Channing Tatum Says AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY Won’t Explain Gambit’s Origins
We will get to see Channing Tatum back in action as Gambit in Avengers: Doomsday, but don’t expect Marvel to spend much time explaining where his version of the X-Men character comes from.
According to the actor, the upcoming MCU movie doesn't address Gambit's complicated origins, which makes perfect sense considering the much bigger story Marvel is telling.
Tatum finally got to play Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine, bringing his Cajun mutant to life after years of trying to get a solo movie made. Now he's joining several familiar faces from the original X-Men films, including Patrick Stewart as Professor X and Ian McKellen as Magneto.
During an interview with Screen Rant, Tatum was asked which universe his Gambit belongs to. He initially said he didn't "want to give that away," before confirming that the character comes from the same timeline as the original X-Men, although there's "with gray around it."
He went on to explain: "Even where he came from in Deadpool & Wolverine, like you're saying, he hasn't been anywhere, in a way, and he was born in The Void, in a way. It doesn't go into it is what I would say. We start in such a place that we never really get to address where he's come from."
That shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Gambit's introduction in Deadpool & Wolverine already left his history intentionally vague. He was hanging out in the Void with other forgotten Marvel characters, and even Gambit didn't seem entirely sure where he came from.
I never expected Avengers: Doomsday to explain his origins. There's too much important story to tell, especially with the massive ensemble of Avengers, X-Men, and other Marvel characters coming together. Taking a detour to explain Gambit's place in the multiverse doesn't seem necessary.
What matters more is how Gambit fits into the events of the film and what kind of role he'll play alongside the returning X-Men.
There's also been plenty of speculation about what Marvel has planned for the original mutant team. One popular fan theory suggests the X-Men could be killed off early in the movie, particularly with footage showing a confrontation between the Avengers and X-Men at the X-Mansion. I don’t think that’s the case, though.
Marvel is also developing a new X-Men reboot with an entirely new cast, so Doomsday and Secret Wars will serve as a final chapter for some of these familiar characters before the MCU introduces its own versions.
I'm just happy Tatum is getting another opportunity to play Gambit after all those years of trying to make it happen. His appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine was a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he gets to do when he's thrown into a much larger Marvel story.
Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters on December 18, 2026.