One of the most popular mutants from the '90s, Gambit has the most interesting cultural background of any other X-Man. Named Remy Etienne LeBeau, Gambit comes from New Orleans where he was raised by a very shady group of individuals.
Like many other Marvel heroes, Gambit's origins and past history remained a mystery for most of his existence. In later years, his past was fully fleshed out. It turned out that Gambit had quite a few skeletons in his closet. Here are the ten darkest secrets in Gambit's past, revealed.
10 He Was Kidnapped As A Child
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Remy Etienne LeBeau was abandoned by his parents. Shortly after his birth, Remy's parents were terrified and/or disgusted by his red eyes. A part of Remy's mutation, even as a child his eyes appeared to be burning on the inside.
Then left alone in a hospital ward, Gambit was destined to live a life as an orphan. He was, at least until he was kidnapped from the hospital ward. Apparently, the Thieves' Guild had taken a liking to him.
9 He Was A Part Of The LeBeau Clan Thieves' Guild
Gambit wasn't just kidnapped by any old kidnapper; he was taken by the Thieves' Guild of New Orleans. The shady group raised Remy as one of their own, teaching him how to become a master thief.
Within the Thieves' Guild, there are many different clans that represent different "families" within the group. Remy was stolen and adopted by the LeBeau clan. That is why Gambit's alter ego is actually Remy LeBeau.
8 He Was Called "Le Diable Blanc"
Remy wasn't an ordinary child. Members of the Thieves' Guild dubbed him the 'Le Diable Blanc,' which means "The White Devil." The Thieves' Guild is certainly a superstitious lot.
A child from prophecy, the Le Diable Blanc is said to be the chosen one who will finally unite the Thieves' Guild families. A group with quite a long history, the Thieves' Guild has long been plagued with warring clans that refuse to reunite. Remy offered some members a little bit of home that all of this could one day change.
7 He Stole From Candra
An initiation test for young recruits, the Tithing is a challenging ritual that few individuals are able to complete. As a teenager, Remy joined his friend Etienne Marceaux on the latter's test.
For his tithing, Etienne was tasked with stealing from the powerful mutant known as Candra. Not only does Candra have incredible telekinetic abilities, but she is also immortal and has been around for quite a long time. When the teenage Gambit came face to face with Candra she recognized him. It turns out they had met before. As an adult with the X-Men, Gambit would travel back in time and meet the immortal Candra earlier in her history.
6 He Was Captured By Pig
Candra kidnapped the two teenagers and sold them to a slave trader. This specific slave trader was a deformed mutant gangster. Known as Pig, he was known for capturing mutant children and selling them to Hydra as boy soldiers.
Given that Gambit was just entering puberty at this time, he had not yet discovered the full extent of his mutant abilities. When cornered by Pig, Remy first used his most memorable attack. Grabbing a playing card that his friend Etienne had dropped, Gambit charged it up with kinetic energy and through the card at Pig's face. This destroyed the slave trader's eye and gave the two boys an opening to escape.
5 He Worked For Mister Sinister
Disguised as his most notable alter ego, Nathaniel Essex, Mr. Sinister hired a young Remy LeBeau to steal for him. At the time Gambit had no idea who exactly he was getting into bed with. If he had known he would never have agreed to do the job.
Other than the Summer and Grey families, Gambit is perhaps the most interesting subject to Mr. Sinister. He has long manipulated the mutant from behind the scenes, and it all started when Remy was still a child.
4 He Witnessed Wolverine's Origin
The job for which Sinister had hired Gambit related directly to Wolverine. As Nathaniel Essex, Sinister hired Remy to steal some diaries from the Weapon X program.
Breaking into the Weapon X facility, Gambit actually witnessed Wolverine escaping from the adamantium experiment that turned him into a killing machine. Based on that, and other evidence he uncovered, Remy determined that this information was better left buried. So, he destroyed the evidence and returned to Sinister empty-handed.
3 He Married Bella Donna Boudreaux
Along with the Thieves' Guild, the Assassins' Guild also resides in the deep south. At the age of eight, Remy met Bella Donna Bourdeaux. Bella Donna was the daughter of the Assassins' leader.
As the two of them grew older, they fell in love with one another. As the two grew closer to adulthood, they decided to get married. This was not just for the sake of their love, but also in hopes of joining the two guilds.
2 He Killed Julien Boudreaux
Unfortunately for the two lovers, not all went as planned. While Bella Donna was deeply in love with Remy her brother, Julien, was not so impressed. In fact, he despised the adopted member of the Thieves' Guild.
Jealous of Remy, Julien challenged him to a fight. This wasn't just any fight, but one to the death. Being the skilled fighter that he is, Remy one and killed Julien. Because of this, Gambit was exiled from New Orleans which forced him to leave Bella Donna.
1 Returned To Sinister For Help
After being forced out of New Orleans, Gambit began a career as a freelance professional thief. He was quite successful, and would often use his mutant abilities to help complete seemingly impossible jobs.
After some time, it became clear that Gambit's abilities were too powerful for him to control. On the verge of dying from a large amount of energy flowing through his veins, Remy sought out Mr. Sinister for help. The supervillain was able to remove a portion of Remy's brain that lessened his powers greatly, giving Gambit control over his mutant ability. This left Gambit indebted to the dangerous supervillain.