Gambit
Q1: Who is Gambit?
A1: Okay, the basics. Gambit is a comic book character owned by Marvel Comics. He is a Cajun. He is
a thief - by his own, modest admission, the best in the world. He is a mutant superhero. He is a member
of the mutant team known as the X-Men, who fight for the dream that mutants and humans can live in peace
and harmony. On occasion they fight to save a world that fears and hates them.
Q2: Who created Gambit?
A2: Gambit was created by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee. It is noted that Gambit's physical appearance
was apparently designed by Steve Gieger and was drawn by Mike Collins in his first story.
Q3: When did Gambit first appear in the pages of the X-Men?
A3: We were first introduced to the man known as Gambit in the late summer of 1990. His first appearance
continuity-wise occurred in Uncanny X-Men 266. Due to different release dates, we first caught glimpse
of him in Uncanny X-Men "Days of Future Present" Annual 14, which took place right after the events
in Uncanny X-Men 266-267.
Q4: When did Gambit join the X-Men?
A4: This is a little confusing since Gambit has referred to himself as "an X-Man by default, not desire."
(Note that this is probably another case of Gambit covering up the truth about his real feelings, as
the team and the Dream clearly both mean much to him.) There has never been an official welcoming ceremony
or issue where someone states "welcome to the X-Men, Gambit" His induction into this merry band of mutants
was somewhat obscure. Strictly speaking he was never invited to join. However, X-Men Index places his
joining the team in issue 273 in which he is among the X-Men who wear X-Men uniforms as a sign of team
unity. In this issue there is a close-up of everyone in their standard X-uniforms and Wolverine says:
"Well, darlin', here we are. Never thought I'd wear THIS monkey suit." to which Gambit replies: "But
if we're a TEAM, mes braves...we should dress the part, n'est-ce-pas?" It is also interesting to note
UXM 278 is the first time Gambit refers to himself as an X-Man.
Q5: How old is Gambit?
A5: From the comics, Remy went through the rights of passage about four months before his 18th birthday
(X-men#33). His marriage ceremony happened sometime shortly after his (and Belle's) 18th birthdays.
Remy obviously then travels the world Asia, Europe, South America being involved with Yukio, Clan Yashida,
Candra, Andrea Davies, in which he implies he is very young still, etc (see Gambit's history). This
likely took over a year or more. Then he returns to the US- possibly NY or Florida, and probably was
only there a short time and moved on. Then across the country through the south with stops along the
way, finally ending up at Clare de Luc's cafe. He was obviously there some time- at least a few months
but likely less than a year. It was long enough for Clare de Luc form some sort attachment to him since
she still had his picture. She stated that was almost 6 years ago. Then after he leaves Arizona he goes
up the coast, apparently stopping for a time in California too. (Rogue's road trip showed this) Then
to Seattle and likely Sinister. Since the Morlock Massacre was likely a year or more after Rogue joined
in comic book time, and Rogue is in her early twenties now that would make it about four years ago now
comic book time. In Gambit's early appearances Gambit is referred to as a young man and Marvel stated
a few years ago that none of the X-Men on the team at that time but Wolverine were over thirty with
Beast being the oldest. So based on this information, Gambit should be no younger than 25 and no older
than 28 with most of the original X-Men between 26 and 30 now.
The Stories
Q6: What's the deal with the Thieves Guild and Assassins Guild?
A6: The External Candra is responsible for starting the guilds over 2-3 centuries ago - they act as
her private killers and thieves, giving her tithes in return for favours. Specifically, the thieves
receive an elixir that prolongs their lives, while the assassins are given special powers. (This is
a prime example of the contradictions of information on the Guilds...early mention had the Thieves possessing
the special powers) She gives these to them every seven years in a special ceremony via her servant,
the Tithe Collector. As a result, until recently (see Gambit LS) no one in either guild has apparently
ever met or had any knowledge of Candra the External... they knew only of their mysterious Benefactress"
(by that name and nothing else). It seems that the Benefactress became almost a religious symbol or
saint to them which they worshiped over the centuries.
