Gambit
Real Name: Remy LeBeau
Class: mutant
Occupation: thief , adventurer
Affiliations: former member of the Thieves' Guild , betrothed to Belladonna II , member of the X-Men
Scale of Operations: Southern United States (Louisiana) , later New York/worldwide
Powers: Aside from being an extremely adept thief, acrobat, and hand-to-hand fighter, Gambit also has the ability to charm others on an almost telepathic/empathic level with his words and proximity.
Powers: Aside from being an extremely adept thief, acrobat, and hand-to-hand fighter, Gambit also has the ability to charm others on an almost telepathic/empathic level with his words and proximity.
Gambit's most notable mutant ability is the power to charge objects with kinetic energy, which is soon released in an explosive blast. Usually, Gambit uses his playing cards as objects he charges, then throws, but he has been known to charge any inanimate object, such as bricks and even a ship's anchor chain. The limit on the amount of mass he can charge is unknown.
Recently, LeBeau's powers have been boosted many times over, by the mutant Mary Purcell, Mister Sinister, and the New Sun. As a result, Gambit has been able to charge objects within his vicinity without need of touching them, and has proven capable of charging organic objects as well. He also generates a permanent static energy field around his body, allowing him to regenerate mortal wounds and even to touch Rogue, as his static field dissipates her power. When first boosted, his powers levels were nearly uncontrollable, to the point where the slightest emotion could set them off.
History: Not much is known about the very early life of Remy LeBeau, also known as the mutant Gambit. He claims he was an orphan adopted into the Thieves' Guild in New Orleans by the Guild`s leader, Jean-Luc LeBeau. Thus, he was raised to be one of the world's most skillful and proficient thieves, and at some point he took the code-name of Gambit.
Later in life, LeBeau was used by his father to attempt to force a peaceful truce between the Thieves' Guild and their rivals, the Assassin Guild. LeBeau was betrothed to his childhood friend, Belladonna, who was the daughter of the Assassins' leader. However, LeBeau had grown dissatisfied with Guild life, and the marriage was the last straw. Moreover, Belladonna's brother, Julien, was angered by the arrangement and challenged LeBeau. LeBeau killed Julien in the confrontation, and he ran away, leaving the marriage unconsummated.
Presumably, LeBeau continued his life of thievery, although at some point his mutant powers began to grow out of control. He sought out the villain known as Mister Sinister, whose scientific prowess allowed LeBeau's powers to return to normal. In return, Sinister had LeBeau assemble a band of mutants for him, thereby creating the team known as the Marauders on Sinister's behalf. At Sinister's direction, LeBeau led the Marauders into the tunnels used by the underground-dwelling mutants called the Morlocks, and the Marauders began a murderous rampage now called the Mutant Massacre. Horrified, LeBeau tried to stop the massacre, but was almost killed by teammate Sabretooth. LeBeau managed to save one mutant, now known as the hero Marrow, before he escaped. LeBeau promptly left the employ of Sinister and returned to New Orleans to continue his thieving career.
When the mutant hero Storm was bereft of her memory and reverted to the body of a child, she found her way to New Orleans, where she became a successful thief. Storm was attacked by her archenemy the Shadow King and his minions, escaping by falling from a third-story floor into a pool. LeBeau, who was trying to rob the same house at the time, fished the child out of the water and helped her to escape. After an initial period of distrust, LeBeau and Storm became friends, although LeBeau remained unaware of her true nature.
The two began a Robin Hood-style campaign against the criminals of the area. They would steal from the looters and give the booty to people who needed it. The campaign lasted until the Orphan-Maker and Nanny, the villains responsible for Storm's physical condition, finally caught up with Storm. In the following battle, Storm regained her memory and both she and LeBeau escaped. LeBeau followed Storm back to her "family," the hero team X-Men, where he became an uncomfortable member of the team.
Serving with the team for many adventures, LeBeau grew more comfortable with them, and developed a romantic relationship with teammate Rogue. His relationship with the team was shaken when the time-travelling mutant Bishop accused LeBeau of mortally betraying the team at some future point, although this was proved false years later.
During his time with the X-Men, LeBeau was confronted by Belladonna, who was inadvertently acting on behalf of the evil Candra, who wanted LeBeau dead. Although the two reconciled their past history, Belladonna was later used again by Candra to fight both Rogue and LeBeau, at which point Candra's plot was revealed and Belladonna and LeBeau parted company amicably.
Later still, LeBeau was among the X-Men who crash-landed to Earth after a adventure in space against the villainous Phalanx. There, he and Rogue kissed, whereupon Rogue's powers to absorb others' memories allowed her to learn of LeBeau's past activities with Mister Sinister and the Marauders. The team was accosted by the villain Magneto, who posed as X-villain Erik the Red and placed LeBeau on a trial for his part in the Mutant Massacre. They escaped Magneto but Rogue, upset, left LeBeau in the Antarctic wasteland. Eventually, LeBeau returned to the Citadel used by Magneto for this trial, and he made contact with the psionic essence of the mutant girl Mary Purcell, long since deceased. Mary psychically bonded with LeBeau which allowed him to survive until he reached the prehistoric paradise known as the Savage Land, also located in Antarctica. There, LeBeau somehow managed to strike a deal with the New Son, then-current leader of the Thieves' Guild and was able to return to the United States.
LeBeau began to run errands for the New Son in order to pay off his debt, such as stealing the Crimson Gem of Cytorrak which powers the villain Juggernaut (although in this case he proved unable to do so). In carrying out this assignment, LeBeau encountered the X-Men and agreed to rejoin them, partly due to his feelings for Rouge, and the two began a tentative reconciliation. During this time, however, Mary's psychic rapport appeared to be driving him insane. The relationship also began to turn parasitic, where Mary would subtly influence LeBeau's powers, gradually increasing them, and Mary ultimately forced LeBeau to visit her hometown where LeBeau would physically bond with her essence, turning them into a new hybrid life form. LeBeau was rescued by the X-Men, and Mary's essence was apparently destroyed by Rogue using a high-tech containment suit.
During his association with the New Son, LeBeau met and developed a professional relationship with the mutant known as the Courier. Together, the two took an assignment which brought them into the 19th century and the Mister Sinister of that era. LeBeau also encountered the villain Candra during this time, stopping her from learning secrets of the evil Apocalypse and first earning her enmity. In order to return to the present, LeBeau had Sinister activate the full potential of his mutant power.
About the same time, LeBeau assumed leadership of the Thieves' Guild after his father passed away. However, this in part caused the New Son to turn against him, and he sent many assassins to kill him, including Belladonna. The couple fought, but in order to escape a collapsed building, the two reconciled their differences and agreed to unify the Guilds.
As for the New Son, LeBeau confronted him, learning that he was a version of himself from an alternate reality. The New Son hoped to shape events so that his world would not have been destroyed, although the means he chose to achieve these ends became twisted. In the ensuing battle, the New Son became trapped between moments in time. Eventually, the New Son (calling himself the New Sun) broke free and confronted LeBeau again, taking him to his native reality. LeBeau defeated the New Sun after the villain actualized LeBeau's full abilities, and LeBeau was rescued by the Courier and returned to Earth.
Later, during a visit to Mardi Gras, LeBeau assembled a contingent of X-Men to help him against a common threat when the Neo attacked them. LeBeau lead this faction of the X-Men for several adventures before parting company.