Five Gambit Stories That Could Inspire The Movie

The long rumored Gambit movie, starring Channing Tatum, finally got put on the movie release schedule earlier this week. The film won't release until October 7, 2016 – making it the third X-Men film of the year – and so we've started wondering what comic books stories might inspire the Cajun charmer's onscreen adventure.

Below are five Gambit stories that we think would make solid, entertaining transitions to the big screen. Read on and let us know what you think, or if there are any good Gambit stories we missed, in the comments below.

Out of the Frying Pan, into the Fire

"Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire" is the two-part story from Uncanny X-Men #266-267, in which Gambit made his first full appearance. The story sees Gambit rescuing a de-aged and depowered Storm from a trap set by the Shadow King, and then outrunning Nanny and Orphan-Maker.

Back when he first debuted, Gambit was very much poised to be the next Wolverine. While he never achieved quite that level of popularity, the markers are there in this story, with Gambit immediately taking on the role of reluctant antihero, an Storm becoming his young sidekick. This story would put Gambit in a very similar position to where Wolverine was at the beginning of the first X-Men movie.

So how would this story work? Let's assume that Gambit will take place in the same era as X-Men: Apocalypse. Given that, it depends on whether or not Gambit is in that film. If he is, perhaps he decides not to stick around with the X-Men after the film's events (perhaps because he's still recovering from being a Horseman?), and Storm decides to go with him. There's no need to de-age Storm, she should already be pretty young in Apocalypse. There's also no need to depower her, since she'll still be learning to control her powers as it is.

Think of this as a buddy-thief movie, with the two mutants returning to the X-Men by the film's conclusion.

The Hearts of Thieves/Mutant Massacre

"The Hearts of Thieves" would serve to not only reintroduce Gambit to the X-Men film universe, but also the villain Sabretooth. The story, which ran in X-Men #33, recounts a run in between Gambit and Sabretooth, where they were both trying steal a valuable jewel from a young woman. This is a pretty dark story, with a tragic ending, and would really set Gambit up as a hero in need of redemption.

It could also possible set up a future X-Men movie based on the "Mutant Massacre" storyline. This is the next time that Gambit runs into Sabretooth, as he seeks him out to hire him for Mister Sinister. This story works because it is relatively simple, but also sets up a larger connection to the X-Men as a team.

Honor amongst Thieves

"Honor Amongst Thieves," the story told in the first Gambit miniseries was also adapted for an episode of the 1990s X-Men cartoon, titled "X-Ternally Yours." The story involves Gambit's history with the Thieves' Guild in New Orleans, their war with the Assassins' Guild, their relationship to an immortal mutant with the power to grant everlasting life, and Gambit's wife, Bella Donna. Gambit gets caught in the middle of it all, which is not where he wants to be. Rogue played a major part in this story, which doesn't really work too well with the movie continuity, so they'll either have to adjust or find Gambit a new love interest.

House of Cards

Gambit's second ongoing series saw him taking time off from the X-Men, so if Fox want to establish him as a solo hero, this is probably a good place to look. Like the original miniseries, this series involves the Thieves' Guild and some supernatural elements, but it's got more in common with Supernatural than your typical superhero fare. Definitely a good place to look if you're going for something a little different than what we've seen from superheroes on the big screen.

Once a Thief

The most modern intrepration of Gambit yet, the James Asmus penned ongoing series infused Remy with the spirit of an adventurer-thief. A film based on this story could make Gambit the mutant version of Indiana Jones, with him globetrotting to ancient ruins in the jungles of Guatemala, and then to the UK to steal Excalibur itself. This series is probably the most movie-ready of the lot.

Gambit opens in theaters October 7, 2016.