Author Topic: Why is Gambit in Excalibur, again?  (Read 25343 times)

Offline DonPriceTag

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Why is Gambit in Excalibur, again?
« on: July 11, 2020, 09:41:46 PM »
Sadly, at the moment Gambit is stuck on Excalibur. It's not the book with the best premise or the most knowledgeable X-Men writer in the world. To be honest, it has next to nothing to do with Gambit's character - outside of the fact that it's based around magic and Gambit is a Harry Potter fan, something I'm sure Tini Howard has no idea about.

The best I could figure why he's there is because he's married to Rogue. I don't think that's a good idea or even makes sense. Being married doesn't mean you have to be with each other all the time. Being an X-Man is very similar to having a job. In my experience, when two employees are involved, especially married, it's in everyone's best interest to separate them professionally. It helps avoid conflicts, moreso in case one is a higher authority than the other.

Cyclops and Jean were together and married for years without ever being in the same book. During the 90s Jean spent most of her time in Uncanny while Cyclops led the blue team in "X-Men". It wasn't until the later parts of the decade were they on the same roster before hia death, and then her death in early 00s.

Of course, being married Gambit and Rogue would have to cross paths. With both alive and operating out of the same base (Krakoa) it would only make sense for them to occasionally cameo together in each other's books.

Gambit's involvement with magic and the occult only went as far his various X-Men adventures, the voodoo he'd have to encounter being from Marvel's NOLA, and his trip to Otherworld as a "favor" to Pete Wisdom. Gambit has much more in common with just about every other book currently in the X-Men catalog.

Fallen Angels- though unceremoniously cancelled by Marvel, was a book starring Kwannon, Kid Cable and X-23 (it had others by time the book ended). It had  the three running off-the-book ops, personal to Kwannon, with some direction from Magneto and Mr Sinister (this era's best iteration of him I might add). Gambit's inclusion here would have made sense.


Kwannon has no footing in the world, X23 has no connections and Kid Cable is still basically a stranger. Gambit's an international wonder with deep connections in the underworld thanks to his past life and present position as the King of Thieves. It would have been one of the most organic of fits. Would have helped give the book some star power too.

New Mutants- no real connection there - at all. Past that I would have loved to see him aboard the Star Jammer - but again, no use or connection here


X-Men - X-Men is mostly an anthology series with a revolving cast and story. You could only really expect a one and done story here

X-Force- this is just as much a no-brainer as any. X-Force is a black ops team created to covertly gather information and quietly eliminate threats. Gambit may not be up for killing people all the time, but if Beast and Jean are on this team - Gambit should be a shoe in. Period.


Unlike everyone else, Gambit has his own supply line and information network that's unavailable to his teammates. He'd be invaluable in information gathering and keeping tabs on people of interest abroad. Possiby even having people brought in or gaining access to them without involving Krakoa at all, again thanks to his position in the International Thieves Guild.


Marauders - For @&#_ sake they are a team of smugglers. They're normal story revolves around doing illegal activity and being places where they aren't supposed to be. How the ##&# did Gambit not end up here? Of course it comes back to his connections with the Thieves Guild. He Lord's over the exchange of stolen and black market goods. It'd be idiotic to think that his organization wouldn't be chief among those dealing Krakoa goods.

At the very least he should be making cameo appearances in this book from time to time.

X-Factor - a new book written by Leah Williams is what it's been for a long while - a quasi-procedural mystery/investigations title. Probably less Gambits speed than X-Force, Fallen Angels, and Marauders - yet it still makes more sense or his usage than Excalibur. This group will be looking into disappearance of mutants. Gambits information gathering apparatus would be useful here, if not completely O.P. to the point of being broken.


The rest of the books are solos; Wolverine, Cable, and Juggernaut - there's Children of the Atom but unless it's truly an otherworld story about the Chimera - I'm ignoring that in hopes it disappears.