To prevent the Guilds from challenging her power over them, she has kept them in a never-ending and
deadly feud with each other. (It is wondered if she was behind Julien challenging Gambit, although it
seems more probable that it was Julien's incestuous attraction to his sister.) Although the Guilds have
made overtures of peace towards each other at times, these have inevitably collapsed, owing to the pressure
of tradition and hatred. At the moment, there does seem to be uneasy peace as Gambit and Belladonna
preside over a united Guild, but cracks in it are already showing.
As to the individual guilds, the Thieves Guild is made up of different "families" with each family being
represented by one person holding a seat on the council. The High Council of Thieves has 10 members
and is headed by Gambit, who was probably chosen by election in the same manner as his father. It appears
that any major decisions concerning the Guild (An example being: deciding who will receive the tithe)
are then voted on and decided by the Council members. Although it is largely patriarchal, Mercy LeBeau,
Henri's former wife, is a notable exception as the first woman in Clan LeBeau's history to join the
Thieves' Guild.
The Thieves' Guild also seems largely bound by tradition. Although they largely profess a Catholic faith,
their organisation is riddled with rituals and roles that seem almost pre-Christian. There are a set
of Guild Prophecies, for example, around which a lot of their activities seem to be based, and Gambit
is apparently the one who will lead to fulfillment of them.
The Assassins' Guild, on the contrary, is run by a single leader, who makes all the decisions, although
he or she seems to have advisors. Like the monarchy, the leader inherits the position, and is not elected.
Despite this archaicism, they seem more modern, less bound by the dictates of the past than the thieves.
For some reason, the assassins also seem to be of a higher class than the thieves, and there is certainly
snobbery towards the thieves which reinforces the ancient hatred.
Q7: Is Gambit the X-Traitor?
A7: There is finally an official answer, and it is "no". The X-Traitor turned out to be Professor Charles
Xavier, as the entity called Onslaught. The first pages of the book Onslaught: X-Men feature Jean Grey
sending the very message that Bishop received in the future.
However, for a long time, Gambit was the only real suspect. Jim Lee reportedly had a lot of plans for
the character (Gambit) and, among them, was setting him up as the prime suspect in the X-traitor subplot
which was first introduced in UXM 287. Bishop and his men were chasing down a renegade mutant in the
old Morlock Tunnels when they came across the last transmission of the X-Men. Finding out that the X-Men
were betrayed by one of their own, Bishop confronts the "Witness", the last known person to see the
X-Men alive. After Bishop was trapped in the past, he encountered Gambit for the first time and recognized
the similarity he had to the Witness. Naturally, Bishop accused Gambit of being the traitor, and had
an immediate distrust for him.
It is generally accepted that at one point Gambit was to become the traitor. Since his popularity had
grown, it was believed that this idea had been dropped or forgotten about or placed on hiatus until
it could be properly redone so that Gambit was no longer the traitor.
The Bishop LS then appeared, and speculation was that it wrapped up the X-traitor plotline. A mutant
villain known as Mountjoy from Bishop's time, who had the ability to "ride" and take over a person's
body. Mountjoy took over Bishop, and headed towards the X-Mansion, reading Bishop's thoughts. He was
going to kill the X-Men by replaying the thoughts of what Bishop knew about the future demise of the
X-Men. This would have made Bishop, through Mountjoy's control, the X-traitor. However Mountjoy is stopped,
and it was assumed that the traitor plotline was over and dealt with.
Alas, leave it to our fine friends at Marvel to deal us a sucker hand. When revelations came out that
Gambit and Mr. Sinister shared a past, and the secret that Rogue uncovered in Gambit's mind, it was
suggested that the X-traitor plot had not been resolved. But Onslaught finally brought that long plotline
to its final (?) end.
Q8: Is Gambit the Witness?
A8: The first appearance of the Witness is in UXM 287. In this issue, Bishop confronts the Witness about
the death of the X-Men since he was the last person to see them alive. He appears again in the XSE limited
series, in issues of Bishop: the Last X-Man and Gambit #10 where he sends the mysterious Momentary Princess
back through time.
As to who he is, the Witness is a character of high stature in the future who comes from Bishop's original
timeline. He is known as LeBeau, which happens to be Gambit's last name. He looks like and talks like
an older version of Gambit. To cut to the chase, the Witness appears to be the future version of Gambit.
