I reckon a solo MCU movie focused on Channing Tatum's version of Gambit would be the perfect place to redeem another wasted mutant hero from 20th Century Fox's X-Men franchise. Channing Tatum spent years vying for the role of the Cajun mutant Remy LeBeau, and I was thrilled to see him finally portray Gambit in Marvel Studios' Deadpool & Wolverine. The Phase 5 movie delivered the second and most comic-accurate version of Gambit in live-action, and I would love to see Channing Tatum reprise the role in the MCU's future.
Channing Tatum first auditioned to play Gambit in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand, and later was planned to appear as the Cajun hero in a solo movie in Fox's X-Men franchise. This didn't come to fruition, but Ryan Reynolds finally gave Tatum to play his dream X-Men role in Deadpool & Wolverine, who has quickly become one of my favorite characters in the MCU. Many have expressed hopes that Channing Tatum will reprise the role of Gambit in the MCU's future, and I reckon this would be a great way to introduce even more X-Men members.
Ryan Reynolds Hints At An MCU Gambit Movie After Deadpool & Wolverine
There Have Been Calls For Channing Tatum To Return As Gambit
In a recent conversation with Entertainment Weekly, Ryan Reynolds suggested that Marvel Studios are "obsessed" with Channing Tatum in the role of Gambit, and hints at this version of the hero possibly returning to the MCU. I thought it was clever for Reynolds to relate Tatum's Gambit to his own superhero role, as there was little hope from Fox in a live-action Deadpool prior to the release of 2016's Deadpool. Now that Channing Tatum's Gambit has been proven to work, it seems likely he could be brought back to the role, which is very exciting.
I honestly don't know what goes on behind closed doors in the bookkeeping sessions at Marvel, but I do know that they're obsessed with him in that role. It's kind of like the same situation I went through. Once you show that it works well, that's really what they need. Sometimes they just need to see it in action. And Channing is so singular in how he plays that character, but also he's so beautiful physically, the way he moves and the way he can pick up steps.
Channing Tatum’s Gambit Movie Should Show The Darker Sides Of His Character
Gambit Is Much More Than Just An X-Men Hero
One of the most exciting opportunities that a solo movie starring Channing Tatum as Gambit presents is that the darker sides of this hero could be seen after Deadpool & Wolverine. Tatum played a heightened version of Gambit for comic relief in Deadpool & Wolverine, with Marvel urging him to exaggerate his Cajun accent and fully embrace the joyous sides to the character. However, as many of us know, Gambit has a dark side and a villainous history in Marvel Comics, which I would love to see in a grittier and more raw solo movie.
Gambit grew up as part of the Thieves' Guild before being hired by Nathaniel Essex's Mister Sinister to infiltrate the Weapon X program and form the Marauders, a group of deadly mercenaries. Helping Storm gave Gambit the opportunity to turn his life around and become a member of the X-Men, and it seems Deadpool & Wolverine's Gambit had already been through all these major life events. I would love to see the backstory of Channing Tatum's Gambit explored in detail in a solo movie, showing off his darker sides rather than using him solely for comedic purposes.
I Want A Comic-Accurate Rogue To Appear Alongside Channing Tatum’s Gambit
I'd Love To See Rogue & Gambit's Relationship Develop In Live-Action
If Channing Tatum's Gambit becomes more comic-accurate in the MCU's future, I would love to see a more faithful interpretation of Rogue brought into live-action, too. Rogue is one of my favorite X-Men members, and her long-running relationship with Gambit in Marvel Comics has been incredible to see develop. It was a shame that this romance was never seen in Fox's X-Men franchise. Rogue has dark roots in Marvel Comics, too, so I reckon it would be perfect to introduce the MCU's Rogue in a dark Gambit solo movie.
|
Rogue's Live-Action Movie |
Year |
Role |
|---|---|---|
|
X-Men |
2000 |
Main Role |
|
X2: X-Men United |
2003 |
Main Role |
|
X-Men: The Last Stand |
2006 |
Main Role |
|
X-Men: Days of Future Past |
2014 |
Director's Cut Cameo |
Rogue began her Marvel Comics career as the adopted daughter of Mystique and a member of the Brotherhood of Mutants, and she ends up absorbing Carol Danvers' powers and fighting the X-Men and Avengers. Professor X eventually recruits Rogue to the X-Men, reforming her completely, while Rogue and Gambit's dark pasts bond them brilliantly. Anna Paquin's Rogue was anything but comic-accurate in Fox's X-Men movies, so I would love for more of the character's Marvel Comics backstory to be explored in the MCU's future.
Both Rogue & Gambit Deserve More Attention In The MCU
Rogue & Gambit Were Both Wasted In Fox's X-Men Franchise
Rogue and Gambit were two of the most underused and wasted characters in Fox's X-Men franchise, so I think they are more deserving of redemption in the MCU than most. Anna Paquin's Rogue had a main role in the original X-Men trilogy between 2000 and 2006, but was not at all comic-accurate and never got a real chance to show off the full range of her impressive abilities. Rogue is a crucial member of the X-Men in Marvel Comics, so it would be great to see her finally get the attention she deserves in the MCU.
The best way for this to happen would be by partnering Rogue with Gambit, and a solo movie focused on the pair would give them plenty of time to be developed fully. Deadpool & Wolverine proved that a live-action Gambit, a comic-accurate one at that, works well, far better than Taylor Kitsch's iteration from 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine. After Ryan Reynolds' comments, I'm thrilled that Channing Tatum might return to the MCU as Gambit, but I'd want this to not be such a funny performance, and debut his tumultuous relationship with Rogue instead.
