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The Avengers: Doomsday trailer is packed with headline-worthy reveals. Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom finally takes center stage, beloved X-Men return, and Marvel’s multiverse bursts with characters. But for one actor, the trailer allows for potential.
Channing Tatum’s Gambit is officially back.
When Marvel Studios released the first teaser for Avengers: Doomsday, fans quickly spotted Tatum among the film’s massive ensemble cast. While his appearance lasts only a moment, it confirms that his fan-favorite version of Remy LeBeau will return after making his surprise debut in Deadpool & Wolverine.
For longtime Marvel fans, it’s the payoff to one of Hollywood’s longest-running superhero “what if?” stories.
Channing Tatum almost played Gambit years before the MCU
Long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe began exploring the multiverse, Tatum had spent years trying to bring Gambit to the big screen.
The actor first became attached to a standalone Gambit movie in 2014, with 20th Century Fox planning the film as part of its X-Men franchise. Unlike many superhero blockbusters, the project reportedly aimed for a smaller-scale story with crime, romance, and the Cajun thief at its center rather than another world-ending threat. Though, the project never found stable footing.
Many directors (including Rupert Wyatt, Doug Liman, and Gore Verbinski) joined and later exited the film. Multiple script rewrites, shifting release dates, and creative setbacks kept the project stuck in development for years. Disney ultimately shelved the film after acquiring 20th Century Fox, ending Tatum’s long pursuit of the character before cameras ever rolled.
The cancellation hit Tatum particularly hard. In a 2022 interview with Variety, he admitted he felt “traumatized” after spending years trying to make the movie happen before watching it disappear.
Deadpool & Wolverine finally gave him the chance
In 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, Tatum finally suited up as Gambit. Casual audiences were introduced to the kinetic-energy-wielding mutant for the first time, while longtime fans recognized the appearance as a tribute to the superhero movie that never happened. The film even poked fun at that history.
Gambit jokes that he may have been “born in the Void” because he never really had a universe of his own. This being a meta reference to the canceled solo movie. Even Deadpool questions who he is, turning years of development limbo into one of the film’s funniest running gags.
Despite the comedic introduction, Tatum’s Gambit quickly became one of the breakout characters of the movie. His comic-accurate costume, Cajun accent, and explosive card-throwing scenes reminded fans why the X-Man has been popular for decades.
Now Avengers: Doomsday gives Gambit another chance
The newly released Avengers: Doomsday trailer confirms that Tatum’s Gambit wasn’t a one-off cameo.
Marvel’s upcoming crossover brings together heroes from across multiple Marvel universes, with returning X-Men actors including Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Alan Cumming, and Kelsey Grammer joining MCU veterans and newcomers alike. Tatum’s inclusion places Gambit alongside some of the franchise’s most iconic mutants for what appears to be Marvel’s biggest multiversal event yet.
It’s also another opportunity for the actor to continue developing a version of Gambit that audiences only recently got to meet.
While Marvel has not announced a standalone Gambit film, Tatum has previously said that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige told him the studio loves the character but wants to find the right place for him in its larger plans.
Gambit Remains One of Marvel’s Most Beloved Mutants
Created in 1990, Remy LeBeau has long been one of the X-Men’s most recognizable members. A master thief from New Orleans, Gambit can charge objects with kinetic energy (most famously playing cards) which explode on impact. He’s also an expert fighter and staff wielder, with a complicated past that eventually leads him from thief to trusted X-Man.
His popularity has only grown in recent years thanks to X-Men ’97 and now Deadpool & Wolverine, making his appearance in Avengers: Doomsday feel like perfect timing.
Whether or not a solo Gambit movie ever becomes reality, the Avengers: Doomsday trailer finally delivers something fans (and Channing Tatum himself) waited more than a decade to see – his version of one of Marvel’s most iconic heroes getting another chance to shine.
(featured image: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