Although it has yet to be definitively disclosed if this is in fact the case, it is pretty safe to assume
that Gambit is indeed the Witness.
His role in the future seems two-fold. Firstly, he seems to be the source of information on the X-Men,
thereby keeping the legend alive. Secondly, he seems to control a great deal of the crime in Bishop's
future. The people the Witness employs apparently steal for him (which at the time would've been a possible
hint towards the Thieves Guild) as noted on pg.22-23 of #287 where Bishop is met at the door by guards
who say to him: "Taking advantage of our employer's open door policy again?" and then on the next page
he says to Shackle: "I seek an audience with the Witness once known as LeBeau. As always...I seek the
truth." to which she replies: "There is no such thing, or we would have stolen it by now."
Interestingly enough the conversation continues with Bishop saying: "Shackle...Why do you continue to
serve him?" to which she replies: "For the same reasons you abandoned the man. Because he is a constant
reminder of all the best...and all the worst that dwells within all mutants." A pretty good description
of Gambit himself.
Q9: If Gambit is the Witness, how could he be alive in Bishop's time? Is he an External?
A9: An External is a mutant who is immortal. Since it was stated that there are only 12 of them, and
all are accounted for, it is unlikely that Gambit is an External. Also Externals do not age much after
reaching adulthood while the Witness was shown to be quite old in his first appearance. He also could
have been on some type of life sustaining equipment since he is seen surrounded by a glow, although
he later appeared without it.
Also as far as his long life goes, they left that door wide open. At the start of the 1st GLS, it made
it clear that Remy hadn't been offered a chance to receive the elixir yet. Further on in the story Remy
has a vial of the elixir in his hands with the intentions to save Belle. But, a fight breaks out between
Remy and Julien. Julien runs a sword right through Remy's hand that was holding the vial, it shatters
(spilling the contents of it on a bed sheet). Later, Remy attempts to wring some of the remaining elixir
out of the sheet, hoping it's enough to save Belle. "He squeezes the Elixir of Life, tinged with his
own blood, from the torn cover.". Assuming an open wound, some was *bound* to seep into it. That also
leaves him with the possibility of a life longer than most.
Q10: Is Gambit the "third Summers brother"?
A10: This has yet to be disclosed. The idea of the 3rd Summers brother was first mentioned in XM 23,
when Mr. Sinister says to Scott Summers (aka Cyclops, leader of the X-Men): "--But I care enough to
wish you and your brothers to be protected from this illness". The plural of brothers is noted by Scott,
and Mr. Sinister says he meant his brother Alex. Since not much was known about Gambit's past, and the
fact that he looks similar and has similar powers to the other two Summers, it was speculated that Gambit
might be the third Summers brother. There have not been many hints towards this hypothesis though. All
fingers point to Adam X (aka X-Treme) to hold that honor.
It should be noted, however, that Mr. Sinister said brother"s", which could mean there is a 4th or 5th
Summers out there. Now, with Gambit's recent ties with Mr. Sinister (and we all know how Mr. S likes
messing around with the Summers clan), anything is possible! Of course, Marvel's hinted that there could
be a sister as well.
X-Men writer Fabian Nicieza once made a post to the X-books newsgroup stating that Gambit is not the
third Summers brother. Shortly after posting that he resigned from X-Men and is no longer on the writing
staff. It should be pointed out that the Marvel staff is a big team and constantly changing, they could
reconsider at any time and decide that Gambit is a Summers after all.
Q11: Why did Gambit join the X-Men? Does he believe in the dream? He doesn't seem like a team player.
A11: According to Claremont after an interview, it was originally intended to make Gambit a villain...
but this is where it gets interesting. Claremont said that if he had his way Gambit would have contributed
to Storm's change back into a *normal* person, but then gone off to become a transitory supporting character.
ie. he would make appearances every now and then. Claremont allegedly said to Jim Lee that he saw Gambit
as a sort of maverick - a do-gooder thief with his own agenda. This certainly fits into the early appearances
- after all Gambit was a thief and early references suggested that he had been one for a long time and
wasn't really a team player. owever, a lot of Marvel fans liked the heroic thief. Consequently, due
to Gambit's popularity, Lee's fondness for the character and wish to use him after Claremont's departure,
the character was integrated into the X-Men.
