Bitching about X-Men comics is a cherished tradition among X-Men comics. Each fan has a unique and deeply held notion of their ideal X-Men comic, even if they can only articulate it by defining what they don’t like, which is easy and fun. I am no exception.
Here, then, is my Least Favorite X-Man, or rather, The X-Man That Sucks The Most. I had to limit my choice to one X-Man, so I didn’t pick Maggot, Bishop, Marrow, Revanche, Stacy X, or Banshee. You heard me: Banshee sucks, although not hard enough to be included on my list.
Who, then, is the X-Man That Sucks The Most?
Gambit.
O God, how Gambit sucks ass.*
I should just leave it at that. What else is there to say? Everybody agrees with me. It’s gone beyond common knowledge, past conventional wisdom, and has become a cosmic law: Gambit sucks ass.
Gambit was originally created by writer Chris Claremont as a dashing mutant master thief during one of the less memorable eras of Uncanny X-Men history, and has evolved over the years into a complex, nuanced three-dimensional douche bag.
Look at him. Look at him! I wish Gambit were real so I could punch him in the throat. Aside from Miss Piggy, Pee Wee Herman, Lucy from Peanuts, Luxwana Troi, E.T., and Mister Furley from Three’s Company, there is no fictional character that inspires as much hatred in me. Carrot Top doesn’t count, he’s all too real.
Gambit, like the other X-Men That Suck The Most, has stupid powers, a hideous character design, and is Uncool on a deep, genetic level.
Look at him. Gambit wears purple body armor, an overcoat, and a partial head condom. He butches up his look with fingerless gloves and a permanent five o’clock shadow, but he still looks like a ballet dancer trying to act hard. The one thing they got right about Gambit’s costume: knee pads.
Plus, his powers! The guy can “charge up” objects, turning them into energy bombs. Gambit carries packs of cards which he charges up and throws at people. That’s right: he throws playing cards made of glowing purple energy. 
That is stupid.
How far can he throw those explosive cards, anyway? I mean, I can flick a card about ten or fifteen feet, tops – if I were Gambit, I would have blown myself up a long time ago. Me, I’d pick something more suited for throwing than cards, like tennis balls or marbles or something, but I guess that wouldn’t look as cool.
The other really annoying thing about Gambit is his thick Cajun accent. To convey his accent, writer Chris Claremont wrote all Gambit’s dialogue phonetically, much like he does with the Southern X-Man Rogue. The effect is just as annoying on Gambit – moreso, actually, because I like to imagine Rogue saying, “Sugah, you’re just gonna have ta spank my naughty bottom!” which is a mitigating factor.
Anyway, Gambit’s dialogue is written in such a way that it makes everything he says sound stupid. It doesn’t help that he’s always talkin’ bout gumbo and crawdads and moonshine and de big swamp gator named Ol’ Man Larou dat bit his pappy’s leg clean off, chere, like you rip a wing from de T’anksgivin’ turkey, n’cest pas? See? Don’t you want to punch Gambit, now?
The main reason why I am one of millions of people on this planet who don’t like Gambit is something I call The Richard Gere Factor. I like labeling things.
Put simply, the Richard Gere Factor is a form of typecasting and brand identity that prevents men from identifying/liking a male performer or character. In Gambit’s case, he has allowed his brand to erode from dashing rogue to kissing Rogue – he has become a romantic foil instead of a sneaky ne’er-do-well. He’s more Tom Jones than Indiana Jones.
The Richard Gere factor is named after the man himself. It all started with American Gigiolo** and kept rolling from there. After decades of roles as the love interest in – forgive me – chick flicks, Gere is now more of a lady’s man than a man’s man, and the same thing has happened to Gambit. The male reader or viewer subconsciously perceive Gere and Gambit as rivals, as a threat, and as a result, we hate them for it.
It’s too late for them.
We will never see Richard Gere as one of The Guys, no matter how many movies like First Knight or The Jackal he makes. No guy is going to go see a movie just because Richard Gere is in it. You will never hear this conversation:
Man #1: “Hey, I hear there’s a new movie about ballroom dancing out this weekend. We should check that shit out.”
Man #2: “No fucking way, dude.”
Man #1: “Richard Gere is in it.”
Man #2: “What time is it playing?”
Incidentally, The Richard Gere Factor is the polar opposite of The Kurt Russell Factor. Guys love Kurt Russell; it’s why they keep putting him in movies. Observe:
Man #1: “Dude, we should catch that movie Dreamer, the one about the little girl and the horse that taught a family to love again.”
Man #2: “Fuck no we shouldn’t.”
Man #1: “It’s got Kurt Russell and Kris Kristoferson.”
Man #2: “Let us do this thing!!!”
With Gambit, the Richard Gere Factor is in full effect. The number of panels featuring him enjoying a candlelight dinner or snuggling with Rogue now outweighs the panels in which he kicks somebody’s ass or does something cool. He’s lost it. We just see him as Rogue’s boyfriend, and that’s not a good thing, because they both talk funny and make no damn sense:
Man, I want to reach into that panel and slap those two kids dizzy.
I think I’ve made my point: Gambit sucks ass.
* I'm sorry if Gambit is your favorite character. Don't take it personally, I don't think you suck ass. Come here, give me a big hug.
**The exception to The Richard Gere Factor is An Officer and a Gentleman, a movie that rules on all levels.
150 comments:
Boy, am I glad I quit buying X-Men books before the creation of Gambit. My only exposure to him was from the cartoon.
MJ
Funny funny stuff, and dead right about Richard Gere .. he's just a tool
Ah you dissin' m'love Gambit? Ah don't tink so!
Dave, you are truly a wise man. You have crystallized the essence of Richard Gere; I just thought he was a pompous ass!
WORD, Dave!
And I'm surprised that you didn't mention the overcoat Gambit always wears. The first time I ever saw Gambit he was wearing an overcoat in hot Lousiana swamps, and I immediately knew that he was a tool. Like the explosive playing cards, that overcoat was a retarded detail thrown in just to be "cool".
And the "head condom that hides neither his hair nor his face. Does Gambit wear that thing to hide his ears, or what? Does he have an embarassing bald spot on the back of his head?
When is the whole "Lets hate Gambit" thing gonna wear off? Its more tired than hating on the 80s.
I have always HATED Gambit. And I've always hated that he was paired with Rogue, who I like. Now Gambit is one of Apocalypse's horsemen, which makes him even worse. Ech.
Apparently Rogue posts comments here but doesn't know how to spell her own name.
Wow, that last panel just made the Baby Jesus weep.
"Why is it you got me so worked up hotter dan a crawdaddy on Fat Tuesday, mon ami?"
"Why you and ah only talkin' in questions, sugah?"
"Why don' you ask dis' writer doin' all de crummy writin' , chere??"
That last panel should be put in every X-Men comic every month from here to eternity - if it isn't already.
I always thought Rogue could do better, and was happy she paired up with Iceman in the movie.
Yeah, that character is really not very appealing at all.
Apocalypse and Mr. Sinister are dopier characters, though.
-- TS
Gambit does suck mightily, but in his defense, his sucking was vastly compounded by being paired with Rogue - the only X-Man who sucks even harder. Rogue is a vapid, angsty airhead whose literary function within the X-Men canon is perfectly represented by her power: the ability to drain anything interesting out of whatever she touches.
The thing about Gambit's powers that always pissed me off the most was how the writers would explain it. Something along the lines of: "Changes objects with KINETIC energy".
I can charge up a deck of cards with kinetic energy right now by throwing it across the damn room. Kinetic energy is motion. It's POTENTIAL energy that makes things go boom!!
Regarding the last panel- obviously Rogue and Gambit are playing a game of "Questions Only" a la Whose Line is it Anyway.
I'm told that, back in the day, scienti-fiction stories were sometimes generated in response to an artist's rendering. The editor would put the drawing in front of a writer and say "Larry, write me a story about this picture and call it 'It Came for Dinner'"
I suspect that's how Gambit came into being; just some non-sensical doodle that got out of control. Just like Cable - I remeber seeing him for the first time in Marvel Age when he didn't have a name, a backstory, or a purpose. Lo and behold, a few months later, he was in New Mutants.
The Richard Gere Factor really does go a long way towards explaining fan reaction to Gambit. I've never liked Gambit, but he never struck me as obviously worse a character than, say, Iceman, who's spent forty years failing to be anything more than a putz, or post-resurrection Jean Grey, who now only exists to periodically bore Cyclops with bad sex between comically recurring deaths.
On paper, Gambit has pretty much the same shtick as Wolverine (dopey costume? check. ludicrously convoluted origin? check. over-the-top tough-guy attitude complete with Shades Of Moral Ambiguity™? check), so there's no particular reason why fan reaction to this shtick should be any worse than fan reaction to Wolverine himself, beyond the simple fact that it's a very tired shtick at this point.
No, what really pisses us off about Gambit is that he's part of Gambit/Rogue, the tragically doomed relationship that just won't die. You can't touch her, but you want to touch her, but you can't touch her. We get it already! It's like those scenes dutifully written into Spider-man books every three months ago where he wails and moans over Dead Gwen Stacy - only with Gambit and Rogue it's every damn issue they're in. It doesn't help that the two of them have the most annoying speech patterns of anyone on the team, just edging out Storm's stilted "goddess!" act.
But while I'd like to see Gambit packed up and shipped off to limbo for good, in all fairness he was a relatively likable character when he first showed up during the "kid Storm" issues.
