As a longtime comic book enthusiast who’s seen more than a few superhero adaptations over the years, I can’t help but feel a pang of nostalgia when it comes to Channing Tatum’s portrayal of Gambit in “Deadpool and Wolverine.” Now, don’t get me wrong – I ain’t one to quibble with a good ol’ fashioned card-flinging mutant, but the boy’s got some mighty big shoes to fill after Hugh Jackman’s iconic turn as Wolverine.
The newly released Marvel Studios film featuring Deadpool and Wolverine is filled with amusing references to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and its past, particularly when it was distributed by 20th Century Fox. A notable instance is when Deadpool (played by Ryan Reynolds) directly addresses the camera, informing Fox that he’s off to Disneyland, followed by a headbutt towards an imaginary lens – a nod to the meta nature of the movie. However, the true epitome of meta humor might be the appearance of Channing Tatum, famous for Magic Mike and 21 Jump Street, as Gambit, the card-slinging mutant. If you’re not well-versed in superhero movie news, you may miss the joke that Tatum was initially cast as Gambit years ago but the promised film never came to fruition.
Following the financial triumph of movies like Deadpool and Wolverine, discussions have arisen about how to proceed with these characters now that they’ve been revived from the limbo of Fox/Marvel. Ryan Reynolds has even initiated a push for Marvel Studios to grant Wesley Snipes a fitting farewell for the Blade character, similar to Hugh Jackman’s Logan movie, rather than the Mahershala Ali-led film that keeps encountering production delays.
Although some fans are keen on Channing Tatum’s Gambit persisting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I believe it could be detrimental, particularly for a standalone film centered around this specific character portrayal. Here’s my reasoning.
Gambit was fun… but also a punchline
Initially, let’s discuss the portrayal of Gambit (played by Tatum) in this film. As a mutant X-Man named Remy LeBeau, he has a unique Cajun accent due to his New Orleans upbringing. Growing up with a group of thieves, he presents himself more as a mischievous scoundrel than a traditional heroic figure. In previous movies like Deadpool and Wolverine, this dialect was used for comedic effect. Our unconventional hero, Deadpool, even jokes that Channing Tatum’s Gambit sounds like a character from Billy Bob Thornton’s movie Sling Blade, suggesting his English is more akin to the dialect in that film rather than conventional English.
Despite the humor surrounding Channing Tatum’s character’s local accent and the recurring gag about his unrealized film role, parts of Gambit’s dialogue bring up this running joke. Characters like Elektra and Blade, who starred in films that ranged from excellent to dreadful but still had their moments on the big screen, are reintroduced here. Despite Tatum’s long-standing attempts, he never got the opportunity to portray Gambit, and the character’s appearance in this film seemed to satisfy the curiosity of what a Tatum-led Gambit might have been like. In this movie, it fit well. I don’t believe that we need any more emphasis on Gambit than what is sufficient for a standalone movie. This was just the right amount.
Gambit in live action looks kind of cheesy
Just as any avid X-Men enthusiast, I couldn’t help but wonder how Gambit would be depicted in live action. Granted, Taylor Kitsch played Remy LeBeau in the problematic X-Men Origins: Wolverine, yet his portrayal fell short of expectations – most disappointingly, the mishandling of Deadpool’s character within the film.
After seeing Channing Tatum portray Gambit in both Deadpool and Wolverine, I must admit that his live-action depiction was acceptable, albeit a bit campy and cheesy. The costume, while staying true to the comics, seems outdated, as if it belonged in the early 2000s. The playing card trick, which works well on comic book pages, lacked the same punch in the movie. It felt like Tatum was mocking Gambit’s power by describing it as “making the cards go boom.” This is not the level of intensity we’ve grown accustomed to with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and his adamantium claws, or Deadpool using Logan’s skeleton to annihilate a group of TVA agents. Instead, Gambit charges up playing cards and hurls them.
Cool. But limited. And I certainly don’t need to see it as the focal point of a solo Gambit movie.
It’s clear from the dynamic depicted in the animated series “X-Men ’97,” Gambit thrives when he’s part of a team. He shares an electrifying connection with Rogue, and his free-spirited personality often clashes with the strict personalities like Cyclops or Wolverine. I wouldn’t mind Channing Tatum reprising his role as Gambit in either “Avengers: Secret Wars” or a potential upcoming X-Men film. However, considering how “Deadpool and Wolverine” concluded, it seems unlikely that will happen.
Did the MCU already shelve Channing Tatum’s Gambit?
The focus was heavily on the introduction of Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool character alongside Wolverine into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, despite numerous instances of the Time Variance Authority, this sequel to The Void primarily maintained an independent storyline that didn’t disrupt the Sacred Timeline significantly. In the movie, Deadpool (Reynolds) enlists Wolverine (Jackman) to aid him in preserving his timeline, specifically Earth-10005. They manage to achieve their goal and Logan departs Earth-10005 with Wade and an additional individual: Dafne Keen’s Laura, also known as X-23.
It’s my assumption that the three characters were intentionally placed in Earth-10005 for future use by the MCU, likely in the upcoming movie “Avengers: Secret Wars.” Given the scale of this film and its potential as a massive team-up, it seems plausible that Marvel may reintroduce Deadpool, Wolverine, and X-23 if needed again.
It’s interesting to note that Gambit, Elektra, and Blade were absent from the scene. If Marvel had plans to reintroduce these characters, I believe we would have spotted at least some of them hanging out in Wade’s apartment, waiting for a call from Kevin Feige to embark on a new journey together.
It’s quite fitting that Wesley Snipes should receive a fitting farewell. After all, he was instrumental in kick-starting the concept of a Marvel Comics film with “Blade” in 1998. Perhaps, in the upcoming “Blade” reboot, they could utilize Snipes and have him gracefully hand over the sword to Mahershala Ali?
In essence, pushing more Chan-bit onto the audience seems overly ambitious. The actor’s roles in Deadpool and Wolverine, as seen by me, perfectly fulfilled what Reynolds and Shawn Levy aimed for. It provided Tatum an opportunity to embody a character he always wanted to play. Prolonging this dream could potentially be too much of a good thing.
As a long-time Marvel fan and someone who has followed the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) since its inception, I am thrilled to share that the next exciting production from Marvel Studios is the Disney+ series “Agatha All Along”. While we’ll have to wait until February for the next MCU movie, “Captain America: Brave New World,” featuring Anthony Mackie as Captain America, I find myself eagerly anticipating both projects. The unique blend of magic and superheroes in Agatha All Along is a fresh take on the MCU, and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds. On the other hand, I have high expectations for Captain America: Brave New World given Anthony Mackie’s impressive performance in the role so far. These upcoming productions promise to keep the Marvel magic alive and deliver engaging stories that will surely captivate fans like myself.
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2024-08-09 15:08