As for being a team player... well, Gambit may be a thief, but he has proven himself many times as an
X-Man. In Genosha during the X-tinction Agenda, Gambit freed the X-Men from their shackles by taking
a spike in the leg to use as a lockpick. In the Fatal Attractions storyline, Gambit was chosen for a
suicide mission with other X-Men against Magneto by Charles Xavier. Gambit even protected Joseph, his
teammate and rival for Rogue's affections, on the battlefield. There are many more examples of his bravery
in helping his team members. It is hard to discredit his deeds as an X-Man, and his loyalty to his teammates
- teammates who he says that he considers as family.
As to believing in the Dream, although Gambit may deprecate it on occasion, it is clear that he does.
Jean-Luc, in fact, told Gambit that he knows how much Xavier's Dream means to him. Similarly, Gambit
explained his place in the team to Iceman's father by saying that it was not right to stand by and do
nothing while people are hurt by human/mutant division.
Q12: Is Gambit married to Bella Donna?
A12: That's unclear. In X-Men 8, the first issue we see Belle, he states that she is his wife, not his
ex-wife. And later, during the Gambit LS, not only does he call her his wife "Bella Donna - my wife,
my love!" but Candra also mentions that he goes from his wife (note the current status here) to his
mutant girlfriend (Rogue) like a lovesick puppy. While Gambit has talked about his relationship with
Belle in the past tense, she is always referred to as his wife, never his ex-wife. Because he left her
right after the wedding, they could have the marriage annulled on the grounds that the marriage was
never consummated and they never lived together as husband and wife, so they don't necessarily need
to get a divorce. But there is nothing specific that says whether that's been done already or not, and
neither Remy or Belle are currently taking steps to end the marriage if it's not already, though she
does seem to want him dead now.
Q13: What about Gambit in the X-Men cartoon?
A13: The Gambit character in X-Men: The Animated Series is based mostly on the comic book character.
However, the history and supporting characters are slightly different from the comic books and should
be considered separate from the comic book universe. This FAQ deals solely with the comic book version
of Gambit and the X-Men.
Q14: What was in the vial?
A14: The silver vial that Sinister gave Gambit has been a source of speculation among fans for years,
and there is no definitive answer at the moment. However, it was strongly hinted that it contained whatever
Sinister removed from Gambit in order to dampen his powers. In the arc that ran from Gambit #12-14,
Gambit timetravelled back to Victorian England because he had already been there. (Trust us, it's complicated.)
Unfortunately, once he arrived there, he had no way of returning to his own time and had to seek out
Mr Sinister. He soon discovered that the only manner of going back to the future was to restore his
powers to their previous levels. In order to do so, he gave Sinister the silver vial; the contents of
which he surgically reimplanted in Gambit. Clearly, this suggests that the contents were whatever Gambit
required to access his powers at their full potential.
Q15: Who was the Green "Mist-ery" Lady?
A15: The GML was the green, misty ghost who haunted Gambit after his return from Antarctica and seemed
to harbour some romantic feelings for him. Although he was in debt to her, she obviously was insecure
and she threatened to harm Rogue, if he told the team about her.
Eventually, however, she was discovered by the team in Gambit '99 when Marrow accidentally stabbed him
in the chest in a routine Danger Room session. The bone did not hurt him, the wound was completely sealed,
and the X-Men obviously were mystified. By threatening him with a psiscan, Xavier eventually pushed
him into undergoing tests at the hands of Moira, where the ghost was exorcised, as it were.
Upset by what she saw as a breach of their agreement, the GML brought him to Manhattan, Indiana, where
he managed to unearth the truth about her. It transpired that she was a girl by the name of Mary Purcell,
who had supposedly died when she spontaneously combusted at a gas station. In reality, she had evolved
into a form of life that was pure energy. After unsuccessfully trying to possess Magneto, who took her
to study at his Antarctic base, she latched onto Gambit after his abandonment by Rogue. Her purpose?
To make something worthwhile of her life by creating a new form of life with Gambit. Unfortunately,
their "baby" would cost them both their lives and, obviously, he refused.
