Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Deadpool & Wolverine.

The Big Picture

Deadpool & Wolverine
brings back beloved MCU faces in cameos, including Elektra, Blade, and X-23.
Channing Tatum’s Gambit cameo is quirky and misplaced, adding humor but not depth to the film.
Director Shawn Levy uses Gambit as a joke, indicating that a standalone Gambit movie may not be necessary.

Deadpool & Wolverine did not leave out any opportunity to bring back some beloved MCU faces in the form of cameos. Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) come across many of these faces in The Void, the MCU’s version of purgatory where every doomed character has been sent to live out the rest of eternity. Halfway through the movie, the two protagonists join forces with Jennifer Garner’s Elektra, Wesley Snipes’ Blade, and Dafne Keen’s X-23 from Logan. Another key member of the group turns out to be Channing Tatum’s Gambit in what turns out to be a real dream-come-true moment for the actor. Among the dozens of cameos in Deadpool & Wolverine, Channing Tatum’s appearance as Gambit is the weirdest one, partly because it’s from an actor who didn’t play the character before. Yes, Taylor Kitsch played Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine but the character wasn’t received very well. Even back then, Tatum was the favorite for the role, but he couldn’t commit to it due to his involvement in G.I.Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Although Tatum has been making moves ever since to get a standalone Gambit film, Deadpool & Wolverine confirms why Gambit deserves to remain in The Void.

Deadpool & Wolverine Release Date July 26, 2024 Runtime 128 minutes Writers Rob Liefeld , Fabian Nicieza , Paul Wernick , Wendy Molyneux , Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin Studio Marvel Studios Expand

Channing Tatum Has Been Tied to a Gambit Movie For Years
The Magic Mike star’s relationship with the character goes way back in time. Despite not being able to play the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Tatum stayed committed to bringing the character to life once again. When 20th Century Fox greenlit the solo Gambit film in 2014, Tatum was undoubtedly the first choice. However, the film was destined to spend the next five years in development hell before the movie got canceled, and 20th Century Fox was bought by Disney in 2019. Some notable names, including Pirates of the Caribbean’s Gore Verbinski, Mr. and Mrs. Smith’s Doug Liman, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes’s Rupert Wyatt, were part of the project. In an interview with Variety, Tatum claimed that he even offered to direct the film himself with his producer partner Reid Carolin. Thankfully for Tatum, his dream did come true finally through Deadpool & Wolverine, but the film doesn’t do enough for the character or the actor who has been dying for the opportunity for a long time.

Who Is Gambit?

Known as the Ragin’ Cajun or the Prince of Thieves in the comics, Gambit has the ability to use any object to create explosive projectiles powered by kinetic energy. Gambit’s favorite weapon of choice is playing cards, which he’s seen wielding in Deadpool & Wolverine. Famous for his New Orleans accent, Gambit, aka Remy LeBeau, first became popular with fans after his appearance in X-Men: The Animated Series. The character also appeared in Disney +’s X-Men ’97. Gambit was a pickpocket before joining the X-Men, and his love interest in the comics is Rogue. In the 2009 X-Men film, Wolverine and Wraith (will.i.am) pay a visit to New Orleans to find Gambit (Taylor Kitsch). Before Deadpool & Wolverine, X-Men Origins: Wolverine was the last film where Deadpool, Wolverine, and Gambit were seen together.

1:25 Related Will ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Have an Extended Cut? Shawn Levy and Ryan Reynolds Weigh In [Exclusive] Reynolds and Levy also reveal what they recorded for the Blu-ray.

Tatum’s Gambit Feels Misplaced in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’
Image via Marvel Studios

For good or bad, a comic-accurate, flashy depiction of Gambit makes its way to Deadpool & Wolverine. The leatherette, strikingly purple costume, combined with Gambit’s tight headgear, makes Tatum look perfectly misplaced alongside the ever-so-serious Elektra, Blade, and X-23, who all look like they mean serious business. If anything, the costume does injustice to the physique of the actor it’s covering. Gambit’s incomprehensible New Orleans Cajun accent further serves the purpose of making Gambit easy prey for Deadpool who does not hold back when allowed a good joke. Just based on the physicality, it appears that the film willingly places Tatum’s Gambit in the film to win some good laughs from the audience, without too many stakes. While Tatum must be applauded for allowing himself to look and sound so ridiculous, his quirky appearance and accent make him stand out like a sore thumb in a film that otherwise pays homage to once-celebrated characters.

Channing Tatum’s Cameo as Gambit Is ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’s Biggest Joke

The treatment of the character in Deadpool & Wolverine justifies why a Gambit movie didn’t have to happen, rather than making one feel missed out on an unfulfilled Gambit solo movie. Director Shawn Levy uses the character as a joke in nearly every scene. The movie even manages to pull an inside joke on the character and Tatum when Gambit expresses how he relates to the other characters in The Void despite never getting a film of his own. It’s tragically comedic that Tatum’s Gambit feels he is equal to those he stands with and his fate is similar to that of his allies. Finally, in some way, the film also puts to rest the question of a future film. When prompted by Deadpool to fight against Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin), Gambit chimes in by suggesting that it would be his one sole chance to shine, hinting thatTatum may never return as Gambit. At the moment, it becomes indistinguishable if it’s Gambit speaking or the actor who may not get another opportunity to play his favorite character.

Not only does Deadpool & Wolverine prove that a Gambit film, especially with Tatum, would have been a brave misfire that earlier Fox and now Disney would like to dodge, but it also establishes that the character needs much more rethinking and development before it can be brought back. It’s also clear that Tatum’s Gambit is only palatable when the character’s presence is restrained and limited – something that Deadpool & Wolverine beautifully allows to do without causing much damage.

Deadpool & Wolverine is in theaters now.

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