Deadpool & Wolverine is full of memorable cameos, and one of the most surprising was Channing Tatum as Gambit. Years after the actor tried and failed to get a solo Gambit movie off the ground, he was able to portray the fan-favorite mutant in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tatum’s take on Gambit instantly became a highlight of Deadpool & Wolverine — thanks in larger part to the character’s exaggerated Cajun accent that made him very difficult to understand. The response to Tatum’s Gambit was so positive, Marvel Studios decided to bring him back for Avengers: Doomsday. It remains to be seen how Gambit will fit into the epic crossover event’s narrative, but one character detail has now been confirmed.
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In an interview with Variety, Tatum revealed he’ll be toning down that distinct Cajun accent in Doomsday. “I’m not gonna go full Cajun,” he said. “[Directors Anthony and Joe Russo] want things to be funny, but they don’t want to go full Deadpool. They want to keep the drama and keep it tight. When Gambit gets serious — when he drops the Mardi Gras mask — things do matter.”
Is Changing Gambit’s Accent the Right Call for Avengers: Doomsday?
Some fans will be disappointed to hear Gambit won’t have as thick of a Cajun accent in Avengers: Doomsday. The mutant’s dialect was arguably the best part of Tatum’s performance in Deadpool & Wolverine, as it was a source of much comedy. Gambit’s lines were instantly quotable and became memes, with fans doing their own variation on the accent. It became a defining part of Tatum’s portrayal, but a case can be made it’s best to dial it back in Doomsday.
Deadpool & Wolverine is obviously more of a comedy film, so the heightened, over-the-top accent fits better in a project where humor is the main goal. Deadpool’s inability to understand what Gambit was saying was a springboard for jokes. While Doomsday will likely have moments of levity, when compared to Deadpool & Wolverine, it’s a much more dramatic feature. Tonally, it’s going for something more serious as the characters deal with the high stakes of Doctor Doom’s arrival. Gambit’s fellow X-Men being unable to comprehend him could potentially undercut the severity of the situation. If audiences are laughing because Gambit is speaking in a funny accent, it’ll impact how emotional moments land.
It also remains to be seen if Tatum is playing the same version of Gambit in Avengers: Doomsday. Given the film’s multiversal elements, he could be portraying a different variant — one who doesn’t have as thick of an accent. That could be a serviceable in-universe explanation for why Gambit’s voice has changed between appearances. We’ve already seen Patrick Stewart play two different iterations of Charles Xavier, so there’s precedent for something like this.
Even if Doomsday‘s Gambit is the same version from Deadpool & Wolverine, the accent change shouldn’t be a big deal in the grand scheme of things. While it may not generate as many memes as before, Gambit will still have a Cajun accent, ensuring accuracy to the source material. Plus, it’ll be nice for fans to not have to strain themselves to understand what Gambit is saying. In some ways, the Deadpool & Wolverine accent was like lightning in a bottle; it was a very effective surprise as a one-time thing, but that effectiveness might wear thin if it went on for another movie.
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