If you could place Gambit on any other of the above titles, what would it have been? Give two options, and why.
« Last Edit: July 11, 2020, 10:05:41 PM by DonPriceTag »
Rogue being flung vagina-first at the first male that pops up on her radar isn't how I'd define "romance," but Marvel must be using a different dictionary than me.- NicoPony

Offline DonPriceTag

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Re: Why is Gambit in Excalibur, again?
« Reply #1 on: July 11, 2020, 10:32:14 PM »
For me, not knowing what the fate or quality of Fallen Angels would have been it would have been there and Marauders. I think Gambit would have fit in best with Kitty's crew to be honest. Although, FA would have given us more interaction with Mr Sinister and that book did supply us with best version of Me Sinister that we've seen yet in Dawn of X.
Rogue being flung vagina-first at the first male that pops up on her radar isn't how I'd define "romance," but Marvel must be using a different dictionary than me.- NicoPony

Offline purplevit

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Re: Why is Gambit in Excalibur, again?
« Reply #2 on: July 12, 2020, 04:35:26 AM »
Gambit is popular so they needed to add him to any book. Hickman has 0 plans for him so they added him to Excalibur to boost sales and so he can be just there.


X-Force ia the only good written team book. All others are average books at best. Gambit on grey line again, badass and part of X-Force team is exactly waht I wanted.


He could be on Marauders but not with Duggan as writer.


So if I would be able to choose second book it would be a supporting and good written character for Wolverine solo. Yeah, not the best option but better then other DOX books. Percy is a good writer.
« Last Edit: July 12, 2020, 06:27:34 AM by purplevit »

Offline anya

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Re: Why is Gambit in Excalibur, again?
« Reply #3 on: July 12, 2020, 11:25:54 AM »
Gambit and rogue are married, but there no reason for rogue to be in Excalibur either. She has even less to do with magic than him. Apocalypse and betsy are the only ones ‘needed’ for the story, everyone else is padding out the cast. Like purp said, Gambit (and rogue) were added for sales on the apocalypse/betsy solo. And at the beginning it worked, Excalibur was one of the better selling side titles. But it’s fallen off because ten issues in everyone see’s it’s about apocalypse (illogically) flexing on everyone while betsy runs around confused (but with a sword!) and not much plot holding everything together.

Offline Toadman005

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Re: Why is Gambit in Excalibur, again?
« Reply #4 on: July 13, 2020, 10:34:00 AM »
It's a sad state of the affairs of the industry. It reads like a very bad fan fiction you'd find on some obscure website back in the early 2000's. The art is....mediocre, the author terrible and ignorant of the characters, and the story is stupid. Like I say, it's bad fan fiction put to print with an official stamp on it.
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Offline DonPriceTag

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Re: Why is Gambit in Excalibur, again?
« Reply #5 on: July 13, 2020, 10:50:21 AM »
...so, alternatives to Excalibur?
Rogue being flung vagina-first at the first male that pops up on her radar isn't how I'd define "romance," but Marvel must be using a different dictionary than me.- NicoPony

Offline purplevit

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Re: Why is Gambit in Excalibur, again?
« Reply #6 on: July 13, 2020, 11:03:40 AM »
...so, alternatives to Excalibur?


A brand new book ;)

Offline Toadman005

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Re: Why is Gambit in Excalibur, again?
« Reply #7 on: July 13, 2020, 12:42:21 PM »
Or older ones. TBH I'd rather reread early 90's books than anything made today.
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Offline wantutosigh

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Re: Why is Gambit in Excalibur, again?
« Reply #8 on: July 13, 2020, 08:16:50 PM »
If I had to pick, I guess Marauders? Just because it seems to make the most sense. But honestly I'm just not interested in anything they're doing in the comics right now. And with how they're going right now I really don't have any hope for Gambit being portrayed well at this point. It seems like very few characters in general are being portrayed all that well. And I hate to say it, but Gambit being a straight white male seems like it will mostly relegate him to the background of whoever is writing team books, subservient to whoever the female leader is or his wife. That just seems the way of the comics at this point. If he had a solo then that would be another story. But I don't expect much from him in any of these team books. Unless a new writer came in who loves Gambit. But even then I would probably expect them to focus on other characters they desperately want to push.