To be accurate, Banshee blows
Thanks for this article, Dave... I was never able to put my finger on what is was I hated about Richard Gere. I do hate him. I hate him so much.
And I never noticed until you mentioned the facial hair and ballet dancer look - if they cast Gambit in one of the X-MEN movies, he could only be played... by Kip Winger.
Word verification is mkjaiwo which is how Claremont would write Gambit pronoucing my screen name, mon ami.
I hate Gambit for sullying the name of Mike Gambit from the TV show The New Avengers. As I also hate the comic The New Avengers for sullying the name of the TV show The New Avengers. Some may hate The New Avengers (TV show) for sullying the name of The Avengers (TV Show), but anything that gives us Purdey and the attempted resurrection of Hitler by evil Nazi monks can't be all bad.
Also, Gambit (not Mike) sucks.
A witty, brutal and succinct explanation of the "lady's man" syndrome. Gambit and Richard Gere are solid examples of this irritating male.
The 1980's also spawned a great influx of women writing fantasy. Any male character in these works with any pretense to machismo REEKED of being a "lady's man". I quickly gave up trying to read most of these authors. I kept having growling testerone fits.
The late 1980's also introduced me to several female RP Gamers. This was by far the worst endurance torture test. Any fictionalized presentation of a "Richard Gere" lady's man is bad enough. Try sitting around a gaming table for several hours face to face with a woman that thinks she's accurately role playing a powerful dangerous hombre. The torture was horrible because I was trying to sweet talk the lady and thus had to grind my teeth to splinters not to critique her male potrayal.
Of course, I've since been told the reverse is equally true. There is a..."man's lady" syndrome. There are actresses and fictional women that ladies embrace as role models and others these ladies want to eviscerate with a spoon.
On the subject of Richard Gere movies that don't suck, "Primal Fear" is lots of fun. Mainly because of Ed Norton, mind you, but, all the same, Gere is undeniably a cast member.
And Gambit? Blecch. You can quote me on that.
I hate hate hate Gambit. Yes, Banshee sucks, too. Begorrah!
The WORST X-Man? The very WORST? Xorn.
When Magneto ran the team in the 80's he was Marvel's ultimate badass. I mean, the premise alone. Magneto is supposed to be some kind of superterrorist. And he RUNS THE HERO TEAM. Just because of a personal favor. And Magneto was very interesting as an X-Man, there were some great stories there.
But, still, this is like the Mafia hiring Osama bin Laden to run the rackets after Gotti goes to jail- because Gotti went to high school with Osama. Yeah, Gotti is a criminal, and some people fear him, but Magneto is hardcore. Ask all those Russian submarine widows. "Kill all humans? Maybe Monday. I need to grade Doug Ramsey's term paper first."
Xorn is one of those rare Grant Morrison failures. Bizarre, nonsensical powers. That goofy sleestak mask. "Ah, so" foreigner dialogue. Oh, and he's really Magneto. What the fuck? What the fucking fuck?
Gambit is a huge tool, but he's designed to appeal to nerdy 13-year-olds who don't think it's very gay to wear a bright purple outfit and flick cards at people while carrying around a huge stick.
Xorn is supposed to be some kind of sophisticated nouveau high-thinking X-Man. The stakes are higher.
Rogue was a lesbian in her first few appearances, it explains a lot about that Rogue/Gambit relationship.
Dammit, I've always liked Banshee and was sorta bummed out to hear he was offed here recently. Course, I was also bummed out when the Blue Beetle got capped, so my priorities are obviously warped.
Be honest, though, the main reason I liked Banshee was because my first introduction to the character was a panel of him being stoked because he scored some Merle Haggard tickets. Always appreciated that.
OK, Xorn -- here's what I've wondered: was he Magneto all along? I mean, the thing about him being Magneto (which I understand, later, he wasn't) seemed to have the makings of something Marvel forced onto Morrison in his waning days. An odd character, a very Morrison kind of creations, a plot device -- but the Master of Magnetism? I dunno.
Gambit undeniably sucks, &.c
There's a phenomenon I like to refer to as 'Gambitches'. There's, like, thousands of women totally fucking obsessed with this character. I used to date a girl that came to my place friggin' CRYING because she'd read a rumor that Grant Morrison was going to off Gambit, and she started up some letter-writing campaign to stop it. We had to part ways after I laughed at her. Fucking dumb ass character.
I will admit, though, that time he played 52 Card Pick-Up off of Gladiator was really cool at the time.
I think Gambit should die, and Rogue should become a nun. A hot nun who wears leather.
Xorn was pretty clearly Magneto the whole time in Morrison's run. There are clues everywhere, such as how Xorn claimed to be a healer but was always somehow gone when people needed healing. Calling Xorn the worst X-Man is unfair because he was clearly just Magneto spinning a heavy line of bullshit.
Don't ask me to explain the other Xorn, though.
Gambit is indeed a terrible character, but the worst X-Men of all time is none other than the short-lived Maggott. How did Maggott suck? In variety of ways. His ethnic slang was more annoying than even Gambit's, always yammering on calling people "biscuits" or "guava". He wore sunglasses and was mostly bald except for a small crop of white hair. His name was mispelled.
Best of all were his powers: he had two little worms that ate stuff. Sometimes they made him turn blue. That's right, Maggott was the functional equivalent of Matter-Eater Lad. He sucked hard.
Shit. I didn't know Kris Kristoferson was in 'Dreamer.' Now I'll have to rent it...
~Fujiaup
Yeah, I have to admit that it has crossed my mind to rent that horsie movie because Kurt Russell's in it.
I also love how Gambit was a member of the Thieves' Guild in New Orleans, as if Louisiana in the Marvel Universe is like a generic Dungeons & Dragons setting. If you go to the catacombs under the Cafe Du Monde you'll encounter a Beholder guarding a +6 vorpal blade!
"I got no place else to go!!!!"
sorry.
Yeah, Gambit sucks. He started out ok, but fell victim to the 90's trend of shoving the "hot" character down everyone's throat by having appear in every damn title. He also was a real Mary Sue.
It only got worse with the relationship with Rogue; it sucked all the life out of one of the most interesting characters by putting her in a stupid "soulmate" thing with the uber-annoying Gambit. I only pray that Gambit's current role as a Horseman of Apocalypse ends this stupid relationship for all time.
If you go to the catacombs under the Cafe Du Monde you'll encounter a Beholder guarding a +6 vorpal blade!
Actually, if you go anywhere in catacombs, or even downstairs in a (nonexistent) basement in New Orleans, you'll be up to your neck in muck and swamp mud. New Orleans, even before Katrina, is built on unsolid soggy groound. Why do you think all New Orleans graves are above-ground tombs? Not for the Lestat gothg moodiness, that's for sure. Remember all those cavern scenes in Gambit's solo series? Bwah-ha-ha! Couldn't have happened.
And now you know...another reason why Gambit totally sucks.
See, I actually liked gambit, the concept at least. The way I thought of it was "He has the power to release the potential energy of an object in explosive form. Sure as hell beats yet ANOTHER telepath/telekinetic."
Unfortunately, he isn't written well, and now gets equated with Richard Gere, who I hate with a passion matched in comics only by lameasses like Cyclops or Superman.
And I liked Stacy X. I feel she fell victim to being written by Chuck Austen, who wrote her poorly, as he does most things.
Gad, I know it's not Gambit's "fault" that Rogue got turned from the sassy ass-kicker of the '80s into a simpery, coquettish '90s-style "good girl", but Gambit was one of the chief elements those writers used in that character warping, so he gets no slack from me--never mind the tired, way too obvious "charming cad" act that passed for characterization.
Sorry, old-school Rogue fan.
Let me add my kudos to the long list hailing Dave's having got it in one with the Gere thing.
Y'know I've always had a residual sense of interest in the character because of this storyline wher he helps out a small orphaned girl (sometimes my heartstrings get pulled, okay) but that last panel - oh lord. That's a deal-breaker. I can't believe they wouldn't slap *themselves*!
I like Gambit a little less than I like Wolverine. I don't particularly hate either character, but I also have no desire to ever see either of them used again. And neither one deserves a solo book.
Both suffer from the "wow, XXXX, you're so cool" syndrome, or The Top Gun syndrome: give a character a cool name and have everyone in the story comment on how deep, brooding, mysterious, and rebellious they are, shoving their coolness down the reader's throat.
Although, like most characters, he was fairly likable in the cartoon.
Xorn is one of those perpetual questions that really pisses Morrison off, and it's easy to see why. Reading Morrison's run, it's rather obvious that Xorn is Magneto. There never was a Xorn. Xorn was a made-up person, an alias, something Magneto comes up with to worm his way into the X-Men. Magneto said this in the comic and Morrison has said this several times.
This was only cast into doubt when Claremont resurrected Magneto with his blithe "oh, that was just an impostor" retcon. It was obvious at that Claremont didn't give a damn about Morrison's run or about actually explaining Magneto's presence in his book - he just desperately needed to bring back Magneto so he could pull his tired old "Magneto is Xavier's foil" shtick because it's just about the only one he's got.
All other mentions of an independently existing Xorn, or "the Xorn borthers" or whatever all happen after the Claremont retcon and are sloppy attempts to clean up after Claremont's mess.
Yes, you're right: You're all as right as can be.
Just in the interest of giving the Cajun Croupier a break I'd like to nominate one more X-Person that could even be a little lamer:
Jubilee.
Yikes! An annoying character with really crummy powers. If she's sudeenly got interesting after driving me away from the X-universe a few years back then bt all means correct me, but…c'mon…fireworks ?
