reality TV show, Gambit left for a bar where he met a strange brunette woman whom he quickly brushed off. The woman revealed herself to be Spiral and restored his memories.
She explained to Gambit that she brought them there since Mojo wanted a famous superhero couple for his newest programming, but Spiral needed a great thief to steal something for her, but she was unaware that Rogue's abilities had changed. Spiral wouldn't tell Gambit what she wanted stolen, but if he helped her, she promised to help Rogue with her powers and the couple's escape.[82]
Traveling through the real Mojoverse, Gambit is told by Spiral to locate an object called the Coeur Enroulé, however when he found it, he discovers that it's an infant with six arms. Returning to Spiral he helps fight off Mojo's army. After exploring her pasts, Rogue is able to fully control her powers, Gambit tells Spiral that's he's uneasy bringing a baby into war zone, however Spiral tells him that it's not a child, that the Coeur Enroulé is always different to whoever holds it. After Spiral merges with it there able to defeat Mojo, Gambit and Rogue are then sent back home. Not realizing that they've been gone for months and the events with the X-Men, but before Rogue can check to see what's happen, Gambit doesn't want to take any chances before something else interrupts them and the two spend the next few hours in bed together. Rogue then checks her phone to see that she has several messages from Carol Danvers and goes to her aid.[83]Attributes
 |
Powers
_from_Ultra_X-Men_(Trading_Cards)_1995_Set_001.jpg){kind=link}
Showing his hand
Gambit is a mutant:
Molecular Acceleration: Remy has the power to take the potential energy stored in an object and convert it to kinetic energy, thus “charging” that item with explosive results. He prefers to charge smaller objects, such as his ever-present playing cards, as the time required to charge them is greatly reduced and they are much easier for him to throw. The only real limitation to this ability is the time required to charge the object. The larger it is, the more time it takes.[10]
Most charging takes place through direct skin contact. The power of his explosions is dependent on the mass of the object he is charging, for example, a charged playing card explodes with the force of a grenade. He typically cannot utilize his powers on living matter or organic molecules,[84] although he has demonstrated the ability to do so on occasion.[85][86]
These powers have been altered on various occasions; sometimes bolstered while other times weakened.[87][56] They were most notably augmented once by Sage to enable him to accelerate his own regeneration process and better control his kinetic shifting,[37] and again by Faiza when he was shot through the head by a crime lord and spat a bullet back at him that eviscerated the latter.[69]
- Dissolution: Gambit can also cause objects to pull themselves apart instead of exploding violently making them harmlessly melt down to nothing. Once having focused charging on dissolving shrapnel in a victim's stomach and at times when jump-started able to overcharge falling debris from crumbling buildings. His control over this has increased to the point he can shatter ice he was encased in without blowing up.[69]
- Disruption: Gambit can take his explosive acceleration to temporarily scramble the sensory awareness of a person, knocking them out cold.[88]
- Enhanced Conditioning: Gambit's ability to tap energy also grants him increased speed, strength, reflexes and reactions, flexibility, dexterity, coordination, balance, and endurance as a side effect,[87][89] bestowing him an added edge he has used to his advantage by developing a unique acrobatic fighting style. Under normal circumstances, the physical "charge" he receives makes his abilities exceptional, but not quite superhuman.[90]
- Accelerating Regeneration: Gambit can enhance his own recovery rate by stimulating his own cellular activity. Through this process he once healed after removing a bone slag lodged in his chest.[28] Another time, when his eyes were damaged by a charged card exploding in his face, Sage augmented his powers and enabled him to restore his sight, indicating his regenerative powers are innate yet sparsely used.[37]
- Speed Augmentation: LeBeau can use his kinetic abilities to vastly increase his reflexes and locomotion to incredible extremes. Shown by dodging bullets,[91][92][93][94] lasers,[95][76] catching a bullet and throwing it back,[96] blocking bullets with his staff,[97][98] able to dodge missiles,[99] spotting a magical bullet and knocking it out of the air scant moments before it struck him in the eye.[100]
- Enhancement: Can supercharge the energy both converted and accelerated to get more of a bang out of even the smallest objects as well as giving them greater concussive or stopping power.[69]