Offline purplevit

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Re: Why is Gambit in Excalibur, again?
« Reply #9 on: July 14, 2020, 09:31:15 AM »

Offline Toadman005

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Re: Why is Gambit in Excalibur, again?
« Reply #10 on: July 14, 2020, 11:20:11 AM »
If I had to pick, I guess Marauders? Just because it seems to make the most sense. But honestly I'm just not interested in anything they're doing in the comics right now. And with how they're going right now I really don't have any hope for Gambit being portrayed well at this point. It seems like very few characters in general are being portrayed all that well. And I hate to say it, but Gambit being a straight white male seems like it will mostly relegate him to the background of whoever is writing team books, subservient to whoever the female leader is or his wife. That just seems the way of the comics at this point. If he had a solo then that would be another story. But I don't expect much from him in any of these team books. Unless a new writer came in who loves Gambit. But even then I would probably expect them to focus on other characters they desperately want to push.


Nailed it.
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Offline Nekobaghira

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Re: Why is Gambit in Excalibur, again?
« Reply #11 on: July 16, 2020, 12:13:51 PM »
I'm so done with writers and agendas with their writing. What happened to just telling a tale that didn't have anything more than a creative story.

I seriously don't see myself buying another comic book until Gambit gets a solo. Which won't be happening anytime soon.
« Last Edit: July 16, 2020, 12:17:19 PM by Nekobaghira »

Offline Toadman005

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Re: Why is Gambit in Excalibur, again?
« Reply #12 on: July 16, 2020, 05:06:03 PM »
I'm so done with writers and agendas with their writing. What happened to just telling a tale that didn't have anything more than a creative story.

I seriously don't see myself buying another comic book until Gambit gets a solo. Which won't be happening anytime soon.


I'm right there with you, but with everything....all television, movies, music, literature...I'm so sick of agendas and politics and s*** being shoved down my throat at every opportunity. I went to watch Major League on AMC the other day, and it was preceded by a disclaimer lamenting the name of the Cleveland Indians, saying the movie is old and implying from a "bad time" and hoping we can do better and change. I was disgusted. I just wanted to unwind watching a COMEDY.
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Offline Nekobaghira

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Re: Why is Gambit in Excalibur, again?
« Reply #13 on: July 16, 2020, 06:32:20 PM »

I'm right there with you, but with everything....all television, movies, music, literature...I'm so sick of agendas and politics and s*** being shoved down my throat at every opportunity. I went to watch Major League on AMC the other day, and it was preceded by a disclaimer lamenting the name of the Cleveland Indians, saying the movie is old and implying from a "bad time" and hoping we can do better and change. I was disgusted. I just wanted to unwind watching a COMEDY.

Oh, I know. Blazing Saddles is really non-pc but still a very funny film. I'm waiting for the day where we'll never see that film again ever. edit: It would be a shame, its a really funny film - Mel Brooks knows how to make fun of life. :)

I agree, lets just take a breather and try to entertain people, we certainly need it considering the current climate.
« Last Edit: July 16, 2020, 08:13:03 PM by Nekobaghira »

Offline wantutosigh

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Re: Why is Gambit in Excalibur, again?
« Reply #14 on: July 16, 2020, 07:02:19 PM »
The current state of entertainment is sad right now. I really worry about all of it going forward. It doesn't seem like it's going to get any better for a while. It's also why I worry about a Disney Gambit show/movie. What are they going to do to him so that he's not "problematic"?


Someone just put out one of their articles that's "5 reasons Rogue and Gambit are the best Marvel couple and 5 reasons their terrible". One of the numbers is about how Gambit is not a good guy and how the way he flirted is not "okay" today and wasn't "okay " back then either. I'm constantly seeing this on these articles when they talk about Gambit. How his flirtatiousness makes him a "creep" or it's "not okay" etc. It makes me nervous about when they do give him a show or movie, how are they going to portray him.