At this point, the X-Men intervened and managed to separate her from his body. However, because of the
close connection between them, they could not stand the strain and both were in danger of dying. In
an attempt to help her, Gambit charged a card, blowing the two of them apart, but she was destroyed
in the process.
Q16: What's the deal with the New Son?
A16: In a nutshell, the New Son (or Sun?) is an alternate Gambit who has evolved to become a being of
pure energy. (There is a hint that he might be the Gambit from the AoA, as Fontanelle's Dreamscrape
showed a scene of Magneto and Rogue looking at the M'Kraan Crystal as the bombs dropped, which happened
at the end of that plotline.) His world having been destroyed by a disaster, he foresaw the same happening
on 616 Earth and crossed realities to save humanity by creating another earth on which they could live.
Naturally, sculpting a world required serious resources and he used Gambit to procure these.
Although all this was explicitly explained in Gambit #22, it is widely accepted that the plotline did
change in the middle due to editorial pressures. It was pretty clear in the beginning that baby Charles,
the son of Magneto and Rogue from the AoA, was the New Son, but, for whatever reason, Fabian Nicieza
was forced to abandon that plotline and go with an alternate plan.
Miscellaneous questions, and The Lighter Side Of...
Q19: Why is Gambit such a flirt?
A19: It's a stereotype that Cajun men are charming, suave ladies' men. Gambit certainly conforms to
that stereotype. He enjoys the company of women, and they enjoy his company. On a deeper level, Gambit
has a fear of abandonment and therefore commitment and wants acceptance from those he likes and admires,
certainly because of insecurities, possibly because of the loss of his parents especially since he never
truly regained a mother, and perhaps because of the way he was raised. It seems second nature for him
to say and do something when he's in the presence of an interesting woman, regardless of consequences.
Q20: Can playing cards really be used as weapons?
A20: First of all, it would be unwise for any one to seriously decide to try using cards as weapons.
The Guild neither endorses this, nor thinks it is a good idea for people becoming card assassins. Having
been forewarned, the answer is... yes. Ricky Jay, a magician who specializes in card tricks, has written
a book called "Cards As Weapons". In it he shows how regular playing cards can be used as deadly weapons.
So, children, do not think of practicing this without your parents' consent, and any adults out there,
it is severely discouraged other than practicing for your own amusement in the privacy of your own home.
The last thing we need in this world are some angry Euchre players who didn't like the fact that their
opponents trumped their ace, and decide to go on a murderous rampage. The book Cards as Weapons is by
Warner Books, published in 1988 and can be purchased for about $8.95 in the US. (Information provided
by Ellen Micheletti)
Q21: Why do people seem to either hate Gambit, or love him? It's like there's no middle ground.
A21: It's all in the interpretation.
People who like Gambit see everything about him and everything he does the exact opposite way that people
who don't like him see it, and vice versa. People who like Gambit see his shrouded past as an exciting
mystery, people who don't like him think that makes him poorly thought-out. Those who like Gambit see
his outsider status as something attractive or something they can relate to, those who don't like him
think he doesn't belong in the X-Men. People who like Gambit think his flirtatious attitude is charming,
flattering and fun, people who don't like him think it makes him arrogant, sexist, and a creep. Those
who like Gambit are forgiving and sympathetic toward the death of Genevieve, his failed marriage to
Bella Donna, and his shameful secret, those who don't like Gambit are unforgiving and blame him completely.
But by far the biggest divide between the opinions of X-Men fans when it comes to Gambit, the thing
that people feel most passionately about, is his relationship with Rogue. There is no character more
beloved by X-Men readers on the Internet than Rogue (though her treatment of Gambit in UXM 350 has lost
her a few fans). Much to all those Rogue fans' disappointment, it's generally agreed upon by X-Men dinos
that Rogue just isn't the character she used to be. Back in the eighties, the X-Men comics were lower-profile
and much simpler, and it is believed Rogue was shown as a much stronger, interesting, and important
character a lot of the time, although at times she was barely used, had little of her past addressed,
never dealt with her power, later had to play second fiddle to the Ms. Marvel persona in her, and disappeared
for an age.