- Static Interference: Creates natural static, because of the charged potential energy always in his body, that shields his mind from intrusion by telepaths. Can increase the effect by holding a charged object near his head.[92] Although reportedly uncomfortable for the parties involved, this shield does not totally prevent telepathic invasion.[95]
- Vibration Emission: Gambit, through kinetic acceleration instead of conversion, can emit a shockwave accompanying a bright flashbang which leaves a sizable crater in the ground He can also charge items and not have them explode, such as his bo staff and even Captain America's shield. Rather than exploding, the energy is released upon impact..[6]
- Remote Charging: At the height of his power, Mr. LeBeau could activate the potential/kinetic conversion process of matter from a distance with nothing but direct eye contact.[101] He seems to possess a similar skill to focus his accelerating abilities with a gesture while out in the field with Excalibur.[102]
- Shearing/Cutting: By charging his cards, Remy can use them to slice through objects as dense as solid steel without worry of them exploding.[87]
- Acceleration Bestowal: Gambit can take the energy locked within a charged slug and use it in order to continue pushing it forwards and onward in a given direction with enough concentration, even though a solid energy field while withholding its explosive reaction.[103][104]
- Delayed Charge: With some effort, Gambit can prolong the detonation time of his activated discharge,[105] causing a slight lag when he's preparing his potential/kinetic conversion of matter into a volatile state.[106]
Hypnotic Charm: Subliminal psionic talent channeled through his voice that allows a subtle influence over any sentient mind. This power allows Gambit to compel others to believe what he says and agree with anything he suggests.[10] More powerful minds have proven immune to Gambit's charm, and people who are consciously aware of what he's doing can shake off the effects.[107]
Death Seed Powers: As the Horseman of Death, Remy received new abilities and a new appearance.[108] Sinister allegedly removed Apocalypse's influence from Gambit,[44] but the Death personality and look resurfaced intermittently for several months.[49] It has been some time since Gambit's last reversion into Death, but the second power set was never explicitly removed again.
- Toxic Transmutation: As Death, he has the ability to convert breathable air into poisonous gases. He could either create clouds out of the surrounding air or transmute the oxygen already inside someone's lungs.[109]
- Death Charge: As Death, Gambit could charge objects in a manner differently than his regular kinetic charge. This "death charge" caused his cards to break down living matter on contact, totally disintegrating a victim.[49]
- Trajectory Manipulation: Gambit's Death persona also seemed capable of guiding these charged cards to their target mentally.[49]
- Enhanced Psychic Resistance: As Death, Gambit was unaffected by psionic manipulations that would affect him normally. When his Death personality surfaced, Remy was no longer fooled or distracted by Input's telepathic distortions.[49]
- Corruption: When reverting to Death in Limbo, Gambit displayed the ability to corrupt other creatures and subvert them to his will. When used on Northstar and Dazzler they began to resemble him, gaining pitch-black skin and white hair.[110]
Mutant Energy Control: Taking a new perspective on how Remy's kinetic abilities work, Julio Richter enlisted his aid in using the shared energy which mutants' harness in order to utilize their superpowers. Using his own abilities in conjunction with those on the Excalibur team, he was able to facilitate a summoning spell to retrieve fallen comrade.[111]
Abilities
- Multilingual: He is fluent in English and Cajun French.[90] He also knows some Japanese though he is not very fluent.[citation needed]
- Master Marksman: He is extremely skilled in throwing small objects such as cards, bolas, knives, and balls with great accuracy.[90]
- Master Martial Artist: A profound fighter, often employing martial arts, street fighting, and acrobatics. He is well adept in the martial arts Savate (French kickboxing), and Bojutsu, the art of using a Bo staff.
- Master Stick Fighter: Remy's extreme skills in Bojutsu makes him dangerously skilled in the use of his bo staff.[121]
- Master Thief[99]
- Gifted Intellect: Gambit is a born strategist, and without studying, he managed to prove himself to be one of the greatest strategists of the X-Men. It is possible that he is as good a strategist as Wolverine or Beast.[citation needed]
Weaknesses
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Weapons
Gambit usually employs throwing spikes and playing cards.
