Some of the most famous members of the X-Men include Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, and Kitty Pryde, but there was one raging Cajun who found great success in the 1990s. Born Remy LeBeau, Gambit is a mutant who has become a true icon in X-Men: The Animated Series. Typically associated with playing cards and a battle staff, Gambit’s mutant abilities extend far beyond blowing things up.
His most well-known powers involve “charging” objects or even people with kinetic energy, which usually has explosive side effects. However, this ability to harness unused and kinetic energy can manifest in a variety of ways. The limits of Gambit’s powers are rarely showcased, with the full spectrum of his mutation rarely being in the proverbial cards.
10 Gambit possesses superhuman physical abilities
Seen in: Excalibur (2019) #22 by Tini Howard and Marcus To
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One of the most overlooked aspects of Gambit’s powers are his supercharged physical abilities and skills. This can be seen in instances where he caught bullets and threw them before they hit him or when he jumped over numerous vehicles one after another. His body is constantly redirecting his excess energy and his lithe form is supposed to be in constant motion. As such, his reflexes and speed are much faster than normal humans, which helped him as a thief.
His strength isn’t exactly superhuman, but it’s near the peak of humanity due to how hard he inadvertently charges his cells. It’s also a big part of his resilience, as the excess energy enhances his endurance and durability. With all that extra juice, Gambit can test fate and dodge danger for as long as he wants.
9 Gambit is immune to psychic solicitations
Seen in: The Strange X-Men (1963) #324 by Scott Lobdell and Roger Cruz
From Jean Grey and Emma Frost to Professor Charles Xavier, some of the most powerful X-Men (and mutants) are psychics. This allows them to read and potentially influence the minds of others, with even the strongest unable to resist. Luckily for Gambit, he’s not one of those potential targets, as some lower-level psychics will easily find their way with his mind.
The kinetic energy Gambit charges creates a static field around his mind, making it difficult for psychics to enter inside. Even if they were to somehow get to where they are not wanted, Gambit would be alerted to such a mental ambush and could force them out. Only the most powerful psychics, such as Professor X or Jean Grey, would be able to overcome this, and given that the extent of his abilities is largely unknown, it is possible that Gambit could resist them as well.
8 Gambit can influence others with hypnotic charm
Seen in: The Strange X-Men (1963) #266 by Chris Claremont and Michael Collins
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While psychic and mental abilities aren’t the most effective on him, Gambit has his own take on mental manipulation. Gambit can actually hypnotize and compel people through his voice and commands, essentially seducing them through his way of thinking. This influence consists of lulling them into a state of conformity, without most of its victims realizing it.
Even the Shadow King, Professor X’s known psychic rival, has noticed that Gambit’s charm and persuasion can affect him. This goes hand in hand with Gambit’s ability to resist psychic control, allowing him to work on multiple teams. Of course, this doesn’t always work, so people like Wolverine are almost always wary of him.
7 Gambit once had powers granted by Apocalypse
Seen in: X-Men (2004) #184 by Peter Milligan and Salvador Larroca
Although Gambit is primarily seen as a somewhat “mischievous” hero, there was a point where he willingly worked with one of the X-Men’s greatest enemies. By joining Apocalypse to potentially save the near-extinct mutant race, Gambit gained the powers of the Horseman of Death. This transformation gave him a frightening new appearance, but the change was more than just superficial.
In addition to his normal abilities, Gambit’s powers as a Horseman of Death allowed him to break down and disintegrate objects upon contact. Likewise, he could also turn air into toxic gas and corrupt people with an enhanced version of his charm powers. Mr. Sinister supposedly disabled his Apocalypse implants, but Gambit was still able to activate these powers from time to time.
6 Gambit has shown his precognition ability
Seen in: X-Men (2004) #163 by Chuck Austen and Salvador Larroca
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An incident left Gambit blind after one of his charged objects exploded in his face. This caused him to become depressed and withdrawn, particularly in his relationship with Rogue. Wearing a blindfold, the mutant quickly learned that he had another way to see future events without his previous sight.
The blinded Gambit could see the future by touching his playing cards, likely a more powerful version of his lesser psychic powers. When his energy capacities were overloaded, his sight returned, with his precognition no longer mentioned. However, if he were blinded again or closed his eyes, the ability to see the future would likely return.
