10 Best Gambit Villains

Fans were pleasantly surprised by some shocking cameos in Deadpool and Wolverine that brought back formerly established cinematic heroes while paying off a few others. After his starring role in the Fox film fell apart years ago, Channing Tatum finally brought the Raging Cajun to life on the big screen when Gambit appeared in Deadpool and Wolverine.

Gambit helped the titular heroes and a few other Marvel cameos in the final battle against the forces of Cassandra Nova, though she isn’t usually one of Gambit’s main foes. Over the years, the X-Men’s resident thief has forged new rivalries with powerful villains from the X-Men’s past, like Sabretooth and Mister Sinister, while encountering terrifying new enemies like Pig and New Sun.

10 Bishop Thought Gambit Would Become A Traitor

First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men #282 (October 1991) by John Byrne, Whilce Portacio, Art Thibert, Dana Moreshead and Tom Orzechowski

Bishop was a member of a military group from the future known as the X.S.E., or Xavier Security Enforcers. The team modeled themselves after the X-Men and followed Xavier’s teachings, though some information had become skewed over time. When Bishop found himself stranded in the past alongside the legendary X-Men, he brought with him a troubling hunch.

In Bishop’s time, the X-Men were defeated and betrayed by one of their own. While the traitor was never fully revealed, Bishop suspected it was Gambit due to the cajun thief’s survival in his timeline as the Witness. Bishop was antagonistic to Gambit for years when he first arrived because of this belief, making him an enemy within their own team. However, Bishop and Gambit eventually found common ground and forged a friendship just before the actual traitor—Professor Xavier—was revealed during the Onslaught event.

9 Orlean Cooper Is An Exiled Demon from New Orleans

First Appearance: Gambit #1 (September 2004) by John Layman, Georges Jeanty, Don Hillsman, Tom Chu and Cory Petit

While Gambit is well-known as a member of the X-Men, he still occasionally pulls jobs as a highly-skilled thief. In the fourth volume of his self-titled series, Gambit was hired by Orlean Cooper to steal a deck of supernatural tarot cards. Cooper was a mutant club owner from New Orleans, though Remy LeBeau soon discovered he was an exiled demon with hellish connections.

Orlean Cooper had power and connections in New Orleans, but his demonic abilities also gave him an edge against anyone who wasn’t a demon from Hell. Cooper had the potential to be a great recurring villain for Gambit, as his plan to take over demons of the underworld backfired due to Remy’s trickery. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been seen since his first appearances.

8 Bella Donna Boudreaux Is Gambit’s Deadly Ex-Wife

First Appearance: X-Men #8 (March 1992) by Jim Lee, Scott Lobdell, Art Thibert, Joe Rosas and Tom Orzechowski

Remy LeBeaus is known in the Marvel universe for his thievery, powerful mutant abilities, fighting skills, and way with women. While he’s settled down in recent years since marrying Rogue, Mr. and Mrs. X have had a few encounters with a woman named Bella Donna Boudreaux, who keeps reminding them of Gambit’s dark past.

Bella Donna Boudreaux is Gambit’s ex-wife and the leader of New Orleans’ Assassins Guild. Remy LeBeau was supposed to be the leader of the Thieves Guild, and their arranged marriage would have united the two guilds once and for all. However, Gambit abandoned the Thieves Guild and Bella Donna, turning her from his loving wife to a lasting enemy.

7 Pig Was A Mutant Slaver With Hired Muscle

First Appearance: Gambit #6 (May 1999) by Fabian Nicieza, Steve Skroce, Rob Hunter, Shannon Blanchard, Keri Wilson, Richard Starkings and Comicraft

Gambit’s upbringing with the Thieves Guild had a very rocky start. Young Remy LeBeau was nearly kidnapped and taken into child slavery by a villainous mutant known as the Pig. He was a mutant slaver who ran a dark empire and catered to unique clientele. During his escape, Gambit blinded Pig, creating a rivalry that lasted for years.

Years later, Pig employed two Latverian mercenaries known as the Mengo Brothers, who frequently butted heads with Gambit. Pig hoped to use new mutant stock for dark genetic experiments for the Russian Mafia while also getting revenge on Gambit. While he had no additional powers, Pig’s mutated form made him a deadly threat for years.

6 Gambit Abandoned The Marauders During The Massacre

First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men #211 (August 1986) by Chris Claremont, John Romita Jr., Bret Blevins, Al Williamson, Glynis Oliver and Tom Orzechowski

Gambit’s role in one of the X-Men’s darkest moments remained a tightly guarded secret for years. However, it was eventually revealed that Remy LeBeaus had formerly worked for Mr. Sinsiter, and one of his final missions for the dark geneticist came when he guided the murderous Marauders into the New York sewers to massacre the Morlocks.