- Gambit's Staff: Gambit also often uses a telescoping bo-staff.
- Gambit's Jennings Volition Repeating: At some point he commissioned himself a copy of the Rifle his Age of X counterpart had during his time in Fortress X.[123]
Transportation
Notes
- In X-Men (Vol. 2) #1, Gambit was called an Acadian, a reference to his status as a Cajun. It is through 18th-century Acadian migrants to Louisiana and their connections with African, Spanish, and Native American people of the area that the Cajun ethnic group formed. Modern Cajuns mostly speak English, but some -- like Gambit -- still speak Cajun French, a declining French dialect diversified in Louisiana, or the Louisiana Creole shared with their deeply intertwined sister culture.
- Gambit had a piece of his brain stem removed in the present time, but had it re-implanted in Victorian era England, which resulted in a predestination paradox for his surgeon, Mister Sinister -- while reattaching the brain matter in the 19th century, Essex recognized his own work and realized he would perform the surgery that originally removed the brain matter sometime in his future but Gambit's past.[112][13]
- Gambit carries Clint Barton's Avengers Identicard, which he stole from him.[124][6]
- Gambit has three cats, given to him by Mystique.[125] They are all named after cats from Disney films (Oliver, Lucifer, and Figaro).[126]
Trivia
- Chris Claremont initially planned for Gambit to be an older clone of the character that was originally going to be behind Mister Sinister, a 60-year-old man in a 11-year-old body who used Sinister as a proxy. This character would've fallen in love with Rogue and would've created Gambit in order to approach her. Gambit falling in love with Rogue would've caused him to develop a human side and become at odds with his creator, eventually becoming a good guy.[127]
- Writer James Asmus pitched the idea to reveal Gambit as being bisexual during his Gambit series. Had the idea been greenlighted, at one point in the series, Remy would've been seen seducing a man on one of his missions, and later on meeting a male member of the Thieves Guild with whom he would've had had a relationship in the past.[128]
See Also
- 807 appearance(s) of Remy LeBeau (Earth-616)
- 20 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Remy LeBeau (Earth-616)
- 60 minor appearance(s) of Remy LeBeau (Earth-616)
- 68 mention(s) of Remy LeBeau (Earth-616)
- 11 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Remy LeBeau (Earth-616)
- 1160 image(s) of Remy LeBeau (Earth-616)
- 48 quotation(s) by or about Remy LeBeau (Earth-616)
- 6 victim(s) killed by Remy LeBeau (Earth-616)
- 3 item(s) used/owned by Remy LeBeau (Earth-616)
Links and References
- Remy LeBeau on Marvel.com
- Remy LeBeau on Wikipedia.org
- uncannyxmen.net Spotlight On... Gambit
- Marvel Directory
References
- ↑ While set chronologically after Uncanny X-Men #266, it was published before said issue)
- ↑ Wolverine: Weapon X Files #1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Gambit (Vol. 3) #1
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #184
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #6
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #82
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Gambit (Vol. 5) #15
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #348
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Gambit (Vol. 5) #6
- ↑ Marvel Comics #1001
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Uncanny X-Men #266
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 4) #1
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 X-Men (Vol. 2) #8
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 Uncanny X-Men #350
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #267
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 X-Men (Vol. 2) #4
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #45
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #81
- ↑ X-Men #186
- ↑ X-Men: Gold (Vol. 2) #30
- ↑ Excalibur (Vol. 4) #1
- ↑ Excalibur (Vol. 4) #4
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 X-Men Origins: Gambit #1
- ↑ Weapon X: First Class #3
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #266–267
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #273
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #335
- ↑ X-Men Prime #1
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Gambit 1999 #1
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #361
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 3) #12–14
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 3) #16–19
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 3) #23
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 Gambit (Vol. 3) #24
- ↑ X-Treme X-Men #5–18
- ↑ X-Treme X-Men #41–46
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #158
- ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 X-Men (Vol. 2) #165
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #171
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #166–170
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #171–172
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #171–174
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #182–186
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #187
- ↑ 44.0 44.1 X-Men (Vol. 2) #200
- ↑ Messiah Complex crossover.