Actually, last I saw, they had made Jubilee slightly interesting. She apparently lost her powers on "M-Day" (correct me if I'm wrong, I just got this from flipping through something or other), had been aged a bit and given a job as an advocate / social worker for former mutants. Makes sense, actually. And I guess if she's finally legal she can consummate that thing she and Logan have had for, like, seventeen years.
But hey - I gotta speak up for Maggott. I mean, yeah, his powers were unusual and his accent was hella lame. But at least they were trying to do something different than the upteenth half-cybord telepath from the alternate future with vague energy powers. Like Matter Eater Lad, Maggott could probably do some cool things under the right writer. But that will probably never happen, as the whole House of M thing gives them an excuse to forget every dangling character they ever wrote out of the books with a simple "he lost his powers and got a job pumping gas at the Sunoco station".
"Actually, if you go anywhere in catacombs, or even downstairs in a (nonexistent) basement in New Orleans, you'll be up to your neck in muck and swamp mud."
[i]Exactly.[/i]
Bleagh. That'll teach me to try and be all technical and stuff. The gods spite me...
Wow, I thought I was the only Maggott fan out there.
Comparing Gambit to Wolverine:
While I find Wolverine annoying now, he didn't start out as a character being shoved down people's throats. He hardly did anything in the initial Cockrum issues. When Byrne took over, and did most of the plotting, he gave Wolverine more of the spotlight, and had him act both more badass and less mean to his teammates. Wolverine's popularity grew organnically. THEN he became overexposed and boring.
Gambit, on the other hand, was shoved down our throats from day one. He even beat Wolverine (ooooh!) in a couple issues during Jim Lee's run on the title. My favorite Gambit moment: Magneto blows him up with his oen cards in X-Men #1. It was dumb as hell, but I laughed.
Where is Bullseye to show that poser how playing cards are really used?
Comic Book Science: Real-world razor-edged cards, though I think they can't really be thrown.
I was talking with one of my wife's female co-workers after we all watched the first X-Men movie together. She said she hoped Gambit would be in the next one, and I said, "Man, I hate Gambit." She looked at me and said, "All female X-fans love Gambit. All male X-fans hate Gambit."
I think there's something to be said for the Richard Gere syndrome, but I think the hatred for Gambit is because his personality doesn't fit with the comic's target demographic. While most of the other X-Men (and I am limiting it to the men here) stand-in for the assorted fears and insecurities of the readers, Gambit doesn't. He can pass for one of the cool kids (if not for that stupid outfit). He can get the girl all on his own and then messes with her just because he can. Any straight male who's pined for a girl while she's getting strung along by an asshole associates Gambit with that asshole.
Yet another reason to hate and fear Gambit.
Preach on, Brother Campbell!
Another Gambit hater here, though I thankfully stopped reading X-Men shortly after his first appearance. This article made me laugh so hard, I broke all my furniture.
I showed all my friends, one of whom told me "but he's one of the strongest characters in the video game"!
This is obviously what *I* call The Janeway Syndrome. This is when the writers of a stupid lame-ass character are so desperate to make that chatacter cool that they'll make them accomplish outrageous feats so that they can later point to them and say: "See? How cool was that?"
All it really does is make you resent the character even more. With Voyager's Captain Janeway, it was singlehandedly destroying the Borg, thus making her "cooler" than Picard. Yeah right. Stop bullshiting us and accept the fact we don't like your lame-o, and never will.
Does anyone remember, in Gambit's first appearance or two, he had the Jedi Mind Trick too? Seriously. He would talk and talk and talk, kind of hyp-mo-tizing with his mangled Creole nonsense. I suppose that could've explained why he was such a good thief: he could use his mind control to avoid being caught.
Thankfully, it was dropped a few issues in. Otherwise, Gambit would have been a thief/ladies' man/mutant/acrobat/fighter with explosive cards and mind powers and weird armor...the evidence for him being a Mary Sue just piles up, doesn't it?
Ok, its official. Dave, I have a crush on you.
I am a female X-Men fan who despises Gambit. I was always rooting for the Magneto/Rogue hook-up. Much more angsty fun and Magneto was a zillion times more cool.
And to top it all off (and the reason for my Dave-crush), I also cannot stand Richard Gere! I've always found him unappealing and creepy, much like Gambit!
Obviously Richard Gere should be playing Gambit in any movie version of the character.
"How far can he throw those explosive cards, anyway?"
Attack of the Show had a guy on who could throw playing cards across a busy five-lane street, embed them in watermelons, and slice carrots from ten or fifteen feet away.
While watching him, I remember thinking, "Man, I hope he got into this by reading too much Daredevil rather than too much X-Men."
If Gambit suffers from Richard Gere syndrome*, what does Marrow suffer from? Gwen Stefani Possessed by Charles Manson syndrome? Fairuza Balk on PCP syndrome?
*My personal problem with Gere has always been that he has almost no ability to move his facial muscles. I honestly can't see him without being reminded of those Gelflings from Dark Crystal.
I thought as a woman I would chime in.
I don't like Gambit either. He's supposed to be sexy and mysterious, but as a woman, believe it or not, he doesn't do either well enough to be attractive, but does the mysterious well enough to be someone I wouldn't want to seriously attach myself to.
Of course, I'm also iffy about Gere, hate most romantic movies, and if nothing else will always love Kurt Russell for Big Trouble in Little China, even if he did do movies like Overboard.
Several things:
Yes, Gambit sucks. Not as much as Cable, but still plenty.
A real world world class card thrower can throw a card about 200 feet. So, despite sucking, Gambit's card throwing isn't inherently useless, as far as comic book tactics go. Few other items could be carried to easily (52 tennis balls? You'd need a duffel bag). Gambit still sucks though.
I highly recommend Ricky Jay's book "Cards as Weapons." Ricky Jay is cool.
Gambit, meanwhile, is the unholy love child of Wolverine and Longshot. And any woman who professes to like him, just give her a copy of The Big Easy. Dennis Quaid in that movie is everything cajun and cool that Gambit fails to be.
When Dennis Quaid is cooler than you, you know you're in trouble.
Little-known fact: In his first appearance (NOT drawn by Jim Lee), Gambit actually charges and throws little spikes, not cards. It was in the next issue that he suddenly began slinging cards around, and that became his schtick forever after. I wonder if Jim Lee wanted Gambit to throw cards around because he thought it looked cool, and asked Claremont to write it into the stories?
Also, if Gambit always has cards on hand to toss around, why do we never see him, um, actually PLAYING CARDS? A little gambling would have made for a cool character trait.
I HATED all that Assassins Guild/Thieves Guild/Bella Donna/Externals nonsense. Then they had Gambit's big secret that they foreshadowed for about 500 years was that he led the Marauders to the Morlock tunnels, despite the fact the Marauders are clearly shown in #210 to have followed that rainbow-looking Morlock Tommy to the tunnel entrance. Way to awkwardly stick Gambit where he don't belong.
I have to admit I liked Gambit a lot when he first appeared and I still have some like for the character (I still own a Gambit poster that looks like a giant playing card, NO, I don't hang it up, it's rolled up and collecting dust in the attic). Overexposure and bad writing have really hurt the character, though.
But honestly, is Gambit much worse than any OTHER mutant introduced in the 90s?
Look at this list of tools...
Fabian Cortez
Trevor Fitzroy
Shinobi Shaw
Sienna Blaze
Bishop
Shard
Mountjoy
Emplate
Holocaust
Abyss
Any External
Phantazia
Gideon
Empyrean
Hazard
Maggott
Marrow
Hemingway
Sack
I can't go on...it's too depressing...the horrid memories overcome me...
Anyone read BKV's Ultimate X-men run? Gambit is actually sort of interesting there.
Ultimate X-Men has the right idea about Gambit: the only good Gambit is a dead gambit. i would like to kill him 52 different ways. Or maybe 52 ways the same way.
Either way. Gambit. Sucks.
I still think that the worst X-Man character is X-23, who is possibly also the worst character in anything ever.
Maggott had fans? Well, I'll be a vrot stoepkakker! Maggott was the most annoying X-Man of all time, buscuit, and I challenge someone to find a character with more annoying dialogue, or Eeny and Meany is gonna leave hap marks all down your guava.
Seriously, Maggott f-ing talked like that. You don't get more annoying than inpenetrable South African slang.
Isn't Rogue like 50 years old? I thought her being younger was a movie retcon. Did she get younger in the comics, too?
Longshot was really annoying in the one Longshot comic I read.
-- ts
Rogue was described as around 19 when she joined the X-Men in the mid-Claremont years.
I doubt it, but I wonder if Gambit was ever forced to use the extra card that lists the order of poker hands that comes with many decks.
Knowing him, he probably cannibalizes multiple decks for all the "kewl" cards like the ace of spades and jack of hearts, etc. etc.
Tim O'Neil said...
But that will probably never happen, as the whole House of M thing gives them an excuse to forget every dangling character they ever wrote out of the books with a simple "he lost his powers and got a job pumping gas at the Sunoco station".
Ha!
Maggott was killed in a Weapon X extermination camp, which irked me, not because I like Maggott, but I thought the idea of a pseudo-governmnet extermination camp in North America marching mutant citizens to their deaths was treated rather lightly. Shouldn't that have been a big deal? Isn't that a beyond-X-Men thing? Should't Captain America go into berzerker rages when he finds out about things like this? Doesn't SHIELD have anything to say about that? And, fer Pete's sake, Maggott was an X-Man! Doesn't that mean something? Don't they keep tabs on each other? Phone calls? Holiday cards? Or are they just dead to the X-Mansion once they're off the team?
