Marvel’s Deadpool & Wolverine features quite an assortment of exciting cameos and appearances from some mainstay characters of the Marvel Universe. Some characters had not appeared on the big screen in years, including The Human Torch/Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), Blade (Wesley Snipes), and Elektra (Jennifer Garner). However, other characters in the film have previously appeared on the big screen, but they were portrayed by different actors.
One of the most exciting appearances in Deadpool & Wolverine is the big-screen appearance of the mutant X-Men hero, Remy LeBeau, aka Gambit, as portrayed by Channing Tatum. This is the second big-screen appearance of Gambit, who was first played by Taylor Kitsch in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Interestingly, both iterations of the character ignore one of Gambit’s coolest features: his red and black eyes. It’s time to take a deeper look at how Gambit’s live-action appearances on the big screen always disregard one of Gambit’s most striking traits.
Gambit Has Black and Red Eyes in Marvel Comics
Gambit has sported his dark eyes since the character first appeared in the pages of The Uncanny X-Men #266 in June 1990, when he helped save Storm from the clutches of the Shadow King. Later stories would eventually peel back Gambit’s backstory. While most mutants do not exhibit their X-gene powers until puberty, Gambit was born with unique eyes, featuring red irises and black sclera. Due to his unique eye colors, his birth parents believed they had spawned a satanic child, and they left their infant son at an orphanage. The infant Gambit was later kidnapped from his New Orleans orphanage by the LeBeau Clan of the Thieves Guild, who raised Gambit. After saving Storm, Gambit was eventually granted membership in the X-Men, sparking a whirlwind on-again/off-again romance with fellow member Rogue and becoming one of the team’s most popular members. Throughout the past several decades, Gambit has maintained his unique eye color, but the feature never translated over to Gambit’s film appearances.
Gambit’s Movie Appearances Don’t Incorporate His Unique Eye Color
Gambit’s eyes are normally colored in both X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and now, Deadpool & Wolverine. It’s frustrating that the films do not include Gambit’s unique eyes, since they are a crucial part of his backstory. Gambit’s birth parents rejected their son and gave him up for adoption due to his unique eye color. In other words, the distinctive color of Gambit’s eyes eventually put him on the path to becoming a master thief with the Thieves Guild. Gambit would eventually cross paths with Mister Sinister, who charges Gambit with assembling the Marauders, the group responsible for the Mutant Massacre. Despite his involvement in assembling the Marauders, Gambit would eventually find redemption through the X-Men. Therefore, Gambit’s eyes represent more than just a cool physical trait. His eyes dictated his ultimate path and fate to one day join the X-Men.
‘X-Men ’97’ Includes Gambit’s Comic Book Eyes
The good news is that while the live-action versions don’t adapt Gambit’s striking eye color, his animated versions keep them intact. Gambit’s animated appearances in X-Men: The Animated Series and Spider-Man: The Animated Series in the 1990s, X-Men: Evolution and Wolverine and the X-Men in the 2000s, and this year’s X-Men ’97 all keep Gambit’s red and black eyes. X-Men: The Animated Series is likely the first frame of reference for many fans of Gambit, sparking a wave of new fans due to his trademark swagger, dazzling sense of style, fantastic costume, charm, and unique eyes. Thankfully, Deadpool & Wolverine did manage to adapt Gambit’s cool comic book costume, his Cajun accent, and his awesome power set on the big screen. At the very least, Deadpool & Wolverinebeautifully depicts Gambit’s powers in action.
Wolverine joins the “merc with a mouth” in the third installment of the Deadpool film franchise.
- Release Date
- July 26, 2024
- Cast
- Ryan Reynolds , Hugh Jackman , Emma Corrin , Morena Baccarin , Rob Delaney , Leslie Uggams , Karan Soni , Matthew Macfadyen , Brianna Hildebrand , Shioli Kutsuna , Stefan Kapicic , Lewis Tan , Randal Reeder , Jennifer Garner , Aaron Stanford , Billy Clements , Ollie Palmer , Chris Hemsworth , Rob McElhenney
- Runtime
- 127 Minutes
Deadpool & Wolverine is available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.
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