During different writing staff and editorial staff changes and as the X-Men became a marketing empire,
Rogue fell in love with Gambit, and she's been on and off shown to be much more weak (emotionally and
physically), and less important especially in the last few years. While many Gambit fans agree that
Rogue's been wrongly written in the last few years they feel this is true of Gambit as well and bad
characterization is the fault of the writing and editing staff since the characters are only pieces
of paper. Most people who like Gambit found much personal interest, meaning, and potential in Gambit
and Rogue's relationship thinking it would finally lead to new growth in Rogue (exploring her past,
etc.) as well as growth for Gambit. Many people who don't like Gambit blame him for this decline in
the quality of Rogue's character and role and other X-Men during this time as well.
Some also don't wish to see other popular characters they don't like even if Marvel dotes on Wolverine
or Cyclops (who has many detractors) and never lets them look bad. And some people who don't like Gambit
also have expressed dismay at the many Gambit and Rogue fans for asking for them to be together since
Marvel has *listened* to them despite that the Gambit and Rogue fans would hardly agree that they've
gotten anywhere close to what they wanted to see and as if the Gambit fans sent in a plotline wanting
Rogue to be unused except in the relationship especially since many of them are Rogue fans as well.
The long and short of it is many feel it's Gambit's fault Marvel's written them together so poorly.
Rogue became rarely seen without Gambit, and he and issues involving him hogged all of her on-page time.
Those who cared deeply about Rogue and didn't care about Gambit or her relationship with him became
very resentful of Gambit. Those who liked Gambit and supported the relationship are more likely to blame
the change in the writing and editing staff and the X-Men becoming marketing empire that follows such
trends as "Bad Girls" and trophy heroines rather than heroines of substance for Rogue's decline rather
than Gambit's involvement with her.
Q22: Howard Mackie...Why?
A22: This question mainly comes from dissatisfaction at the way the writer has written Gambit. While
the 1st Gambit LS wasn't too horribly bad, the writer seemed to like using the Guilds (largely regarded
by readers as being poorly thought-out) and/or Candra (largely regarded by readers as being utterly
useless) just about every time he wrote Gambit. He co-wrote the "Brood Trouble In the Big Easy" X-over
with Ghost Rider, and also wrote Gambit in both the Gambit and Rogue LS, and in X-Men Unlimited 7. Information
given on the Guilds in the X-Men/Ghost Rider crossover and the Gambit LS contained many contradictions.
The Rogue LS is a direct sequel to the Gambit LS, and is often criticized by Rogue fans for featuring
too much of Gambit in Rogue's story (understand that Rogue fans have been waiting 10 years for a Rogue
LS, and were expecting to see more about her pre-X-Men past and rightly so). In Unlimited 7, Candra
shows up in Cairo, where Gambit and Phoenix have accompanied Storm. Even in AOA, Mackie included Candra
in X-Men Chronicles 1. In all of her appearances, he does nothing to further her character, or clear
up just why she all of a sudden goes after Gambit, a former employee (and probably lover). And now,
the recently published Gambit LS II was less than sterling. In it, Gambit was extremely out of character
and the plot was somewhat stupid and nonsensical. In Mackie's defense, he has been known to write fairly
well sometimes; when not dealing with Gambit, the New Orleans Guilds, or Candra and his guest starring
spot of Gambit in Ghost Rider was quite good.
Q23: How could New Orleans have secret underground caverns if it's so far below sea level people have
to be buried above ground?
A23: Mirrors... lots and lots of mirrors. Really, it looks like no one involved with those stories was
aware of New Orleans' high water table, or researched New Orleans very well, if at all. Either that
or the Thieves are some of the best engineers around with some real heavy duty water tight walls and
a multitude of pumps no one hears continually running down there all the time.
Q24: How can he be in such good shape with all the smoking he does?
A24: He never inhaled. But seriously, in the Wolverine/Gambit LS, Gambit tried to give up the nasty
habit. Whether he is strong willed enough to do so for good has yet to be seen. He hasn't been seen
smoking as often as he used to, but every once in awhile. Gambit does appear to have the need to keep
his hands busy and cigarettes are known to have a *calming* effect as well since when Rogue had Gambit's
persona in her she seemed to be running on adrenaline.
Q25: What happened to RV's "fun" version of this FAQ?
A25: Why, nothing! RV's parody can be found here.
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