Channing Tatum‘s tease for Gambit in Avengers: Doomsday is an exciting development for his character. When the cast for Avengers: Doomsday was announced, the inclusion of so many characters from the 20th Century Fox era of X-Men films took many by surprise. The most shocking, though, was Channing Tatum as Remy LeBeau/Gambit, reprising his role from Deadpool & Wolverine. It isn’t that Tatum’s Gambit wasn’t good, as his role in Deadpool & Wolverine saw the actor finally play a role he had spent years campaigning for that never materialized.
No, it was more how Tatum’s Gambit was exaggerated for comedic purposes in Deadpool & Wolverine to match the film’s comedic tone. Tatum’s thick Cajun accent was one of the film’s comedic highlights, with his “wooimabouttomakeanameformyselfhere” becoming an instantly memorable meme. Yet how would Tatum’s Gambit work alongside the more serious version of the X-Men, particularly versions of the character he had never appeared alongside and was never meant to crossover with? Tatum’s recent comments that they would tone Gambit down a bit for Avengers: Doomsday is good news for the movie, but also gives Tatum a chance to show audiences that his Gambit isn’t just a joke.
Allow Channing Tatum To Show His Range
When Channing Tatum was first cast as Gambit in 2014 for a planned solo film, many fans were skeptical of the casting decision. Even though Tatum had won over critics with roles in Magic Mike and 21 Jump Street, many comic book fans still saw him as a conventional leading man who didn’t match the vibes of Gambit. A common belief among fan circles and X-Men fans was that Channing Tatum would be miscast for Gambit. Then, a decade later, Tatum won over many skeptics with his performance in Deadpool & Wolverine, rocking the character’s iconic costume and using a thick Cajun accent. After years of skepticism, fans were campaigning for Tatum to get his own Gambit movie. Tatum finally got to show why he would be a good Gambit… but to an extent.
Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine is a comedic character, with even Deadpool mocking his thick Cajun accent. Tatum easily sells Gambit’s physicality in both the costume and his action scenes, but the movie only scratches the surface of what Tatum could do with the character. It does treat him as a joke, a funny one at that, but Tatum was cast as Gambit all those years ago for more. It is likely his Gambit movie would have shown a lot more nuance, allowing for a deeper, more three-dimensional performance.
The accent that Tatum likely wanted for his solo movie wasn’t as over the top as it was for Deadpool & Wolverine. While Tatum’s Gambit was a scene-stealer in Deadpool & Wolverine, in Avengers: Doomsday, he will get a chance to showcase a new side of Gambit and offer the audience an even better glimpse into what he would have brought to the character had his solo film not been canceled. Tatum can now show he is more than just stunt casting, and his Gambit is more than some great comedic delivery.
Allows Gambit to Better Mesh With the X-Men
When Channing Tatum was cast as Gambit, he was originally intended to be connected to the then-rebooted era of the franchise. His Gambit was meant to crossover with characters like Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool, the cast of New Mutants, and, of course, the post-X-Men: First Class era cast. Now, though, with Channing Tatum joining the cast of Avengers: Doomsday, his Gambit will be seen alongside the original 20th Century Fox era of X-Men characters, including Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, and James Marsden as Cyclops.
This is a distinctly different vibe of characters for Tatum’s Gambit to join, as this X-Men team is slightly more serious and grounded. The character’s comical accent and attitude from Deadpool & Wolverine wouldn’t match the tone of this X-Men team. Just imagine Channing Tatum’s thick cartoonish Gambit voice in a scene with Patrick Stewart or Ian McKellen’s Shakespearean-trained delivery. It would seem comedic, which might work in another Deadpool movie, but not in a film that is meant to be a grand epic like Avengers: Doomsday.
Marvel Studios is seemingly retroactively establishing Tatum’s Gambit as part of the original X-Men timeline — or at least the modern-day incarnation of the characters following the Days of Future Past timeline reset. Taylor Kitsch’s version from X-Men Origins: Wolverine was seemingly retconned out of existence. This is fitting since Tatum was considered for Gambit in 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand before the character was cut from the movie. This hopefully means that Anna Paquin will return as Rogue, and Avengers: Doomsday might hint at a Gambit/Rogue romance that fans love from the comics and X-Men ’97.
Channing Tatum, Joe and Anthony Russo, and the entire team at Marvel Studios are realizing that they need to readjust Gambit for Avengers: Doomsday, which is not them backtracking on what audiences loved about the character. It is realizing they need to make him work within a new context and tone.
The best reference point might be Thor. Thor in Avengers: Infinity War isn’t as comedic as he was in Thor: Ragnarok, but he is still a funnier character than he was in the previous Avengers films. Avengers: Infinity War balanced Thor’s new characterization while also allowing him to be serious when the story required him. It sounds like they will do the same for Gambit. Tatum’s Gambit will likely still have style and plenty of fun interactions with the X-Men and other MCU heroes, but he will be more than comic relief. Avengers: Doomsday is set to release in theaters on December 18, 2026.
