Hero Of The Day Vol. 2: The Ragin' Cajun

Real name: Remy LeBeau

Former aliases: None known
Identity: Secret
Occupation: (current) Adventurer, (former) Professional Thief
Legal status: Citizen of the United States with no criminal record
Place of birth: New Orleans, Louisiana
Marital status: Separated from his wife
Known relatives: Jean-Luc LeBeau (father), Bella Donna Boudreaux (wife, separated)
Base of operations: (current) Xavier Institute, Salem Center, Westchester County, New York State, (former) New Orleans, Louisiana; Paris, France; Cairo, Illinois
Group affiliation: (current) X-Men, (former) Thieves Guild (New Orleans)
First appearance: UNCANNY X-MEN #266, August 1990



He was born in New Orleans, yet abandoned at birth due to his burning red eyes. The child who would one day become Remy LeBeau was kidnapped by members of the New Orleans Thieves Guild. They referred to the child as "le diable blanc" - the white devil - and believed he was prophesied to unite the warring Thieves and Assassins Guilds. Soon after, Remy was placed in the care of a gang of street thieves who raised the child and taught him the ways of thievery. After living as an orphan on the streets, Remy attempted to pick the pocket of Jean-Luc LeBeau, then patriarch of the Thieves Guild. Jean-Luc took the boy in off the streets and adopted him into his own family. In an attempt to reconcile the Thieves and Assassins Guilds, Remy married Bella Donna Boudreaux, daughter of the head Assassin. Unfortunately, he was challenged by and killed her brother Julien in a duel after the wedding and he was exiled from the city and his relationship with Belle.

Not much is known of Gambit’s life over the following years since his exile from New Orleans, except that he wandered the world and became a master thief. He also made many contacts (and quite a few enemies) during that time. At one point Remy approached the master geneticist Mister Sinister for help in controlling his powers. Sinister surgically altered Remy's brain to reduce his power levels, thus affording him a greater degree of control. Gambit undertook several missions for Sinister, since he was indebted to him. Eventually, Gambit refused to serve him longer and Sinister decided to declare their debt settled after one last mission.

This mission included collecting a group of superpowered mercenaries (among them a deadly enemy – Sabretooth – and a good friend – Grey Crow aka Scalphunter) and lead them into the tunnel of the subterranean mutant tribe called the Morlocks. Remy was under the mistaken belief that Sinister just wanted to gather knowledge on mutants or capture them. However, he was horrified to learn the truth, as the Marauders started slaughtering all Morlocks upon arriving. Unable to stop the killers, he managed to at least save one little girl named Sarah from them and took her to safety. The young Morlock girl grew up to become the X-Man named Marrow.

After much wandering around the world, he rescued Storm from Nanny when she had been transformed into a child. After taking her on a stealing spree across America, she brought him back to the X-Men. Gambit fought alongside the X-Men, learning as much as he could about them without revealing details of his past, not even his real name. Only Wolverine had his doubts about the Cajun, which led to a Danger Room duel between them that Gambit easily won (which might have to do with his rigging the fight).

When the original five rejoined and the X-Men were divided into two squads, Gambit became part of the Blue team under Cyclops’ leadership. He became interested in one of his teammates in particular, Rogue, and started flirting with her, despite her off-putting manner and the obstacle of her uncontrollable power that prevented anyone from touching her. They started becoming more and more interested in each other, even though their first date was disrupted by a villain’s attack. Even still, the two fell in love.

It was eventually revealed that Remy had a dark secret. Rogue was so traumatized by absorbing his memories in Israel that she ran away from the X-Men for a time. Later, at a mockery of a trial, she was forced to kiss him again, revealing that he had assembled the team of Marauders for Sinister that later killed most of the Morlocks, outcast mutants living in New York's sewers, regardless of the previously written story that showed the Marauders had followed one of the Morlocks' own members, Tommie, to their home beneath the city. This apparent revelation and absorbing Gambit's own guilty memories caused Rogue to reject him.

Remy was subsequently captured and brought before a mock trial held by Magneto, the mutant master of magnetism, then disguised as Erik the Red. Remy was summarily cast out of the X-Men and was abandoned in the frozen wastes of Antarctica. Starving to death, Remy made his way back into Magneto's citadel, where he encountered the psionic essence of a dead mutant named Mary Purcell. The wraith-like Mary bonded with him, allowing him to survive until he reached the Savage Land, a hidden jungle nestled in the icy wasteland. There, Remy struck a deal with the enigmatic being known as the New Sun. In exchange for passage back to America, Remy agreed to run errands for the New Sun.
Cover art from the Gambit comic series
Enlarge
Cover art from the Gambit comic series

When Gambit's psyche absorption had worn off, Rogue spent months searching for Gambit, to no avail. Remy encountered the X-Men again when he attempted to steal the fabled Crimson Gem of Cyttorak for his new employer. He agreed to return to the team, mainly for his self-respect and for Rogue. At one point he became the field leader of a branch of X-Men. His love for Rogue was still intact, but her inability to control her powers made her break it off out of fear of hurting him. He later joined the team searching for the Books of Truth. He was captured and used as a 'human battery' by the interdimensional warlord Khan, which drained his powers to such an extent that, despite remaining alive, he could no longer charge objects. He and Rogue, also drained of her powers while saving him, went on leave for a time to try and sort out their relationship.