The Marauders – Scalphunter, Arclight, Riptide, Vertigo, Harpoon and Sabretooth – wasted no time in carrying out their mission, though Gambit turned on them as soon as he realized what they were down there to do. While Gambit suffered serious injury from the Marauders during his escape, they never forgot his betrayal and he never forgot their brutality.

5 Sabretooth And Gambit Have A Tragic History

First Appearance: Iron Fist #14 (May 1977) by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Dan Green, Janice Cohen, Gaspar Saladino and Annette Kawecki

Sabretooth and Gambit’s history goes much deeper than their shared moments as Marauders. Victor Creed and Remy LeBeau encountered each other years before the Morlock Massacre when Gambit was still working with the Thieves Guild. While on a mission, he romanced a young woman named Genevieve Darceneaux, who had stolen a valuable pendant.

Gambit and Sabretooth were after the same pendant, leading to their first confrontation. However, Gambit was still young and cocky, and he was unprepared for Sabretooth’s cunning and ruthlessness. Creed captured Genevieve and Remy’s older adopted brother, Henri, and made him decide which one he would save while Sabretooth escaped. Gambit was forced to let Genevieve die, learning an important lesson and creating a lasting rivalry with Sabretooth.

4 Candra Is An External Connected To The Guilds

First Appearance: Gambit #1 (October 1993) by Howard Mackie, Lee Weeks, Klaus Janson, Steve Buccellato and Richard Starkings

Remy LeBeau’s life was inextricably intertwined with the Thieves Guild when he was taken in by the group’s leader, Jean-Luc LeBeau. However, even after Gambit left the Thieves Guild, he couldn’t seem to escape the Guilds’ Benefactress, the External known as Candra.

The Externals were a powerful race of immortal mutants, including Selene and Apocalypse. Candra was a high-level psychokinetic who could use her powers in various ways. Her immortality and longevity allowed her to amass power, knowledge, and wealth over the years. While Candra and Gambit were often enemies, they also briefly shared a romance. Unfortunately, Candra’s hatred for Gamit only intensified afterward, making her one of his deadliest enemies.

3 Apocalypse Turned Gambit Into His Horseman Death

First Appearance: X-Factor #5 (March 1986) by Bob Layton, Jackson Guice, Josef Rubinstein, Petra Scotese and Joe Rosen

Another eternal mutant who has frequently plagued the X-Men over the years is En Sabah Nur, or Apocalypse, as he’s better known in the Marvel universe. Gambit faced him a few times with the X-men, though things turned dark during the “Blood of the Apocalypse” storyline. After discovering that some of his fellow X-Men had already been turned into Horsemen, Gambit willingly agreed to the process to get an inside edge and help his friends.

Unfortunately, the process created a dark new persona that became the horseman, Death. While Gambit was able to retake control of his body after the process, Death continued to torment Remy LeBeau in his mind and occasionally regained control of his body. Gambit became intimately acquainted with Apocalypse during his time as a Horseman, and he gained a new villain in the dark shade of himself known as Death.

2 Mister Sinister Has Manipulated Gambit For Years

First Appearance: Uncanny X-Men #221 (June 1987) by Chris Claremont, Marc Silvestri, Dan Green, Glynis Oliver and Tom Orzechowski

Nathaniel Essex was a Victorian geneticist who began experimenting with mutant genes in truly sinister ways. After he met Apocalypse, he was forever transformed into Mister Sinister, and his mutant experimentation continued without restraint. Over the years, he became involved in quite a few young mutants’ lives whose genetic potential intrigued him, including Cyclops and Gambit.

When Gambit’s mutant powers first manifested, he had trouble controlling his new abilities. Mister Sinister helped him control the evolution of his abilities, though it meant that Gambit had a debt to pay. Gambit’s years of pulling dark jobs for Sinister threatened to pull Gambit into the darkness, but his time with the X-Men helped him overcome Sinister’s manipulations. Even when Sinister joined the X-Men on Krakoa, Gambit knew better than to trust his old enemy.

1 New Sun Is A Gambit Variant With God-Like Powers

First Appearance: Gambit #7 (June 1999) by Fabian Nicieza, Steve Skroce, Rob Hunter, Shannon Blanchard, Richard Starkings and Comicraft

Mister Sinister wasn’t the only mysterious mutant to which Gambit owed a debt over the years. He became embroiled in the machinations of a powerful mutant known only as New Sun. A psychic investigator began interrogating Gambit’s closest friends and loved ones in their dreams to gain information for New Sun. At the same time, Gambit’s powers began to increase in ways he was struggling to control.

Gambit eventually discovered that New Sun was actually an alternate-reality variant of himself whose powers had reached a god-like level. He was responsible for destroying his world and set out to destroy other versions of himself across the multiverse so they wouldn’t do the same thing. Gambit’s increased abilities allowed him to face New Sun one-on-one and get the upper hand, ending the threat of his alternate self.