5 Gambit is an incredible fighter
Seen in: Gambit Vol. 3 #16 by Fabian Nicieza and Yanick Paquette
One of Gambit’s most overlooked skills is his combat prowess. Trained in Savate and Bojutsu, Gambit is one of the best fighters among the X-Men, with only Wolverine, Psylocke, and a few others surpassing him. He has also honed these skills on the streets, with his fighting abilities aiding him greatly as a thief in New Orleans.
However, Gambit primarily uses his mutant powers more than his fighting skills. As such, he is not as well known for this training, despite his level of skill. These skills are further enhanced by his mutant physical abilities, making him a difficult opponent to defeat, whether playing cards are involved or not.
4 Gambit can boost others
Seen in: AvX: Versus #2 by Steve McNiven
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Gambit has made enemies as a member of the Thieves Guild and the X-Men, such as Apocalypse and the Marauders, but enemies like Sabretooth have made it personal.
It is well known that Gambit can use his powers to charge objects such as playing cards and his staff. A lesser-known use of Gambit’s abilities is to charge other mutants and their own powers. For example, Gambit charged up Wolverine’s powerful adamantium claws, as seen in an episode of the recent series X-Men ’97This made the metal weapons stronger than ever, as the excess energy strengthened them in the same way Gambit enhanced his own abilities.
This makes Gambit similar to Fabian Cortez, who can enhance the mutations of other mutants. He is also, ironically, the exact opposite of Gambit’s love interest Rogue, who drains mutants’ powers when she touches them. He even once charged Captain America’s body during a fight against him, using this ability offensively to dishonorably send the Sentinel of Liberty back.
3 Gambit has his own healing factor
Seen in: Annual Gambit (1999) #1 by Fabian Nicieza and Walter McDaniel
Wolverine has one of the most impressive healing factors in comics, and this mutant ability has only gotten stronger over the years. Other characters may not have incredible healing rates, but they can still heal pretty quickly on their own. One of them is Gambit, whose healing powers are logically an extension of his other physical mutant abilities.
Gambit’s healing factor results from his ability to charge his body’s cellular growth, much like he would charge cards. Conversely, he recovers quickly from attacks that would have brutalized others, such as when he was impaled in the chest by one of Marrow’s bone spikes. Likewise, his regaining of his sight is another manifestation of his superhuman healing.
2 Gambit’s eyes are the first mark of his mutation.
Seen in: Gambit (1999) #1 by Fabian Nicieza and Steve Skroce
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Many mutants possess a physical marker that indicates their genetic status. For mutants such as Morlocks, these physical mutations are so severe that they cannot integrate into human society. Remy LeBeau otherwise looks normal, except for his devilishly red and black eyes.
Unlike most mutants, this aspect of his nature has been apparent since birth, with his irises causing Remy to be feared and leading to his adoption into the Thieves Guild. Gambit’s powers are not tied to his eyes, and he appears to have no additional powers from them. At the same time, his blindness-induced precognition suggests that there is more to his eyeballs than meets the eye.
1 Gambit’s total power makes him one of the most powerful mutants.
Seen in: Gambit (1999) #24 by Fabian Nicieza and Yanick Paquette
In one universe, Gambit became known as the villain New Sun after his power level mutated to an extreme degree. His kinetic abilities were so great that he had destroyed Earth itself, with New Sun traveling to other universes to prevent this from happening there. Enhanced to deal with his evil counterpart, Gambit’s overclocked abilities allowed him to fly, surround himself with an aura, and effortlessly supercharge objects without even touching them.
Gambit eventually exhausted these extra powers, but he will likely be able to exhaust himself further and develop them naturally. New Sun’s power level made him an Omega-level mutant, perhaps the most powerful mutant in his world. Adopting a form that resembled Doctor Manhattan from the series The WatchersThis ultimate form of Gambit was much more than just a Bayou thief.
X-Men
Since their debut in 1963, Marvel’s X-Men have been more than just a superhero team. Although the team truly took off in 1975 as the All New, All Different X-Men, Marvel’s heroic mutants have always acted as super-outcasts, protecting a world that hates and fears them for their powers.
Key members of the X-Men include Professor X, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Wolverine, Iceman, Beast, Rogue, and Storm. Often considered the second most powerful superheroes in the world, after the Avengers, they are nonetheless one of Marvel’s most popular and important franchises.
- First TV show
- X-Men: The Pride of the X-Men (1989)
- First episode air date
- September 16, 1989
- Casting
- Hugh Jackman, James Marsden, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Ryan Reynolds, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence