Gambit

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.

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.

Note: It might be observed that Gambit's cultural baggage as a "cajun" and native of New Orleans is deeply inaccurate and indicative of Claremont and subsequent writers' lack of knowledge of the area. Many details, from the spelling of his name, the use of supposedly "cajun" french phrases that are in entirely the wrong dialect, and innumerable other minor but telling cultural errors are obvious to those actually from New Orleans. Those from outside the area might be unaware of these errors, but natives might find the character to be an offensively inaccurate stereotype.

Gambit has the mutant ability to tap into the potential energy contained within an object and transform it into kinetic energy. When Gambit thus charge objects with kinetic energy and throws them at a target, the object releases this energy explosively on impact. A mental block prevents him from charging living tissue.

Energy Manipulation / Telekinesis /

Weapons

Gambit usually employs throwing spikes and playing cards. He also often uses a telescoping adamantium staff.

Equipment

Gambit's guild costume is armored, providing better protection than a normal X-Men uniform.