Two historical institutions in the Marvel Universe, the Thieves Guild and the Assassins Guild operated out of New Orleans and founded by an immortal benefactress. The mutant Candra would give the Assassins great power and Thieves everlasting life if the proper tithe is offered.
Caught up in between the two factions were a thief, Gambit of the X-Men, and an assassin, his first wife, Belladonna, but what ever happened to both her and the guild which she served so loyally?
Gambit and Belladonna were brought together in the hope of cultivating peace between the two guilds. Their love was genuine, yet caught up with the complexities of family politics, and when Belladonna’s brother Julien challenged Gambit over their union, Remy killed him. To preserve the peace, Gambit would find himself exiled from the Thieves Guild, his home, and his marriage. During this time, Gambit would meet a de-aged Storm, join the X-Men and begin a relationship with Rogue that would eventually lead to his next marriage, but Gambit could not escape his past for long. The long-simmering conflict between Assassin and Thief came to the forefront in 1993's Gambit by Howard Mackie, Lee Weeks, Klaus Janson, and Steve Buccellato. The Assassins and Thieves conspired against each other to sabotage each other's tithe, putting their stand with Candra in jeopardy. This storyline was the inspiration for Gambit's solo episode in X-Men: The Animated Series Season 2, Episode 6, "X-Ternally Yours". In the end, the Guilds would forsake Candra’s gifts, Belladonna would lose all memory and Gambit would find himself exiled again. From there, Candra would appear as a member of the Externals, and though she may have died, she would always inevitably return; albeit in a far younger physical form. Over the years, Belladonna and her Assassins Guild too would return to plague Gambit, regaining her memories, along with spite and vengefulness.
Most recently, Belladonna appeared to inform Gambit of the ruin his marriage to Rogue had caused back home. This would lead to the conflict in Mr. and Mrs. X #11-12 by Kelly Thompson, Javier Pina, and Frank D'Amata. Having established himself as the King of Thieves in his 2012 solo series, his marriage to Rogue and the dire state of mutantkind threatened his standing with the Thieves. This would usher in a power vacuum, and they conspired with Candra to attain more power. As humans grew bolder in their assaults on mutants, Gambit felt pulled between his obligation to them and to the X-Men. Belladonna, once again his enemy, would lead both Assassins and Thieves in a united effort again for Candra. She would be eventually defeated again, with Gambit asserting his dominance over both Guilds. He would ultimately leave the Guild in the hands of an unsteady alliance between Belladonna and his own father, to return to the X-Men.
Since then, Candra has been sacrificed to open the way to Arrako in Excalibur #12 by Tini Howard, Marcus to, Erick Arciniega, and VC's Arianna Maher, which couldn't have been done without Gambit’s participation. Reluctant to trust Apocalypse, Gambit nevertheless sided with spite over distrust and assisted in Candra's end.
If Candra is really dead this time, it may bring up questions for Gambit’s status on Krakoa. Not only has he again secluded himself from his home, but he has helped destroy the founder of both Guilds. While Belladonna may have responsibilities to both Guilds, as a mutant herself she can also claim Krakoan citizenship.