Huh. Why do I remember Rogue being 50 years old? The X-Men, they are very confusing.
I like that there was a superhero named "Sack." The problem with the '90s creations is that they're ingrained with 1990s comic book art. Who knows if these characters are any good or not? All the good character sucked in the '90s, too.
Gambit is the tooliest tool who ever tooled. The only characters I loathe more in terms of sheer stupidity and lame-o-ness are Longshot and Maggot.
Exploding cards is right up there with preternatural good luck and a pair of worms.
Tres lame, chere.
In her early appearances Rogue used to have two white streaks in her hair along the sides, rather than the one down the center. Most artists interpreted them as graying temples and drew her older, esp. Frank Springer on DAZZLER, who drew her as a prison matron-type.
Claremont says that the streaks were always intended to be fashion statements and that she was supposed to be younger from the beginning, but I was never quite convinced of that. At any rate, by the time she joined the X-Men, she was portrayed as young, and the white streaks were consolidated into one.
Remember when Rogue tried to kiss ROM? That was awesome.
Maybe Claremont is a big fan of magician/historian/actor/writer Ricky Jay, who wrote a book about throwing cards as self-defense.
I've seen him embed a card into a melon before, but never have I seen him speak with that dumb pseudo-Cajun accent that Gambit uses.
Bring back Video-Man, says I.
All of you following Morrison's party line about Xorn: explain the New X-Men Annual where he first appeared. I'm curious, but so far, I've seen nobody do it. Morrison may claim all he want that it was planned from the start, but if it was, then he wrote a story that makes no sense from beginning to end in that particular context.
And he didn't infiltrate anything, he was asked by Scott to join him on a mission against Cassandra in space. How the heck had he anticipated that then, while being in this Tibetan monestary or whatever it was that Scott pulled him from after the annual's conclusion?
I love Morrison, but it's not clear at all that Xorn is Magneto on every level, compounded even more by Morrison's own writing in #150, where both Wolverine and Beast don't recognize Xorn as Magnus at all, and these guys have, you know, smelling experience with him.
So if it pisses him off, it's only because he didn't write a clear enough story. Them's the breaks in fiction, buster ;)
Also: Gambit sucks and he loves it :p
"aicmwbh" sounds like Rogue wanting to tell Gambit what she sees (a ponce) right as he lays a wet one on her and forgets she'll suck up his soul ;)
I don't recall if anyone posted this yet, but one of the reasons I hate Gambit is because I feel he pioneered the "cool-sounding name" tradition of the 1990s.
Granted, the word "Gambit" does fit the character; a thief is by nature a risk-taker. But when you look at later names, like Post, Gideon, Exodus, Deadpool, Kane, Harvest, Threnody, Bishop, ... it was like someone came up with a supposedly cool name and attached it to a generic character later on.
Even the 1980s name Cable -- was it ever explained how in the hell that name even relates to the character's identity or powers?
They call him Cable because he lays the cable, baby.
He was "cable between future and modern day" or alternatively "he who connects humanity into one".
It might also refer to his hand.
my magic word is jwXORNqx. Even blogger hates him.
Hey people, lay off Gambit--throwing cards is so kewl. He's served as an inspiration to many a wayward young'un, like Chris Ferguson .
See that? Pure airwolf.
>koff< sorry, my sarcasm power was really high and I had to discharge it somewhere.
That said, that last panel is the most egregious use of patois I've seen since Huckleberry Finn.
Oh thank you Dave, for making the case that sorely needed to be made. If I had a giant eraser I would erase Gambit from human memory. Amen!
Rogue also wore one of the weirdest outfits as a bad guy, sort of Annie Oakley-meets-drum majorette-meets-leprechaun.
And to retcon, maybe she wasn't so much middle-aged homely as mid-teens gawky. Sure, that's it.
Gambit was a major factor (along with the Clone Saga and Heroes Reborn) in my decision to stop buying comic books back in 1996. Characters that talk like they come from Aingtree (Deliverance) have the Mr. Furley Factor.
In re: Rogue and Gambit
haH no one at Marvel heard of a latex full body dam?
I mean, Rogue has to touch you, actually touch your skin, hullo?
Better living through chemistry, you silly mutants.
(We all know it don't happen because Gambit is ga-AA-ay, now don't we folks?)
Huh. I always figured Deadpool got his name because Liefeld had just watched the Dirty Harry movie and thought it would make for a kewl name. But the Deathstroke thing makes sense, too.
I always felt like those early 90's guys who created all those bad characters were basically just riffing off of movies they liked in really retarded ways. Like, Bishop got his name because someone was watching Aliens and thought Lance Henriksen was pretty cool in that. "Yeah, Bishop! He'd be the coolest mutant ever with that name!" And Whilce Portacio tried to squeeze Predator references into seemingly all of his comics.
This post is long overdue. You can´t have X-Men week without mentioning that Gambit sucks.
He even sucks so much I included him in my x-Men team just so I can kill him in every freaking issue.
http://talesfromthekryptonian.blogspot.com/
2006/04/my-x-team-or-all-i-want-is-zuma-zoom.html
He had a short period of okayness, but now he's right back to having his mouth....right on the ass.
I think that Ultimate X-Men gave a good, abeit brief, characterization of Gambit. He WAS a ladies' man, despite the fact that he was a grungy street performer. He worked his mojo, but he still had a conscience. He didn't have moral ambiguity, per se, he stole to live, but he had a good heart. Once again, though, it all went to Hell when Rogue entered the picture. Especially when you realize the age difference. Gambit's a good late 20's, early thirties, while Rogue is still a teen? Why is she a teen? Because Ultimate X-Men is really just "We're gonna take everything you liked about the movies, but make it better." But I digress...So, I think Gambit's only as good as his surroundings. Not the best thing to be when you have a solo book, but it's a good team book character. We've seen that in TWO different realities, Gambit pales when placed in the vicinity of Rogue. He needs someone who understands his way of life, like Lila Cheney. So, I don't think the problem is Gambit. I think it's Rogue.
Hmm interesting article and although the writer is bashing my favorite character, he does make some valid points. The majority of comic book collectors are men and quite frankly Gambit doesn't appeal to them like Wolverine does. To fan boys Gambit represents the "cool guy" who gets all the women. Also he isn't the stereotypical "hero" who is quick to get into a fight or has cheesy lines. Gambit is a great character with a lot of potiential but he has been ruined by the "cry me a river" relationship with Rogue and very AWFUL writing. I suppose marvel is sick of trying to develop the character because they ruined any hope for fan by turning Gambit into the Horseman of Apocalpse.
I think the guy whining about what he tellingly called the "Gambitches" brings it all out into the open why GUYS hate Gambit. They hate Gambit because female readers love the character. It's misplaced jealousy (I even had guys admit that to me when I've said it) Rather than hate or be jealous of the character you might think about why women love the character. I'll elaborate on that below.
Guys love comic book Wolverine because he's macho, crude, sexist, a loner and violent but still "gets the chicks". Wolverine is the male comic book readers fantasy of what they'd. Gambit is the female comic book reader's ideal of what they'd like guys to be. Gambit is romantic, loyal to his family (and not a loner, he just ends up alone, but he always seeks a "family" to belong to), respects emotionally strong women for who they are and will follow a woman leader willingly. Those thousands of Gambit and Rogue shippers were and are feminists. Rogue and Gambit grew to great emotional depth when they became a couple, and were equal partners in the relationship. Women readers loved that. Rogue's power issues and Gambit understanding and support with her dealing with that kept those fans.
I notice you totally ignore Gambit's several costume changes since the original one. I thought Jim Lee's costume for Gambit didn't makes sense, but a lot of superhero costumes don't make sense/are unflattering (Rogue's had several horrid ones, and certainly her first one was hideous).
Disliking the "accent" (and I notice bashing of Rogue's as well in comments) shows a rather obvious regional prejudice on you parts. I'm a southerner and I like the "accents". Many southern readers- epecially the female readers, do. It was (and is) refreshing to have southerners, speaking like real southerners in the comics (except for the repeated irritation of writers misusing y'all in Rogue's speech- y'all is properly plural only. And the overuse of Gambit speaking in third person- only on the animated 90's cartoon, this didn't occur in the comics. Third person reference to oneself does occur in the Cajun dialect, but its mostly by older rural speakers.)and not only speaking the way we do, but written in nonstereotypical ways (especially during Nicieza's runs, and Claremont on X-men: The End minserieses. Early Rogue written by Claremont, like early Cannonball written by Claremont did have some definite painfully bad southern stereotypes attached to their characters, both improved greatly under Nicieza's writing, and Claremont, wisely, continued with the deeper more rounded characters that Nicieza made of Sam, Gambit and Rogue.
What was and is irritating has nothing to do with the characters or their relationship, but in the female reader unfriendly nature of superhero comics themselves.(This goes for DC as well, who have an even worse record on writing romantic relationships in comics than Marvel does) A writer would advance Gambit and Rogue past the powers issue and they'd start a happy relationship that was fullfilling all around- physically as well as emotionally, but then the infamous "Marvel Way" would kick in- no happy fullfilling relationships can exist for long in Marvel comics, the couple must be broken up, then paired with other characters, then maybe reuinited and after a short time broken up yet again. (And yes, this is official Marvel comics policy- I know several writers who have written for Marvel and have stated that they are explicitly told to do this.)