Meanwhile, the New Sun revealed his true identity after organising an assassination game for a cadre of super-powered mercenaries with Remy as the target. The attempt failed, and Remy learned that the New Sun was an alternate reality version of himself. In his reality, the New Sun's kinetic charging powers had flared out of control, burning the world and killing everyone but himself. As a result, the New Sun hunted down and killed versions of himself in other realities to ensure that they would not repeat his mistakes. During their final battle, Remy burned through his enhanced powers to defeat the New Sun, ending his threat and returning his powers to their normal level.

Remy was later framed by mutant businessman Sebastian Shaw for the death of the Australian crime lord named Viceroy. With the assistance of Rogue, her team of X-Treme X-Men, and former Triad member Red Lotus, Gambit was able to clear his name. Soon after, Remy became embroiled in the X-Men's fight against an alien invasion of Earth. He was captured and used as a power source for the invaders to open a portal that would allow their full invasion fleet to pass through and complete the conquest of Earth. The X-Treme team's enemy, the enhanced human named Vargas, halted the process by plunging his sword into Remy's chest. Remy survived, but found that he had lost his mutant abilities. As a result, he and the also powerless Rogue sought to live a normal life together and retired from the X-Men.

When they returned, they were still both powerless. Shortly afterwards, however, Sage "jump-started" his powers, with Rogue's aid. However, this proved to be more of a curse than a blessing when one of his cards quite literally blew up in his face, blinding him. Gambit remained blind for several months, until Sage managed to restore his eyesight with her abilities once more. As Storm felt he needed time in rehab, Gambit – along with Rogue – is not on her team anymore. Apparently feeling differently, Cyclops assigned both of them to another X-Men squad led by Havok, despite the fact that neither one (or any of the other members on the squad) is happy with being there.

Recently, in the miniseries X-Men the End: Heroes and Martyrs Gambit was revealed to be the son of Sinister, leading some to speculate that Gambit is the long sought after Third Summers Brother. Writer Chris Claremont has promised to reveal the identity of the Third Summers Brother, which was ultimately revealed as Gambit in X-Men the End: Heroes and Martyrs #5.

Chris Claremont had originally intended for Gambit to secretly be a villain, and he would eventually betray the X-Men. However, the plot was changed to make the character of Onslaught the X-Men's betrayer instead when Claremont left and Gambit became an extremely popular character.

Alternate versions

[/center]


In Exiles Gambit was the team leader of Weapon X (exactly like the Exiles but more ruthless). He first showed up in Exiles #23-#25 where Weapon X had to work with Iron Man to kill all of the Inhumans. They succeeded and went to the next reality.

He later appeared again with Weapon X in Exiles #38-#40 and #43-#45. It appeared that he and Storm had been in a relationship and that back in his alternate reality he and Storm (another one from his alternate reality) were married. Storm was now dead and replaced by Hyperion. In this mission Weapon X was supposed to kill the ten remaining mutants in this reality but this evil version of Hyperion wanted to be the ruler of this Earth. The heroes didn't want to murder anyone anyway, but a battle with Hyperion soon followed. Hyperion shot off Gambit's arm, forcing Gambit to retreat into the Morlock tunnels. Hyperion murdered most of the Weapon X team.

Finally the Exiles appeared and they figured out what the true nature of the mission was, although they initially refused to go through with it. They were to kill six members of Weapon X and the Exiles. Hyperion and an evil version of Ms. Marvel (who had already taken care of most of the killing) forced them to fight. In the end Hyperion was seemingly killed by Gambit after Blink had injured him sufficiently to make him vulnerable. Gambit was disintegrated in the blast. It was revealed later that Hyperion was accidentally reanimated by extradimensional aliens.




Gambit can charge inanimate objects with kinetic energy giving them explosive power. One of his trademark tricks is to hurl a deck of cards at an opponent, charging each card and turning it into a deadly projectile. His other tricks have included charging a wad of chewing gum when he was otherwise entirely tied up, and charging the floor of an entire room, causing it to explode with great force.

He often wields a telescoping adamantium staff, and has enhanced agility and stamina. On several occasions he has shown an ability to charm people through mild hypnosis, and seems immune to mind reading and psychic attacks because of the charged potential energy always in his body. This charming ability may not be a result of hypnosis but appears to have the potential to be an empathy-based power, leading people to believe that Gambit has the potential to be an Omega-level mutant.

Aside from the abilities granted by his mutation, Gambit is a master thief and excellent hand-to-hand combatant. He seems to have some training in the martial arts and a technique for using his staff that resembles kendo.