- ↑ X-Men: Legacy #211–214
- ↑ X-Men: Legacy #220–224
- ↑ X-Men: Legacy #226–227
- ↑ 49.0 49.1 49.2 49.3 49.4 X-Men: Legacy Annual #1
- ↑ X-Men: Hellbound #1–3
- ↑ X-23 (Vol. 3) #1
- ↑ X-23 (Vol. 3) #4
- ↑ X-Men: Regenesis #1
- ↑ X-Men: Legacy #260.1
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 5) #1
- ↑ 56.0 56.1 Gambit (Vol. 5) #2
- ↑ 57.0 57.1 57.2 Gambit (Vol. 5) #4
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 5) #3
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 5) #5
- ↑ 60.0 60.1 Gambit (Vol. 5) #7
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 5) #14
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 5) #8
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 5) #9
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 5) #10
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 5) #11
- ↑ 66.0 66.1 Gambit (Vol. 5) #12
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 5) #13
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 5) #16
- ↑ 69.0 69.1 69.2 69.3 Gambit (Vol. 5) #17
- ↑ All-New X-Factor #1
- ↑ All-New X-Factor #9
- ↑ All-New X-Factor #20
- ↑ Rogue & Gambit #1–5
- ↑ X-Men: Gold (Vol. 2)–30
- ↑ Mr. and Mrs. X–2
- ↑ 76.0 76.1 Mr. and Mrs. X #3
- ↑ X-Men: Legacy #224
- ↑ Mr. and Mrs. X #4
- ↑ Mr. and Mrs. X #5
- ↑ Mr. and Mrs. X #6
- ↑ Mr. and Mrs. X #7
- ↑ Mr. and Mrs. X #8
- ↑ Mr. and Mrs. X #9
- ↑ 84.0 84.1 84.2 84.3 Gambit (Vol. 3) #16
- ↑ Daken: Dark Wolverine #8
- ↑ X-Men: Legacy #214
- ↑ 87.0 87.1 87.2 Gambit (Vol. 3) #6
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #34
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 3) #25
- ↑ 90.0 90.1 90.2 90.3 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #28
- ↑ Uncanny X-Men #276
- ↑ 92.0 92.1 Gambit (Vol. 3) #8
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 4) #12
- ↑ X-23 (Vol. 3) #7
- ↑ 95.0 95.1 Gambit (Vol. 3) #5
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #1
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #3
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 4) #10
- ↑ 99.0 99.1 Gambit #1
- ↑ 100.0 100.1 Excalibur (Vol. 4) #22
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 3) #18
- ↑ Excalibur (Vol. 4) #4–10
- ↑ X-Treme X-Men #13
- ↑ X-Treme X-Men #15
- ↑ 105.0 105.1 Gambit (Vol. 3) #2
- ↑ Mr. and Mrs. X #12
- ↑ Rogue (Vol. 3) #4
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #185
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #186
- ↑ X-Men: Hellbound #2
- ↑ Excalibur (Vol. 4) #16
- ↑ 112.0 112.1 Gambit (Vol. 3) #14–16
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 3) #17–19
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 3) #17–18
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 3) #21
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 3) #22
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 3) #19
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #162
- ↑ X-Men / Fantastic Four #2–5
- ↑ 120.0 120.1 120.2 X-Men / Fantastic Four #2
- ↑ X-Men (Vol. 2) #38
- ↑ Gambit (Vol. 6) #3
- ↑ X-Men: Legacy #252
- ↑ A + X #3
- ↑ Astonishing X-Men (Vol. 3) #62
- ↑ All-New X-Factor #3
- ↑ Cronin, Brian (24 March 2017) Comic Legends Revealed: Was Gambit Originally a Clone of Cyclops? CBR. Retrieved on 30 March 2017.
- ↑ Cronin, Brian (5 January 2018) Comic Legends: Would Marvel Not Allow Gambit to be Bisexual? CBR.com. Retrieved on 6 January 2017.
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #4
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: X-Men 2004 Vol 1 1