This wasn't the orginal pattern with Marvel (as you can tell from the founding comics character relationships but came in around the 1980's.)
Claremont has shown though, that permanent relationships in superhero comics can and do work quite effectively. Especially in his run on Xtreme X-men and in the X-men: The End minserieses. Especially in the later. Gambit and Rogue come off very much in character, happy and emotionally strong. I like the Kitty and Rachel pairing as well, it makes sense and works. As does Storm and Wolverine.
Gambit was the coolest xman ever, how you can slate him is beyond me I mean he had it all! want to talk over rated? talk fecking cyclops!!!
The only thing that sucked the most was the time I spent reading this. By the way, Gambit probably stole those knee pads from your wife after he stole her dignity.
I think your all full of crap! gambet is cool his power is awsome and so is his outfit i also think that his romance with rouge just makes him cooler.
gambit kicks ass and fuck you becuse I am gambet's biggest fan and his armor isn't pink it's light red and gambit whares his armor because he is awsome and don't dis overcoat it's cool and it hold's his cards also his cards go way farther than fifteen feet so what I am trying to say is your full of crap.
There was a time Gambit was really great...then he started dating Rogue and it all went downhill. But for those first three days? He was GREAT!
You know, Gambit may be a "tool" as you all seem to think. But at least he isn't Marvel's cash whore to prostitute out on every damned thing they slap an X on. Let's see. Who would that be? Hmm. Oh yeah. WOLVERINE.
And just judging by what you say about yourself, I don't think you exactly have your finger on the pulse of what is "cool" so I don't really regard your opinion in any great standing.
And as for the bad accent. Wouldn't it be insanely boring if all the characters "sounded" the same so to speak? It's just a pity that writers don't know how to do accents well. As a Cajun his accent is sometimes cringeworthy but I'd rather have a somewhat bad accent than none at all.
I hate Gambit because he's a tramp. If a female character acted like he does she'd be labeled a slut immediately but for him it's "cool." The double standards are amazing. As bad as his relationship with Rogue may be it's worse when they break up and all these ugly women fall over themselves to sleep with him. Could Storm get away with that behavior? Hell no. I'm a female and I've never found Gambit irresistible (or Wolverine for that matter). It's just annoying how all the random mindless comic book girls fall all over themselves once he bats an eye at them.
Gambit has alot of things wrong with him. Many have been mentioned. But one of his biggest issues is creation by committee. They can't decide what he does.
Gimmick: mmmm does he throw cards or fight with a staff... how about both.
Costume: Why wear tights when you got a trenchcoat? Whats with the really crappy half mask? What purpose does it serve? It doesnt hide his identity.
It's like 10 guys were in a room trying to design the "next cool character" and this is what they came up with.
Screw Gambit.
Wo man Calm Down, the smooth cajun could kick anyones ass he just dont want to. it could be worse, he could, be 2D like cyclops or colossus
One thing to be said for him. In the animated series, he was cool.
Oh, please.. the number of people who've misspelt 'Rogue' in comments is weepworthy..
Gambit is such a jackass his stupid relationship with Rogue allways pissed me off why because it was just thrown together i read some back issues and Rogue Logan had more chemistry than Gamfuck and Rogue ever did, i was happy he was not in x-1 and x-2 i loved how Bryan Singer and David Hayter put so many hints in both films that they were working up to a Logan/Rogue romance to bad x-3 fucked up the franchise.
Indeed, Gambit sucks ass. Unfortunately he's my girlfriend's favorite X-Man. But since she's hot (and bi), I've managed to make peace with that.
Holy crap, look at all those comments! I admire the zeal of all the Gambit fans out there. Look at it this way: If EVERYBODY liked Gambit, he wouldn't be cool, would he?
the half a condom thing was pretty funny, and i agree the voice in the t.v. show was overkill, but in the gambit line of comics it wasn't bad. this character is definitely my favorite though, esp. b/c the amount of hot girls with nice asses he gets. oh and don't forget that when he has his full power he can create an omega. -so be nicer cause if you make him feel unwanted he might just decide to leave and blow up everythin with him... if he was real dat is. - thanks Dustin
yall are just a bunch of pussies. gambits a pimp straight up. dont hate the playa hate the game. plus gambits gotta be one of the best damn mutants in the whole damn x-universe. wasnt he able to levitate and incinerate some one just by looking at them? i mean come on man. cant get any cooler than that. all you fucks out there that think gambits a pussy prolly like that bitch wolverine. hes got claws. woopty doo. who gives a fuck if he can heal? im pretty sure gambit beat him in the danger room (tho he cheated, but shiiit, he plays dirty which makes him even better) so FUCK YOU you haters
go do wat you do best and suck your moms nuts
PEACE- Gambit Fan
Meh, I liked Gambit just because I watched the cartoon and he was relatively cool there....
And I like Marrow, I'll be honest >.> Her joining of the X-Men is kinda out of left field, but I certainly wouldn't say she's a bad character. She has an angle at least...
Hmm. I totally agree about Gambit -- I've never understood how someone could throw cards that far. Why cards?! Why not darts, or something weighted? It makes no sense.
However, your gender analysis doesn't quite cut it. You don't account for why many women, like myself, also hate Gambit and love Kurt Russell. As for hating male characters who just play the girl's boyfriend -- suck it up. That's pretty much the only representation of themselves women ever get to see. Oh wait, maybe that's why I like Kurt Russell. Cause's there's precious few women I can identify with!!
Ahah, I love when people rag on a character because he's with a female character that some nerd has a crush on. It's easy to tell the difference between an angry cry-baby rant and a an argument with actual relevant facts. His costume isn't much different than any other super hero marvel's ever made, and he's actually pretty funny as a character as opposed to Cyclops who while being bad ass is a tight ass suck up, or Wolverine who everyone likes because he's like the Vegeta of Marvel (the guy with the mysterious past who's bad ass and rebellious--rebel without a cause), or Jean Grey who is nothing short of a plot device and is just like AHHHHH all the time. Keep in mind they all wear TIGHTS and spandex (this is sure cooler than an overcoat with armor omgz!). The only thing that makes people hate Gambit is the fact that he's paired with Rogue--meanwhile she ends up leaving him for MAGNETO anyway. So get over it. Gambit's a funny little bastard.
Gambit rocks! Jealously is usually displayed as hate, you can't beat him so you try an discredit him. Love or hate him guys, who cares? He's a cartoon, I don't think he minds what you think of him. X-men is not your own personal story, get over it and move on, the story is, the story stands, live with it I can't believe you can be so upset over a cartoon character. HARHUM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mta7IgAFmBY
and here's a video snippet of Ricky Jay's card-throwing~
The secret to thowing cards far enough to break a Sentinel's head:
It's in the wrist.
Nuff said!
My favorite character's Cyclops while Gambit only ranks below him...but I have to say the reason I like Gambit is that he can be interesting when written right, also I like the idea of him and Rogue together, however their constant 'on-and-off' has tired me out long time ago.
But if Gambit was a real person, I won't trust him enough to let him get near me.
If by everybody you mean the little voice in your head than you are right, asshole.
You are nothing but a little insignificant tool who wishes he created such a popular character.
Please, you wouldn't know a monkeys wrench from a monkey anus.
Sorry for the last comment.
I am a woman and I have allways hated Gambit. He is just so annoying and I really don't understad half of what he says because of that cajun accent.
And they ruined the wonderfull charakter of Rogue by having her to stick up with Gambit. The reason I liked the Age of Apocalypse comics was because Rogue and Gambit weren't together. Allthought it was annoying that Rogue still reacted to Gambit's flirting. I mean Rogue is happily married with a man she actually can touch so why does she "long" for her old crush?
I am myself so happy that Gambit wasn't in any of the movies because I would have puked.
I do also think that Gambit has one of the silliest powers in the marvel-verse. And I can't blame anyone for stopping to read the comics because of Gambit since he has ruined every comic he has been in and allmost every charakter he has had relationship with(Rogue).
When I were kid I couldn't understand why anybody would like Gambit. All my friends thought him cool but I think it was because little girls like pink.
i agree with the above poster she said it 100% right, Rogue use to be cool before Gambit but after they paird her with him she changed into someone i don't like, if i was to pair Rogue with anyone it would be Logan cause there very simular yet diferent both strong charaters who have shitty love lives and yet they keep going, iam allso glad Gambit was not in the films cause according to Bryan Singer David Hayter Gambit is to much like Logan and i think there right, plus they fucked x-3 without Singer and Hayter which sucked, all i want is a Wolverine Rogue romance at least once idk why that is so hard but instead they stick Rogue with Gamfuck wtf.
Gambit came out after I gave up on X-Men (during the Storm / Forge love story - hoo boy that was some florid shit), and honestly, I couldn't differentiate him from any of the other half masked, cross hatched, one glowing eyed goofballs poisoning the atmosphere in the 90's. He (along with Cable) ushered in the era of "Too Many Useless Mutants" with thusly ushered in the era of "Mutant Eugenics". I'm not a fascist, but that was a good move.
Hey there all.. i'm a gay man and i love gambit. i always did so, right from the first time i have come to know him from around the x-men #1. i also think that he is the coolest x-man, so how's about that?
To add to all that, i would like to say that i think his first ongoing with Nicieza was the best series marvel has produced ever. (the second series sucked so hard though! what was the point? whatever happened in that series? i was soo sorry that i kept buying that shit out of character royalty just begging that they would hire a new writer if the one took a leave or something and was so glad that i was put out of my misery when the series was canned).
