Which Superheroes Will We Meet in 'Gambit'?

Marvel will continue the hold it has on theaters worldwide with Civil War and Doctor Strange in 2016. In 2017, the company will release a Guardians of the Galaxy sequel, its Spider-Man reboot, and the Gambit film that was originally meant for release this year.

So who’s Gambit? We’ve known for quite a while that Channing Tatum would play him, and we know that he’s a mutant who’ll eventually team up with the X-Men. He’s originally from New Orleans, speaks with a Cajun accent, and his story is reportedly going to intertwine with both Deadpool and the characters in X-Men: Apocalypse, provided that the X-Men film does as well as Deadpool at the box office, that is.

A central function of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe is introducing minor heroes and villains through vehicle films about more popular characters. In the second Avengers film, we saw several of these B-side minor heroes teaming up; Ant-Man introduced the Wasp; and Deadpool revealed several mutants, both in support of and fighting against Deadpool’s tactics. Gambit’s posse of heroes and villains will be just as complicated.

Let’s take a look at a couple roles from the film’s casting call.

“Louis — Male, any ethnicity, 40s-50s. Elegant and intelligent. An appealing entrepreneur with an unexpected dark side.

“Vera — Female, any ethnicity, mid 20s-early 30s. Beautiful, smart, tough, fiery and unpredictable.”

That first role, “Louis,” is likely Jean-Luc LeBeau, leader of a New Orleans crime ring called the Guild, and Gambit’s adoptive father. “Vera” is likely Bella Donna Boudreaux, Gambit’s on-again, off-again girlfriend until he meets Rogue. She’s already rumored to be played by French actress Léa Seydoux, who will probably pull off the Cajun accent with more ease than Channing Tatum, though he’s certainly trying.

“Nash — Male, any ethnicity, mid 20s-early 30s. A potent threat. Heir to his mother’s business. Malevolent.

“Nonna — Female, any ethnicity, mid 20s–30 years old. Uptight, corporate, vicious, sexual.”

If “Nonna” is really Candra, an antagonist mutant from a rival guild, that means “Nash” might be Julien, the criminal Gambit kills before escaping out of New Orleans.

“Clarissa — Female, mixed race, 10-12 years old. Ethereal and other worldly. Very expressive.”

Nerds on the internet have been trying to nail down who the otherworldly child in Gambit is meant to be, but it’s likely that the character is an amalgamation of several of the kids Gambit helps in his comics. He’s an overgrown Oliver Twist, and the Guild that adopts him as a pickpocket is even modeled after Fagan’s troupe of orphan boys in the Broadway musical. Because of this background, Gambit has a soft spot for kids in peril, and he helps so many children in the comics that fans call them, collectively, “the Gambit Guild.”

Since Gambit is an origin film, “Clarissa” will likely be one of the children bought and sold by the Pig character, who trains and transports children to HYDRA. On another child-saving mission, Gambit manages to save a single young girl who once belonged to the Morlocks, the mutant gang that showed up in Deadpool this winter. This girl, who goes by Sarah in the comics, eventually grows up to be Marrow, the leader of a mutant terrorist group.