The Real Cost of Gambit’s New Power Has Been Revealed (& It’s Terrible)

Uncanny X-Men #13, by Gail Simone and David Marquez, kicks off an all-new X-Men epic, one that has its roots back in last year’s Uncanny X-Men #1. As the Outliers, the young mutants taken in by Rogue, Gambit, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Jubilee, investigate a frightening door found on the property of the X-Men’s Haven, Louisiana base, Gambit has his own problems to deal with. Uncanny X-Men #1 kicked off with an awesome battle between Rogue, Gambit, Wolverine and a powerful dragon in Mexico named Sadurang. That battle led to Gambit getting his hands on a greater object of power then he’s ever had before — the Left Eye of Agamotto — which has allowed Gambit to teleport the X-Men anywhere they need to go. Readers always knew there would be a cost to this power, and Uncanny X-Men #13 sees Sadurang return to talk to Gambit about it.

Uncanny X-Men is the crown jewel of “From the Ashes”. It’s the book with the most interesting stuff going on under the hood, giving readers a new class of mutants to learn to love, some classic Claremont-ian character work, and fantastic art in basically every issue so far. Gambit has been getting a lot of focus from Marvel, and this latest development could see the most dangerous version of Gambit fans have seen in a long time.

Gambit’s Newest Powers Come With a Terrible Cost

Sadurang was quite important in bringing Rogue’s latest X-Men team together. Rogue, Gambit, and Wolverine were all Mexico at the same time — Rogue and Gambit on a second honeymoon and Wolverine was visiting a dying friend — and they all met up at the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan to deal with a dragon, the self-proclaimed god-snake known as Sadurang. The three of them fought the massive dragon, and immediately attention was drawn to one of Sadurang’s eyes, his only weakness. They hold their own against him, going for his eyes, which leads to them getting their hands on the Left Eye of Agamotto, a powerful magic relic which Gambit takes custody of. Gambit convinces Sadurang to go to Antarctica, keeping the Eye, and before the dragon leaves, he gives the X-Men a but of prophecy, warning them about some terrible things about to happen to them in the future.

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Longtime Marvel fans will recognize the Left Eye of Agamotto. Agamotto was the Earth’s first Sorcerer Supreme far back in the Earth’s antiquity, and would create several Eyes of Agamotto, with the one everyone has heard of going to Agamotto’s Sorcerer Supreme successors. Later in his life, Agamotto lost his eyesight and creates two more Eyes of Agamotto. The Left Eye of Agamotto became known as the Eye of Power, allowing its user to channel magical energy through it. Sadurang, an Asgardian dragon, got his claws on it and would hold until his defeat at the hands of the X-Men. Sadurang returns in issue #13, taking Gambit to the Savage Land. After a battle with several dinosaurs, Sadurang reveals the cost of the Left Eye of Agamotto — eventually, the bearer becomes a monster themselves, their taste for power and flesh overpowering their self-control. Gambit’s new powers have helped the X-Men a lot, but the cost of them may too much for Gambit to pay.

Gambit’s Terrible Destiny Could Derail the X-Men

Sadurang’s news is pretty terrible for Gambit and the X-Men. So far, the Eye of Power has definitely helped the X-Men in their missions. While Gambit hasn’t been able to access many of its powers, it’s still definitely came in handy with getting the team around. Gambit is always useful in a fight, and the Eye of Power made him even more so. Gambit is no stranger to extreme power — his kinetic energy abilities were meant to be Omega-level and he has been able to tap into that type of power several times over the years — and despite his unsavory past, he was the perfect person to hold the Eye. This is new development changes the tenor of the whole thing, though.

Magic always comes with a cost, and readers expected the Eye to have some consequences for the team. However, none of them could have guessed that the consequences would be so dire. The Eye of Power will basically make Gambit into a power-obsessed cannibal, making him a danger to his team. The Outliers’ discovery of the entrance to the Dark Artery elsewhere in the issue points to the X-Men needing as much power as possible, but they may not want to depend on Gambit for it.

Uncanny X-Men #13 is on sale now.