Also Chiadra, your post was excellent. Right on sister! Although the original post tried to play the funny angle, i think it was just stuck within sexist schemas and you elaborate so rightly on the basic stereotypes the comic book crowd and the industry as a whole repeat one after the other. that is so sad sometime...
idk what Rogue sees in Gambit big deal hes hot so what, Gambit is a playboy he will do any pussy he can get his dick into, he treats Rogue like a sex toy lieing to her playing on her emotions, i think her friendship with Logan is more be;leivable then her on off relationship with Gambit, that is what brings Rogues charater down is her relationship with Gambit, before Gambit Rogue kicked ass now she turned into a wuss now, i hate Gambit so much allways had he should die.
Gambit thinks hes gods gift to women and niave little Rogue swallows his shit, i love Rogue she is a great charater it is only when shes with Gambit iam thinking come on Rogue even Logan treats you 20 times better than Gambit and hes only her best friend, i never understood why marvel never tried a Wolverine Rogue pairing it seems that Bryan Singer was goona do it till he left for Superman then that Ratner guy fucked evreything up, iam glad Gambit was not in the films and mr Singer and mr Hayter has said time and time again there was little chance of Gambit being in the films anyway, idk why girls like Rogue with Gambit shes more Wolverines type i think.
Gambit is a jackass i love Rogue but i think her only flaw is her relationship with Gambit makes her look bad, the on and off again relationship has been done to death they should either leave her single or pair her with Logan he is her type i think, Gambit is stupid Gambit just wants to get in her pants i think he hurts Rogue so much Gambit needs to date Storm or Psylocke, let Rogue have Logan.
"idk what Rogue sees...
Gambit thinks hes...
Gambit is a jackass..."
Hey dude, quit spamming. If you've got something to say, keep it in a single post. Saying the same thing over and over again just makes you look like a jackass.
Anyway, the article tries and fails horribly to be funny in it's deprecation. It just comes off as sexist and immature. The same is true of most of the comments; they majority of them are terribly uninformed and spiteful. You all sound like a bunch of nerds bitching about the popular guys in school.
Gambit to me thinks hes so cool cause he has the untoachable girl Rogue yet he treats her like a sex toy or dirt, i use to like Gambit when i was little but then he got old and so annoying, i never liked the Gambit Rogue pairing it seems so forced down your throat specially in the 90s cartoon show, i like the voice actor for Rogue Lenore Zann did a great job but her charater and Gambit just don't work in the long run in my opion, i allways thought Rogue would get paired with Wolverine or something cause he seems more her type there personalitys are a match i never liked Logan drooling over boring Jean anyway, Gambit sucks ass.
"Gambit to me thinks hes so cool cause he has the untoachable girl Rogue yet he treats her like a sex toy or dirt"
....You've never even read a comic with Gambit or Rogue in it, have you?
Richard Gere is a great, superheroic man. He has the superpower of being a known gerbiller, and not getting murdered by the 95% of the American population that is disgusted by deviant sexual fetishes.
Gambit is not a good fit with Rogue they don't seem like there in love with each other they seem more sexualy atracted to each other or in lust with each other not love, Gambit is so stupid he thinks hes gods gift to women yuck he is such a clone of Wolverine cept Gambit is very watered down though, i love Rogue but i hate her relationship with Gambit allways did i barely read x-men comics now cause it is the same old boring Gambit Rogue crap it is an endless circle, Gambit should hook up with some other girl and let Rogue be.
i never liked Gambit he is like those guys who thinks they can get any woman they want, i think he likes the chase of Rogue he dose not truly love her i mean if you think about it Rogue is the ultimate forbiding fruit shes a woman you can't touch, i think Gambit loves the chalenge of being with Rogue the danger of it, Rogue use to be cool in the 80s now shes kinda of boring cept when shes with Logan with him shes kick ass again which i like, Gambit truly destroyed the Rogue charater i think i hate Gambit for that.
Gambit to me is just stupid i never liked him much, i like his look well not really i like his coat lol, i never understood what Rogue sees in him never did i mean shes a smart woman you would think she would know Gambit only wants her for her body and sex, Gambit has a wondering eye to me and Rogue deserves a man who respects her and would love her and only her only a few people come to mind Wolverine Magneto Collossus, well Logan just has to let go of Jean once he dose that hes good for the southern belle, Gambit sucks he allways has.
Gambit sucks he just sucks.
i never liked Gambit he seems like one of those guys who wants evreyone to think hes a cool guy and he is the man, the truth is he is a loser who is full of crap, what really tickes me off is that my favorite female x-babe Rogue is with him as a on/off again gf wtf if i was Rogue i would dump his ass and go for a guy like Wolverine or say single, i hate in the 90 cartoon he talked in the third person that got so annoying i wanted to puke lol, iam glad Gambit was not in the films though in retrospect he could have been in x-3 sinse that film sucked Gambit would have fit perfectly in what Ratner and the writers did for that film, Gambit sucks ass allways has allways will.
You look to much into it. relax its a fucking fictional character but his my favourite x-men always has been and always will be but to rip him apart as if he was real. and the costume thing this isn't fucking mtv where they tell you how to dress its a comic book there will always be cheesy costumes. so don't buy his shit move on to your next abomination and give it up...and gambit is going to be in the new x title X-Men Legacy...can't wait...oh and with rogue too...haha (and magneto and professor x little side note)
Gambit just wants Rogue cause she has a rocking body Gambit is to much of a playboy to be tied down to one woman, Rogue deserves better than Gambit i mean Logan is her best friend i never understood why they never did a Logan/Rogue romance they put subtitle hints in the comics that there very atracted to each other, Gambit is a cool charater by himself but he dose not fit with Rogue, Gambit and Rogue never really felt like a loveing romance it felt forced and shoved down the fans throat.
Gambit sucks never liked him much he was allways this guy who thinks hes a big shot so full of himself, he was never really interesting and i really disspised his romance with my favorite female hero Rogue she is to good for Gambit she is out of his league, there are not many guys i can see Rogue with Logan is 1 Collossus maybe Magneto there are not that many guys for the southern babe though, i loved Lenore Zanns Rogue she was hot sexy yet lonely i hated how Gambit would not leave her alone he kept bugging her jeez take a hint jackass, evolution and movie Rogue were good to i liked them, iam glad Gambit was not in the films he might be popular but that dose not mean he is likeable by fans.
wow Gambit is in the Wolverine film interesting lets hope they don't screw it up like x-men 3 did, it is funny Bryan Singer David Hayter even Brett Ratner i beleive said Gambit is to much like Logan to be in a film together they would clash to much, so it is funny that Gambit is in Wolverine, iam glad Rogue is not in it now Gambit and Rogue never felt right it felt like it was just there, Gambit never treated her right anyway he sucks and he allways will suck.
i never liked Gambit much he is ok i guess but the thing that drives me nuts is that he is with the hottest x-babe Rogue and he treats her like a sex toy or plays with her emotions, Gambit is not that great of a charater really he is like those throw away charaters, i wish Rogue would try to hook up with Wolverine or say single she use to be cool in the late 70s and 80s kicking ass now she is a wimp and i think pairing her with Gambit destroyed her charater.
Gambit was a copy of that Longshot charater i think, i never liked Longshot either, i wish Rogue was smarter then to fall for a loser like Gambit but i guess shes kinda wimpy in that reguard, poor Rogue she use to be cool in the late 70s early 80s but when she was paired with Gambit it killed her charater in so many ways.
omg idk if i want to watch the Wolverine film it seems like there just doing it for the hell of it, iam shocked there sticking Gambit in it for really no reason, i never liked him much he seemed like the cool kid at school that evrey girl screams over but who really turns out to be a jerk, i love the Rogue charater and think shes stupid falling for a loser like Gambit i allways thought she had more in common with Wolverine myself, Gambit will probaly get screwed in the new film anyway.
i never liked Gambit much he is such a playboy who thinks he is gods gift to women, and he is so full of himself it makes me sick, what really bothers me is wtf dose Rogue see in that guy before they made the Gambit charater Rogue was a smart strong kick ass young woman but when they paired her with Gambit her personallity changed into this wimpy young woman who is ga ga over Gambit, the x-men comic writers need to let Rogue be single or pair her up with Wolverine they seem to mesh better i think.
i think the Rogue charater was destroyed because of her relationship with Gambit i never bought the love between them, i think a Wolverine Rogue pairing would have more passion i think cause there both very simular yet they can balance each other out, Gambit to me is just a Longshot rip off he is like the cool kid who thinks hes the shit when in fact hes a jackass, i think the only reason people like Gambit is because he has got the hottest x-woman Rogue, Gambit to me is just a gimmick type charater nothing more.
i hated Gambit sinse the 92 cartoon i never believed Rogue was in love with him to me i think she liked the atension Gambit gave her, and he got off on that and wanted more from her sexually and stuff, never liked him much he is so full of himself allways hogging Rogue she can do better like Collossus or Wolverine in my opion.
Ugh get over yourself you tubby loser.
iam surprised Gambit is in the Wolverine film iam sure he is only there to increase the fan count and put asses in seats, i bet Fox will screw it up though like they did x-men 3, Gambit never clicked with me as a kid i allways saw something special between Logan and Rogue that never really got fleshed out well, Gambit and Rogue felt forced and wrong for each other, i never understood the Gambit apeal.
i saw a pic of Gambit in the new Wolverine film he looks like a douce lol, i think Gambit and Rogue never really clicked as a couple i mean even in the old 90s cartoon it was allways Gambit chaseing Rogue, i spoke to Lenore Zann through youtube and she told me that Rogue was atracted to Gambit she never said anything about love, she voiced Rogue in the 90s x-men show, Gambit is to much of a player for a woman like Rogue.
