Beginnings: The Antiquary, Jean-Luc and Fagan

Gambit was born in or around New Orleans, Louisiana where his very distinctive red eyes caught the attention of the Antiquary, a power in the New Orleans Underground who dealt in the stealing and selling of children. The Guild Prophecies, with which the Antiquary was obsessed, mentioned that a red-eyed man, the diable blanc, would be the one to reunite the Guilds and bring about heaven on earth. Consequently, he put pressure on the Thieves' Guild to kidnap him for him. Because of his political sway, Jean-Luc LeBeau, the Guildmaster, had no choice but to acquiesce. Refusing would have meant an internal split in his organization.

However, he was disturbed by the turning over of the child to a known pedophile and had Gambit rekidnapped and "placed" on the streets of New Orleans obviously in an attempt to hide him from the Antiquary. By using his contacts, Jean-Luc kept an eye on Gambit.

Gambit's first memories are of growing up on the streets, mostly alone and on his own; where he took to stealing to survive. He was partially in the care of a disenfrancised thief called Fagan, living the life of a street urchin (picking pockets, etc.) in order to eat, when he "met" (not by accident) a young female Assassin, Bella Donna, daughter of Marius Boudreaux, head of the Assassins Guild. They became childhood friends and later sweethearts. Not long after, it was arranged for him to steal the wallet of Jean-Luc, who naturally caught him.

Now personally introduced to the child, Jean-Luc adopted the young mutant into the ranks of the Thieves Guild as his own son.

Much of what Gambit's life on the streets was like before he officially joined the Thieves Guild has yet to be disclosed. He was stolen at such a young age that he does not remember his real parents, but he also seems to have been taken from the Antiquary prior to any memory of him as well. There is also a possibility that he doesn't want to remember the Antiquary. It is unknown if Gambit is somewhat suspicious of how he ended up with the Guild. Gambit is intuitive and does know that much of his life with the Guild was manipulated including his involvement with Bella Donna. Certainly once a member of the Thieves Guild, Gambit must have learned of the Antiquary and his "profession".

In the Guild: Lessons Learned

During this time with the Thieves Guild, Gambit gained his mastery in the art of thieving as well as learned many of his combat skills, such as his mastery of throwing objects and the use of a bo staff. It is still unknown how Gambit came to find out about his mutant "charging" power, but added to his other natural skills and talent, they aided him in becoming one of the most gifted of the Thieves Guild in both stealing and fighting.

On a more tragic note, he also was partially responsible for the death of his younger cousin, Etienne, during this period. He was fifteen and Etienne was thirteen when he was appointed registrar over his cousin's tilling - a test\ceremony that marks a young thief's induction and consecration into the Guild. They were required to steal an ancient chalice from Candra, but things went horribly wrong. They ended up being captured by the Pig, who was a dealer in children with exceptional skills and talents and sent to his training facility. Even though they managed to escape the Pig's clutches, Etienne was killed in the leap off the cliff into the sea and freedom. As the person who was meant to be protecting him, Remy clearly held himself responsible for this death, even though he did all he could to save Etienne. It is also worth noting that Gambit used playing cards as a weapon for the first time against the Pig.

Keeping the Faith?

Gambit was raised in the Catholic religion, but has had something of a falling out with the church over the years and partially lost his faith.

Belladonna Bordeaux and Genevieve Darceneaux

During his younger years in the Guild, his best friend and childhood love was Bella Donna despite the rivalry between their families. Using the obvious affection between the two, Jean-Luc again manipulated Gambit with the hopes that marrying a Thief's son to an Assassin's daughter to end the feuding between the two Guilds. Marius and Jean-Luc arranged for Remy and Bella Donna to marry after Remy's 18th birthday.

At the age of 17, Remy had to earn his place in the Thieves Guild through the "Tracts of Passage". To do so, he had to steal "L'Etoile du Tricherie" - The Cheating Star, from the daughter of an infamous jewel thief, Genevieve Darceneaux. Accompanying him on this mission as his sponsor was his adopted brother Henri LeBeau.

In order to steal the pendant, Gambit decided that he would seduce the lady. It was his hope that this would drop her guard with him and make her more vulnerable and easier to steal the gem. This could be considered his last fling before his arranged marriage a few months away.

His plan worked, and he successfully stole the pendant after a night spent with Genevieve. Remy exuberantly stopped for a croissant and coffee to celebrate on his way back to the hotel where he and Henri were staying. Unfortunately, when Remy returned, he found a ransom note left by Sabretooth, who been hired to get back the stolen pendant from Genevieve.

Henri was missing and the note led him to Notre Dame. There, he found that Sabretooth had kidnapped both Henri and Genevieve, and had them dangling at the end of ropes from the roof.

In exchange for the pendant, Sabretooth would allow Remy to save one of the two captives. In the end, Remy really had no choice. Henri was saved, and Genevieve fell to her death, leaving Remy feeling responsible.