Here is an archive of all the past top five lists I've one over the years.
Rumor has it that Channing Tatum has pulled out of a possible starring role in an upcoming Gambit film, throwing the future of that film into question. That's pretty embarrassing for the ol' Cajun X-Man. So I figured I'd cheer him up by showing him that it could always be worse. Here, then, are his most embarrassing comic book moments...
Enjoy!
HONORABLE MENTION
Only barely avoids sleeping with underage student
This doesn't make the top five because, to be fair, he doesn't actually do anything with her, but at the same time, that Gambit has to struggle this much with NOT sleeping with a teenager who is also his student is also kind of embarrassing (courtesy of Peter Milligan, Salvador Larroca and Danny Miki)...
That she turned out to be Mystique pulling some crazy ass "looking out for Rogue by proving Gambit was a sleazeball" plan doesn't change the fact that Gambit didn't know that when he turned her down.
5. Charges up Captain America's shirt, doesn't even beat him
In AVX Vs #2, Steve McNiven wrote and drew a battle between Gambit and Captain America. Gambit managed to actually use his powers to charge up an inanimate object and make it explode on Cap's own shirt and it didn't even slow Cap down!
Likely Gambit's most embarrassing defeat in a one-on-one fight.
4. Knocks self and teammates out
In Black Panther #8 (by Reginald Hudlin, David Yardin and Jay Leisten), Gambit and the X-Men are being attacked by knockout gas. Havok smartly has Iceman freeze off the vents, keeping the gas from reaching them. Gambit then blows a hole in the vents, knocking everyone (but Wolverine) out.
3. Blinded by his own exploding card
In his first storyline on X-Men, writer Chuck Austen and artists Salvador Larroca and Danny Miki have the X-Men run afoul of a team of superpowered Chinese heroes in China. While clashing with them, Rogue hits one of them and accidentally causes one of their weapons to fire...
Things aren't good for Gambit...
The next two issues are all spent during the same fight, and we occasionally check in on Gambit and his blindness....
When that story finished and the X-Men returned to the United States, Gambit pulls a total dick move and acts like it is Rogue's fault (like she knew hitting the Chinese guy would cause his weapon to fire and nick Gambit's playing card and cause it to explode)...
Self-pitying Gambit is the worst Gambit, as you will see with the #1 choice, as well. This plotline was quickly dropped, as seen in this Abandoned Love column.
Go to the next page for the top two moments!
2. Almost blows up own hand
In X-Men #81 (by Joe Kelly, Adam Kubert and Mark Farmer), Gambit has just been tentatively accepted back into the X-Men (after they found out his big secret that he helped the Marauders discover the Morlocks and inadvertently led to the Mutant Massacre - that was more tragic than embarrassing, so I didn't count it) and he tries to talk to Rogue again...
Kelly, of course, at least was actually playing that one FOR laughs.
1. Willingly becomes a Horseman of Apocalypse
Like I said earlier, self-pitying Gambit is the worst, and after Rogue breaks up with him, that's what he becomes, to the point where he actually volunteers to go work for APOCALYPSE during Peter Milligan's final storyline at the writer of X-Men! "The X-Men aren't paying attention to me, let me become DEATH!" What a maroon...
Even when they tried to explain it better in a back-up the next issue (by Milligan, Clayton Henry and Mark Morales), he still came off sounding dumb...
His look by Salvador Larroca was also pretty embarrassing...
Plus his new "make noxious gas" power...
I think a lot of people have that power after eating spicy foods, Gambit.
How embarrassing. This plot was also quickly dropped, as seen in this Abandoned Love column.
That's my top five! Agree? Disagree? Let me know!