Gambit sucks because to me hes just a Wolverine wannabe, there are minor diferences between Logan and Gambit but not many, i do like Gambits look i just hate his personality, i think the Rogue Gambit relationship is not a healthy one for either of them, Rogue deserves a man who would love her for her and not lie to her or try to use her body against her like Gambit dose sometimes, i think Colossus or maybe Wolverine would fit better with Rogue then Gambit Iceman or Magneto.
i never got the whole Gambit apeal he is just a typical charater who thinks hes the shit, he claims to love Rogue which i doubt, yet he bangs other women, i think the Gambit Rogue thing makes me hate Gambit the most, i just never bought that there in love, even in the 90s cartoon it was Gambit chaseing Rogue, i spoke to Lenore Zann who voiced the 90s Rogue and she told me that she thinks Rogue was only atracted to Gambit she never said she loved him, if i recall Gambit is the only one who expressed his love for her i don"t remember Rogue ever saying she loved Gambit in the cartoon, i hate Gambit he has a good look i just hate his charater.
GAMBIT RULES GAMW TI MANA SOU BASTARDI
Look Kiddies, before there was gambit they had longshot. The difference was longshot was humble and not a douche. He was the proto 80's guy vs the proto 90's guy. I think most guys infatuation with rogue was because she ONLY kissed to absorb you. Who wouldn't want to be part of her.
I also think there is an problem with the writing away of rogues powers while with gambit. Though that may have happened when she journeyed through the siege perilous. I stopped buying comics regularly at around 275 though I did go on to buy comics here and there till the animation morphed into something too Yu Gi Oh for my liking.
Rogue was at her best while palling around with Logan when she could fly and was strong. They had gotten rid of colossus during this period so wolvie needed someone to be his friend that wasn't a kid like Jubilee. There is another rehashed character.
Jubilee was like a dazzler lite character. Again showing how Marvel was recycling ideas after killing off characters from series.
Longshot/bobby drake(iceman)=Gambit
Dazzler=Jubilee
Forge=Cable/Bishop
Phoenix=Phoenix 2=Psylocke(though psylocke was very cool)
Etc
Wolvie has fanboys because he was the first true anti hero that marvel showcased. But was also like Lobo from DC while Wade Wilson DeadPool is a rip off of DC Slade Wilson Deathstroke.
Gambit had much to hate but could have been a good character if he didn't one up everyone, get the girl who no one could have, and have no flaw. All the while he had no defences body armour or healing factor, nothing to save his ass from defeat.
I am also one of those pissed off 30 something that stopped reading cuz of the influx of characters like him. He represent a changing of the guard, much as wolvie does to those that are 45 and loved cyclops(though I can't understand why) If you are happen to be a kid when the 94 series was on it would be hard not to be attracted to gambit to some degree. Much the same as when I see Goose/Zach Fox from Galaxy Ranger or Roy Folker/Scott Bernard in Robotech. I don't consider him in their class but someone in their early 20's would probably think those 4 lame. But I thought they were awesome.
Lots of reason to hate gambit, but yeah he gives of that warren beatty/richard gere/ kevin costnar vibe. He knows how to pick a good movie to be in(same as gambit being in X-men instead of lame fantastic four), but is reviled by males because no one that cheesy should get away with it.
Give me Kurt Russel or Wolverine any day. Heck I'd take the brilliant Beast over the goofy Gambit.
As clever and witty as this is, it makes me love Gambit even more. He is totally not a tool. The whole reason he can't kiss Rogue is because you know... he could die!!!!
Oh and I love Rogue too. Don't be dissin.
<3 Jubilee
i hate Gambit cause he treats Rogue like a sex toy saying all this romantic talk trying to butter her up and keep her off guard. all he wants from Rogue is sex that is all he wants from her i mean seriously he just wants to be the first man to take her virginity. Rogue can do so much better then Gambit she is so weak now i miss the tough ass Rogue in the 80s that was Rogue not this oh Gambit touchy crap. Rogue dose not need a man to define her she is her own woman.
^ GET A LIFE. Posting the same thing with different words 100 times doesn't make your opinion any more valid, it merely proves that you are a uber loser who needs to get a life.
So, did you intend to put an actual reason in this but forgot, do you not know what the word "reason" means, or are you just indulging in some self-gratification?
All you bitter and pathetic "fans" make me laugh! The worst X-Men ever has to be without a doubt the Mary Sue most famously known as Wolverine: I've been reading the X-Men comics since the 70s and think he is the worst thing to happen to the team! The fact that the 4 horrible X-Men movies were dedicated to his overrated hairball and that he was played by that "fairy" Hugh Jackman only increased my hatred for the hideously disgusting Canadian creation, then there are the pathetic fanboys of which Shit Pitoniak whose posted anonymously here (get a life loser!) belongs to that category that only increase my hatred for the character: that pathetic Pitoniak noob is such a loser and a troll always going on and on about how Wolverine belongs with Rogue blah blah blah: Have you actually read an X-Men comic asswipe? you say Gambit bangs other women? of course he's entitled to when they're broken up and Rogue's a whiny, pathetic bitch with a poor me attitude whose basically pushed him away when he's showed her he loves her. Your beloved Woverine's not so chaste either despite being hideously ugly, that just goes to show how much of a Mary Sue Logan actually is. Shit Pitoniak also goes on and on about how Lenore Zann says Rogue likes both Gambit and Wolverine: whatever douchebag! Lenore Zann hasn't logged into her You Tube account for nearly a year ... gee I wonder why? perhaps it's because she actually has a life and wants to avoid delusional asshats like you? Point is I wholeheartedly disagree on this ridiculous notion that Gambit is the worst X-Men character when the team's resident Mary Sue Wolverine clearly owns that title. Breanna
Ha ha ha!
Thanks, I'm always game for a good "Gambit sucks" rant.
Because he really does
Suck that is.
in fairnes I should probably add that Cable, Bishop and Wolverine sucks far more than Gambit.
And plenty of other chars too, but they are too numerous and insignificant to mention.
gambit fans ,for you mes amis je suis de tout coeur avec vous.
gambit cable & bishop are characters that can actually be used in so many directions and are deeper than silver age fetishists make them out to be
I like Gambit as a self-serving survivalist with a masochistic streak.or 3 dimensional douche as you put it
I remember buying those early issues where he was first introduced with Storm and thinking what a fun character this could be, an excellent dynamic to play off of more noble X-characters.Nicieza played up the character well, but later they kind of messed him up and made him a little too soft, and he lost some of his luster.
They should leave him anti-heroesque, on the fringes of the X-teams, working both sides to his advantage. It's part of why #9 of his solo is my favorite Gambit appearance. He's such a heartless prick in the issue that even Creed is impressed.
I love Gambit so much more when he's being a manipulative, self interested dick. No-one's properly written him like that since Fabian Nicieza got thrown off his solo series. He's just no fun as 'a thief with a heart of gold'- there's no edge. And he's so much less attractive as a character.
Gambit under Nicieza was Jack Sparrow like. There hasn't been any one who could write Gambit as well as Fabian did.
I always liked Fabian's Gambit all the way back to his X-Men writing days but when he came back to write the Gambit series, I couldn't have been more impressed. The first year did what many said couldn't be done. Revitilize the character and prove that Gambit could carry a book and it could be great. Even those who said the character should never have gotten a series grudgingly admitted that it was good. Fabian acknowledged past history without letting it bog him down and created a supporting cast in Jean-Luc, Courier, Fontenelle, the Mengos, Mercy, etc. that was better than many books have ever had in much longer runs. The book had direction and character development and growth. And Fabian showed he could work that same magic with Thunderbolts following a good lead and making it even better.
Thus as a 90's fan i let you enjoy your 80's that are soooo overrated & i'll have what characters like Gambit brought me: FUN! oh for the record,i'm a straight man & not jealous of a fictional character, & if he were real you would think twice before slapping a guy who can turn you into ashes after stealing your wallet
i heard that chris claremont did not intend for Gambit to be paired with Rogue it was done after he left or something like that or so i heard.
Hater
I can understand why people dislike Gambit, and I'll admit the conflict actually adds a bit to my loving the character so much. To be honest a lot of the things people complain about with the character are things i hate about him to. But they are not things in Gambit's proverbial control.
The silly ass half helmet thing, fuschia(yeah, not pink, and perhaps gayer) armor and douche-tastic trench coat are cringe worthy. But I blame that on the gaudy fashion heights of the 90's and the played up attempts to make him cooler then cool. And yeah, the way they mangled creole accents like they were almost makign fun of cajuns through him was no fun either. Even the playing cards he throws are silly gimmick.
Nonetheless, I love how writers brought him around to OWN the silliness. The better writers paint him as a charming entertainer at heart. Showy, over the top and kicking but with style. His fuschia armor is like the "Boy named Sue", just daring the insecure and stupid to call me a sissy for it, so he can make a homophobe joke back at their expense. And the playing cards.. gimmicky, hell yeah, but tactically amazingly sound. Everyone complains why doesn't he throw exploding blades or darts or tennis balls. Mostly because they are heavier and bulkier, and as he explains in comics himself a pack of playing cards is like carrying 52 little bombs in his pocket.... and he has a LOTTA pockets. As for how he throws them so straight and deadly... that streaming pink tail would be the back end of the card burning off like a rocket for range and trajectory. Besides, he's also been known to throw just whatever is on hands, from billiard balls to anchors, not to mention to mention the poor idiots who get their clothing or armor charged with a touch(Even got Captain America with that, briefly). Still.. I can't defend the half helmet.. and am very thankfully they don't have him wearing it lately.
