I've ben debating making this thread for a while....don't want to get beaten up...but lets face it. Our favorite Cajun is not what he used to be. At one point in the mid-late 90's Gambit was arguably more popular than Wolverine, and easily among Marvel's most marketable characters (far more at that time than say, Thor or Iron Man), and a mainstay in the title X-brands. Additionally he was among the most "bad ass" characters as well, always treated as dangerous and cunning and unpredictable.
These days, he's barely used, often relegated to mini's or offshoot X-titles, or background art/panels. He's barely in any video games anymore. He's often lampooned as a troupe or cliche. He's joke upon, and he gets his ass kicked constantly.
When, where and why do you feel this happened?
Imo it was tri-fold.
1.) When Gambit's "secret"w as finally revealed and then he was removed from the title for a period, I feel it cost him a lot of his mystique and coolness. I think a lot of readers checked out during this time.
2.) With the first X-Men movie and Morrison's New X-Men hitting at roughly the same time, I think for new or newly reinterested readers, Gambit as not a main guy anymore. He was a tier 2 or even 3 guy, and as he failed to appear in subsequent movies or titles he slipped more and more.
3.) Writer sabotage. Lets face it many writers hated the character because most writers are old fans and Gambit was the "new" cool guy who got over at the expense of "their" guys be it Wolverine or Colossus, etc. So, they'd "stick it to him" whenever they got the chance to make the character look bad, or, years later make him a prop for Rogue.
oh and 4.) The art began to suffer. Gambit is a character at his best with a capable artist who can encompass his unique look, his acrobatic dynamics in a fight, and his handsome charm. Jim Lee, Andy Kubert, etc. As Marvel's artist declined, so did Gambit's appeal.