Most of the Gambit haters I find though, and many people throughout this post have said the same, is because of his relationship with Rogue. Which actually is sort of a love hate thing for me too. When I was younger and it was all about that no touching thing, it was ridiculous and annoying. Then as things changed and Rogue's powers came and went and they could touch they found all new problems, mostly stemming from how distrustful they both were, especially of one another. Both have troubled pasts of getting people who care for them hurt. Rogue with her powers and the horrid stress of so many personalities dancing in her head, and Gambit for his larcenous ways, flirtatious nature and mountain of secret agendas and ties he doesn't share with her, or any of the spandex wearing community.
That aside, whether it was intentional by writers or pure cosmic chance, I do love how it has all played out. Not just looking from issue to issue as I read, but looking back on the scope. When he first came to the X-men(in the gawdy 90's) he was playing his role as the mysterious rake, having fun acting at being a hero and flirting with any girl that came along. He stuck on Rogue though, the one he couldn't have; the untouchable treasure. For young Remy it was a romantic ideal as a thief to take what he couldn't have. And yeah, in those days she was just another prize to him. But it cut both ways. Rogue saw him as an untamed ladies man, who could get any girl he wanted. So she wanted him to want her. They were both immature and prone to stealing what others had, what they wanted. That's why they got so deep, trying to each own the other. you don't like that review of Rogue? Then you never paid attention to her earlier years, or the first Gambit solo title, where she is temtped to, and then accidentally did, steal Bella Donna's memories of life with Gambit, just to have it for herself. Then the world is about to end... and they kiss.
(Continued below)
(Continued)
First off, I'll say the Age of Apocolypse was an interesting look into the alternative of their relationship, and that godless abomination that is the Rogue/Magneto pairing, which I will come back to later. But the more interesting part is when the real world restarts. She's haunted by terrible feelings of Remy's past, that she can't quite see the details of, and he goes after her, just as horrified that she would see beyond the charming bad boy exterior, to the pains he carries with him. That is when they really solidify, when they start to see how flawed and desperate they both really are. And throughout the series, I have both loved and hated the roller coaster ride of the pairing(some writers and editors making me hate it more then others) but the fact remains, no one has cut more to the bone with either character, brought either more out of their shells, and cool bad ass comfort zones to make them take a look at themselves and really change the way they did for each other. Most just preach at them, or yell at them, or tell them to suck it up and move on. But together, they do something a bit more important. They hurt each other. Then, they make it better, either together, or by themselves. But they become a motivator, a spurring instigation for change.
I really like where the characters are right now.(Spoilers ahead! Don't read past here if you aren't caught up!) Rogue, in control of her powers and herself, confident and determined to prove herself as an Avenger, she's earned her piece of mind that she can stand up as herself, without needing to steal the lives of others, and Remy was a major part in her helping her find her strength, and see through her weakness. And Remy the literal King of Thieves and the narrating heart of the new X-Factor team. I really hope both those aspects play out going forward. Polaris may be the named leader of the team, but Gambit is the soul, and soothing voice trying to urge this toward becoming something more. Maybe he'll finally rise to a proper leadership role. I did love him leading the X-ternals.
Though in a way his King of Thieves role there is a hell of a lot of potential to grow on, for him to become a serious influence in the marvel universe at large. Not as another OMFGSUPERTELEPATHPHEONIXONSLAUGHTIRONMAN!!!, but as a subtle overlapping presence in the shadows, helping guide the world. Think Stark Enterprises with more theft and smuggling of black market super stuff, and slightly less embezzlement to build metal underpants.(Okay, technically carbon nano-tubes lately, but whatever). But even still, I like him not for his potential for being a global source of awesome, but more for the fact that he doesn't try to be.
Even this new position as the King of the Thieves Guilds is less something he aimed for, and more just something thrust upon him. He prefers to be the carefree, low key flirt, seeking his fortunes and thrills like a modern day Robin Hood. Even in the New Sun Arc, and even the original deal with Sinister to inhibit his powers, he shuns superawesomedom(copyrighting that). He lets the big wig narcissists play Destroyer or Messiah, and just does what he can to keep a balance, often ignoring them all together. Unlike his paramour, Rogue, he isn't indoctrinated into the Xavier school 'Save the World' way of thinking. he's more then happy to just live in the world. But just like the Thieves looking to him to be leader, the X-men expected him to follow the call, and he did. If anything, he's guilty of rising to expectations, even when he REALLY doesn't want to. But he does it all the same, because in spite of being a life long scoundrel, he was brought up with a sense of duty to family and friends. But he more then most sees the lies and hypocracy to guys like Xavier and Magneto, Cyclops, Cable and even the preciously touted Wolverine.
(Yeah.. more continued)
(continued!)
They all think that they are the One and Only One who sees through the bullshit of the world and they have to be the one who rises up and stops it, because no one else can do what they do. Not Remy. He's a secretive loner in a lot of things, but he's not too proud to ask for help or buck the traditions of the hardass lone wolf to get the job done. Heck, just in the last self titled series of his(which was fricking amazing by the way), how does he get away from a deathtrap surrounded by a prison full of supervillains? Kick all their asses and save the day solo? NO! He calls in back up from the Avengers and MI13, neither of which even liking him much, and gets them to do the heavy lifting for him! Hell. That comic stretch even got me to like Pete Wisdom! And that's what I love about Gambit. Not how much ass he can kick. Not how flirty he is with the ladies(though it is impressive), but how he forms relationships and gets people to look past their high ideals, and back down to simpler things. Too much in comics is OMFGTHEWORLDISENDING...AGAIN! Remy has seen too much of it, and just tries to do what he feels is best. That's where he is at in his life now, just being real.
So to go back to the Rogue/Remy haters, it seems most fall into the camps of wanting Rogue with either Wolverine or Magneto. Personal.. either of those options turn my stomache. First off with Wolverine. I love the Canuckle-head, but not for the reason most do. Yeah, he's as badass as badass can be, with his brutal claws, ability to come back from having his organs blasted out in super gore style and the classy machismo which so many fanboys wish they could have. But i love him more for what the character has grown into. I never really gave a damn about him when he was a 2D growling killing machine with a mysterious past and way to much time on his hands(how is he in ever conflict in the marvel universe at once?!) I grew to love him for the father figure role he came to evolve into, particularly for daugher figures like Kitty pride, Jubilee and Rogue. Yes, Rogue. It may be a lot of chauvanistic charm, but he does have a natural bend to guarding damsels in distress. The girls who really need someone to protect them and look up to them, he's there. But he's not trying to seduce them(least I hope he's not that lolita complexed). He tries to help them grow into stronger forcers. To that end, just as much as Gambit, Wolverine has been crucial to Rogue in her standing up and taking charge of her life. He taught her she could be a leader, because just like him she was coming from a troubled past she did not want to think back on, and trying to conform to the ideals Xavier taught. And in a way they have, way more so then Xavier's original students. That is why Wolverine is the embodiment most rally to as the heart of the X-men. That drive to lift up others and be that father figure is why I love him. And that's what he is for Rogue. A Father. Stop making it creepy.
As for Magneto.... what the Hell is wrong with you people? 0_o
(Continued once more.. then I'll stop)
(Last part!)
No offense, but the guy is a Megalomaniac rollercoaster. The only times he is ever on the side of good or reason is following some catastrophic tragedy which he caused! Then he mopes and feels real bad about it, so goes to the default setting of trying to act like Xavier, to be a pacifist leader. But then that sociopath doesn't even get that right. Because he's just as twisted and corrupting as an non violent instuctor as a world threatening terrorist. Then, as soon as his confidence in his almight Messiah complex builds back up, he's right back to destroying and damning all humanity for not being nice enough to bow to his people like gods. Sociopaths are like that. They do not identify with the feelings of others, so much as how they are affected by those people. That's why he can be killing children one day, and telling Rogue he loves her the next. Because she represents an ideal for hm, of a perfect and innocent love, which he feels he is entitled to. It is not about making her happy or complete. It is about getting what he feels he deserves. Even when he is acting loving and supportive to Rogue and others, it is because he is trying to act how he thinks he is supposed to act, how he thinks Charles Xavier would act. Then eventually he goes back to feeling people NEED him to stand up and make the humans suffer.. and he's off to do that instead. That is the Furthest thing from Love.
Remy is the offset from those two extreme high ideals. He is just a person, like her, flawed and tossed about by the whims and wants of others, and reaching out for a rock to anchor onto through the storm. No, they don't give eachother some grandiose drama for the world to face, like Cyclops and Jean Grey(The most boring repetitive nonsense in all history... sorry to their fans, but I always found every incarnation fo both of them and the Pheonix force nonsense and all their time warped children to be a vapid and overblown affair.) They give eachother something more important. Someone he lets them step down from the high ideals, and just be happy.
At the moment, they are not together, and in the long run, I think that's a good thing. They both needed space to grow and find themselves. But they do still have a connection, and if the god's of marvel are fair, they will work it out.
At the least.... it's better then the alternatives. 0_0
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